Friday 28 September 2018

Getting Into American Football


Week three of the NFL has just ended, so we're now gearing up for week four! I've enjoyed American Football for a while now - predominately watching the Super Bowl for the last 5 years running - but last year I managed to catch a few of the normal season games as well.

We were in Florida when the 2017 season started, so I managed to catch a few of the games in the time we were there. This year, however, I've bitten the bullet and bought the NFL Game Pass. I wanted to actually be able to see all the games. I'm a former fan of the New England Patriots, but have been all about the Miami Dolphins since 2017.

I've got merch for both teams! I own tops, key rings and hats - but I want to get more through the year for paydays and Christmas - but only of the Dolphins as that is where my allegiance is right now!

Watching the game last year!

So what is American Football? Here's a few of the basics if you're new to the sport.

The Basics
  • 53 players per team - only 11 on field at any time; defence and offence teams
  • Game plays is 4 sets of 15 minutes quarters
  • Each team gets 3 time outs, per half game
  • 12 minute half time (usually a show for the crowd during this time)
  • If a tie happens, there is 12 minutes for sudden death to try for a winner
  • Scoring is done by getting the ball into the team's endzone,  or scoring field goals, safety points, and extra points
Downs
  • There are 4 downs (aka plays/attempts) to get 10 yards
  • Each down is called 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
  • 4th down can be attempted, or team can try for a field goal
  • Example:  3rd down and 4, means it's the third attempt, and there are 4 yards to go
  • Once the 10 yards is gained, it resets to 1st down
Scoring
  • Touchdown - 6 points ~ Catch in the endzone, or cross over into the endzone
  • Field Goal - 3 points ~ Usually done on 4th down
  • Extra - 1 or 2 points ~ Kick through up right posts for 1 point, OR, attempt a 2 point 'touchdown'. 2 points are harder to get, so teams usually go for the kick
  • Safety -  2 points - To the defence team, when the offence team is tackled with the ball in their own endzone

I'm still learning the rules and working out how it all works together, but I really enjoy it! I've spent the last few Sunday nights watching the games at 6pm, and being engrossed in it. This week, the Patriots are against the Dolphins, so both of my fave teams against each other! I know who I want to win, but I'm also, in a way, rooting for them both.

BUT, the Dolphins have been doing amazing this season so far, so I kind of hope it's them!

Do you like the NFL - if yes, which team is your favourite? Let me know! And if you know anything about the game that you think I'd like to know, please tell me as I want to learn more about it! Hope you have a great day and keep safe :)

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2 comments:

  1. I got into NFL after a previous housemate made us watch the London games on Channel 4 back in the day. I'm a Falcons fan (the first game I watched was Atlanta-Detroit and the Falcons had the best pre-game video, so that was it) and my husband supports the Vikings.

    Also if you don't watch them yet I highly recommend the BBC's NFL highlights programmes, The NFL Show and NFL This Week. The analysis is very good, particularly if you're just getting into it, but the three presenters also have really great chemistry together and they're very entertaining to watch.

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    1. I've not seen the BBC highlight show, so will have to check that out soon to see what it's like! It's likely explained a lot better than on the USA networks, so will have to watch it and learn some new things :) Thank you! xx

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