Rules of the Game

Like many other sports around the world, American Football has it's own special rules that Players and Officials must adhere to. These rules are set out mainly by the governing body of the sport, in conjunction with talks with the Head Coaches of each team.

 

The Ball

Vince Lombardi was correct in stating, 'that the football is the most fundamental feature of the game.' The official football used in the NFL is a rubber bladder inflated to 12.5 - 13.5 psi, enclosed in a pebble-grained casing of natural tan colour leather and weighing 14-15 ounces.

 

The Field

The types of playing surfaces vary from stadium to stadium (grass or astroturf), but one thing remains constant and that is the size, shape and markings of the field.

 

A field is a rectangle measuring 120 yards long by 531/3 yards wide. The actual field of play is 100 yards long, with two 10 yard deep sections called End Zones extending from each Goal Line (see Field Layout for more information).

 

However, one mark you will never see marked is that of the Line of Scrimmage. This is an imaginary line parallel to the Goal Line determined by wherever the ball is placed (spotted) after a play has ended. On each play, the Offensive and Defensive Teams line up on either side of it. Between the two teams is a Neutral Zone measuring the length of the ball; neither team may enter this zone before the ball is snapped.

 

Coin Toss

The toss of the coin takes place in the centre of the field. The toss will be called by the Visiting Captain before the coin is flipped. The winner states whether they want first choice of the options at the start of the game or the start of the second half (accept or defer), with the loser having the choice at the start of the next half:

The options available are:

(a) Receive or kick
(b) The End Zone his team will defend (ie the side of the field they will defend)

Immediately prior to the start of the second half, the Captains of both teams must inform the Officials of their respective choices. The loser of the original coin toss gets the first choice.

 

 

For example:

 

Team 1 is playing Team 2, Team 1 wins the coin toss and defers - decides to take first choice at the start of the second half. Team 2 elects to receive the kickoff at the start of the game and Team 1 elects to defend the South End Zone. At the start of the second quarter, the teams switch sides.

At the start of the second half (third quarter) Team 1 elects to receive the kickoff and Team 2 elects to defend the South End Zone. In this case, team 2 was defending the South End Zone in the second quarter and hence the teams do not switch sides at the start of the second half. At the start of the fourth quarter the teams do switch sides.

 

Quick
Facts

Why 11 Players ?
American Football teams might be fielding 15 men a side had there not been a game played on 15th May 1876 between McGill University from Montreal and Harvard University in Cambridge Massachussetts.

Four of the McGill team fell ill so both teams agreed to play 11-a-side.

Player Numbers
All National Football League (NFL) players are numbered according to their positions:

1 - 19 Quarterbacks and kickers

20-49 Running Backs and Defensive Backs

50-59 Centers and Linebackers

60-79 Defensive Linemen and Interior Offensive Linemen

80-89 Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

90-99 Defensive Linemen

Timing

American Football games are divided in four 15-minute quarters, separated by a 15-minute half-time break; there are also two-minute breaks after the first and thrid quarters as the teams change ends after every 15 minutes of play. Changing ends in this way, prevents either team from gaining any advantage from a weather condition such as the sun or wind direction.

 

In addition to these breaks, each team is permitted to call three 90-second timeouts during each half. The game clock is stopped during timeouts and they are usually called on the field by a team's offensive and defensive captains.

 

The officials can also call timeouts to assess penalties, measure yardage gained or lost, replace equipment, tend to injured players and to inform the benches that two minutes remain in the second and fourth quarters, called two-minute warnings.

 

The Players

On the day of a match each team is allowed 45 players to make up the roster. From this roster, the players are organised into the Offensive, Defensive and Special Team units. Only 11 of the 45 players are allowed on the field at the same time.

 

 

Characteristics of an Offensive Unit

 

Characteristics of a Defensive Unit

 

Characteristics of a Special Teams Unit

 

 

Besides these players, you will find the Head Coach and a number of Staff or Assistant Coaches. Their numbers will vary from team to team and each will specialise in working with certain positions - such as the Receivers, the Offensive Line, Linebackers or areas of strategy such as co-ordinating the offensive and defensive plays.

 

The only Offensive Players who are unable (ineligible) to catch passes are the five interior Linemen (Center, Tackles and Guards), and the Quarterback if he has already taken a direct snap from the Center.

 

Moving the Ball

Progress in a football game is measured by the yards gained or lost. Any time a team is on Offense, it is given four chances, or Downs to gain 10 yards. If the ball is advanced this distance or more, the team then makes a first down and retains the ball to try and move the ball another 10 yards or more within the four downs.

