American Football - FAQs

American Football has its origins in Rugby Football that originated from Football or Soccer. In Rugby Football, William Webb Ellis made the rule of picking up the ball and running rather than kicking. In the USA, Rugby was played in colleges with different rules, and that gave birth to American Football.

There is a difference between NFL and college football. Players who participate in NFL football are paid but this is not the case with college football as it is considered as an amateur game. NCAA has stated that students should focus more on their studies but the US Court of Appeals said that college football players can get money to pay their fees and also get an allowance to manage their travelling and living costs.

American Football was invented by Walter Camp who made consistent rules that players have to follow during the game. The game had many variants during the 1870s This is the reason that Walter Camp is known as the father of American Football.

In spite of being a popular game American football is not a part of the Olympics. European Football League has also been created and the game is played in Europe also but still, it is dominated by the USA.

Each team has 11 players. But the roster is very large as substitutes are also needed. NFL has 53 players who can be used as a substitute. A player in each team has to play at only a single position so each team will have a total of 22 players out of which 11 are on the field.

The game whether it is a college tournament or a professional game has a time period of 60 minutes. This 60 minutes is divided into four quarters. Each quarter has a duration of 15 minutes. In the case of high school, the duration of each quarter is 12 which ends the game in 48 minutes.

Tom Brady is the best American Football player. His position was quarterback for 20 seasons when he played for the New England Patriots. He helped his team to win 6 Super Bowls from 2001 to 2019.

The length of the field is 100 yards which also includes goal lines and end zones along with goal lines. The width of the field is 160 feet or 53.3 yards.

There are many ways which players can use to make points. The different types of points can be found in the table below −

Turnover in American Football means that the possession of the ball is changed from one team to another. There are different types of turnovers and we will discuss them here.

Interception

An interception occurs when the ball thrown by the quarterback is caught by the player of the defensive team. The players of the defensive team have to show their talent by jumping and catching the ball. it can result in a touchdown for the defensive if the player who has caught the ball runs in the opposite direction.

Fumble

Fumble is a situation when the ball in the hands of an offensive player falls before he is tackled. If the player possessing the ball falls due to any obstacle and the ball falls down, it is not considered as fumble and the offensive team player will not lose possession of the ball. If the ball has fallen down, both teams struggle to get possession.

Turnover Downs

Turnover downs occur in the fourth down. Teams have the option of going got a fourth down if they have enough confidence that they will be able to get a new set of downs. If offensive players fail to complete the fourth down, the possession of the ball is given to the defensive to become an offensive team.

The imaginary line which is used to separate the two teams is called the scrimmage line. None of the teams are allowed to cross this line till the time the football has been snapped.

The area that separates the offensive and the defensive team is known as the neutral zone. The player in the center position is only allowed to snap the ball.

The special team consists of members like a punter or kicker. The job of the special team is to kickoff, punt, kickoff return, punt return, field goal block, and many more. A special team is present in the offensive and defensive teams and helps in earning points.

Down is a term which is used for one play. Four downs are allotted to the offensive team. The aim of downs is to cover the ten yards and if the offensive team succeeds, it gets another four downs to cover the next ten yards. If the offensive team fails to use the four downs, the ball is transferred to the defensive team.

The area between the 20-yard line and the goal line is known as the red zone. The offensive team has to face a lot of difficulty to take the ball forward. This is an area which the offensive team can use to earn points.

The equipment used in the American Football are −

• Helmets

• Mouth Guards

• Jerseys

• Shoulder Pads

• Cleats

• Football

For more information, visit the link below −

American Football is a popular game because of its rules which are easy to follow. Essential safety equipment has to be worn so that chances of getting hurt are reduced.

The NFL Hall of Fame is located in Ohio.

The founder of the NFL was George Halas.

The total number of referees available in the NFL game is 7.

The oldest NFL teams are Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears which were formed in 1920.

The name of the team was the Dallas Cowboys.

The offensive team has a player called a kicker who has the right to kick the ball from anywhere to the end zone. A chance of a field goal usually occurs after the fourth down.

When a player from an offensive snaps the ball and a player from the defensive team is lined up in the neutral zone, this results in offside. There are many reasons due to which offside occurs.

Holding is a penalty which occurs when a defensive player holds an offensive player in such a way that the offensive player cannot move. A penalty of ten yards is imposed on the defensive team.

A team is considered as a winner if it has scored more points than the opposition. Teams have to win in the regular seasons so that they can become a part of the postseason. The main of each team is to win the postseason.

NFL stands for National Football League.

There are 32 teams in the NFL.

The size of the ball is as follows −

• Length: 11 inches

• Short circumference: 6.7 inches

• Long circumference: 22 inches

American Football starts in the first week of September.