Fangfallen wrote:What is so appealing about this sport? A bunch of guys get in a line and attack eachother while one guy tries to get the ball thing to a stripe on a field? It sounds stupid... I'd rather play croquet or soccer.
so much more than that. if you have the ball, you have to try to get it to the other end of the field. the defence is trying to stop you, so the come after your "quarterback" (team captain, throws the ball) your offensive linemen are trying to protect your quarterback. there are recievers, who catch the ball and run. also, running backs and half-backs can run with the ball without it being thrown to them. you have four tries to get the ball 10 yards(meters, about) sounds easy, right? not so much. so you run the ball, get 2 yards. then you try a pass, and it is incomplete(reciever didn't catch). now it's 3rd down. you try running again and only get 6 yards. (btw, if you don't make it in 4 tries, the opposing team takes over right where you left off. so if you were on your own 20 yard line, they would only need to go 20 yards to get a TD) so now its 4th down and 2 yards to go, but you don't want to risk losing the ball so you punt the ball. (kick it in the other direction). the other team can pick the ball up and run with it, catch it in mid-air and call a "fair-catch" (you don't want to get nailed as soon as you catch the ball, so if you call this, you get the ball where you caught it, and can't run, and they can't touch you.), let the ball roll out of bounds, or have the opposing team touch it, in which it is out of play where they touched it. if the defence (team catching the ball) catches it, but then drops it, it is considered a fumble, (anybody's ball) if the opposing team recovers the ball, it is called a
turnover these are very crucial to the game, and usually happen only about 5 times a game. a turnover happens whenever 1 team loses control of the ball to the other team. if the controlling player has possession but then drops the ball, it is a fumble. if the ball is thrown, but then caught by the opposing team, it is called an
interception which has the same rules as a fumble.
thats about all i really want to say