 

A team that fails to make a first down in three attempts usually kicks (punts) the ball as far downfield as possible on their fourth down and the other team now gets its chance to go on the offense. Should the team try to make a first down on it's fourth attempt (fourth down) and fail, the ball is then turned over to the other team at the point where the play was stopped.

 

These downs are carefully measured by two officials known as Linesmen (unofficially known as the 'chain gang') who are stationed along the sideline. These officials carry a rod each; and attached between these two rods is a chain that is exactly 10 yards long, and is stretched its full length from the first down line of scrimmage. If any portion of the ball is advanced beyond the chain during the four plays allowed, it's classified as a first down.

 

The Linesmen are normally accompanied by another official who carries a pole with large flip-cards on top; these having 1, 2, 3 or 4 on them to indicate the down.

 

 

The offensive team with the ball have three ways of moving the ball, Pass, Run or Kick, with the kicking of the ball only at special times during the play. Initially all offensive players must be completely still for a full second before the snap.

 

 

Running - Technically, any offensive player can run with the ball, but it is almost always the Running Backs who take on this role. Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers and Tight-ends occassionally carry the ball. The most basic play is the handoff, in which the Quarterback receives the snap from the Center and then handsoff the ball to the Running Back moving towards the Line-of-Scrimmage. A variation on this is the pitchout. Here the Quarterback takes the snap from the Center and then completes an underhand toss (like in rugby) to the Running Back running wide to the outside of the offensive line.

 

 

Passing - Although a team's Quarterback does most of the passing, legally, any offensive player can do so. After taking the snap, the Quarterback will drop back into the pocket, a semi-circle created by his blockers (usually the offensive line plus his Running Backs) and scan the field for receivers (Running Backs, Tight-end, Wide Receivers, or other players registered with the referee to be an eligible receiver) to be open to catch the pass through the air. Passes can be caught anywhere within the field's boundaries, and for a pass to be ruled complete, the receiver must have the ball clearly in his possession and have both feet inside the boundaries (sidelines and end lines).

 

 

Kicking - There are four forms of kicking; Punt, Kickoff, Placekick, Freekick. The Punt is used normally on fourth downs when too many yards are needed for a first down and the distance is too great for a Field Goal. The Kickoff is used to start each half, and following scores; the ball is kicked from a tee on the kicking team's 35 yard line. The Placekick is used for Field Goals and Extra Point Attempts (known as Point after Touchdown or PAT) and is normally held for the kicker after receiving the snap from the Center. The Freekick is used after the Defensive Team has tackled an Offensive Player with the ball in their own End Zone; the ball is then placed on their 20 yard line and is kicked off from the ground with another player holding the point of the ball for the kicker.

 

 

Defenders have just as much right to catch a thrown ball and with this, neither player has the right to impede the other from catching the ball. If one does, the officials will rule a pass interference penalty. When a pass is caught by the defense it is said to be an Interception.

 

Turnovers

Fumbles (a drop by the ball carrier) and Interceptions (ball caught by the defending team in the air) - collectively known as turnovers can be advanced by the Defense at any time. Similar to a fumble is the muff, which occurs when a player makes an unsuccessful attempt to get a free ball. It is illegal to try and advance the ball by muffing, batting or kicking a dropped ball forward.

 

Scoring

In the National Football League (NFL), there are four ways of scoring.

 

A Touchdown, worth six points is awarded when a runner with the ball crosses or touches his opponent's goal line, or when a player catches a pass or recovers a fumble in his opponent's End Zone.

 

After a Touchdown, the scoring team is allowed to try for an Extra Point (PAT), which follows the same format as a Field Goal, except that the ball is placed on the two yard line. The kick must then pass over the crossbar and between the uprights to score the points. The team will also be awarded a point if they run or pass the ball into the End Zone, in the same manner as the Touchdown.

 

The third way to score is with a Field Goal which is worth three points if successful. A team may also Dropkick (like rugby) the ball for a score but is rarely ever performed.

 

The fourth way to score is that of the Safety (not to be confused with the players position). Two points are are awarded to a team whose defensive unit tackles an offensive ball carrier behind his own Goal Line. A Safety can also be scored when an offensive player is called for a penalty, behind the Goal Line (such as holding) or if the ball is snapped, carried or fumbled over the end line. A play in which a snapped ball hits a goal post is also ruled a Safety.