FootballScrimmage.com

Rules of the Game
By Christopher Fister

Whether it is being played in the smallest of high school fields or the largest of professional stadiums, the rules of football are the same for all of its participants.

Before a game can begin, a coin flip determines which team will take the ball on offense first. The kicker then begins the game by kicking to the team that will be on offense and an offensive player attempts to run the kick back as far as possible until tackled or he runs out of bounds. If the kicker places the ball in the end zone and it is not run back, it is called a touchback, and the offense takes the ball at the 20 yard line. If a kickoff goes out of bounds, the offense may take the ball at the 40 yard line.

The offensive team has four downs to advance the ball at least 10 yards, through either running or passing plays. Running and passing are the only ways an offense is permitted to move the football. If the offense succeeds in moving 10 or more yards, it makes a first down and is awarded another set of four downs. As long as it continues to move 10 or more yards in four downs, the offense keeps control of the ball.

If the offense does not move 10 yards in four downs, the opposing team takes possession of the ball. Offenses rarely use four downs, however. Usually, if the offense does not make a first down in three downs, it uses the fourth down to either kick the ball to the opposing team or attempt a field goal.

If the offense moves close enough to the opponent’s goal line the may attempt a field goal (usually within 40 yards). In a field goal, an offensive player holds the ball and the kicker attempts to boot it through the uprights. A successful field goal is worth three points. If the attempt is missed, the opposing team takes possession of the ball, either at the 20-yard line or from the point where the kick was missed.

If the offense fails to move the ball, and is stuck deep in its own territory, the offense will most often punt the ball. The punter will receiver a snap from center and kick the ball before it hits the ground, attempting for a long, high kick to the opposition. The opposing team will catch or recover the ball and attempt to run it back upfield. The receiver may also call for a “fair catch,” which signals that the kicking team may not touch the receiver and the receiving team takes the ball at the point of the catch. The goal of the punt is to move the ball as far downfield as possible. Punters will also attempt to kick the ball out of bounds to pin the opposing team as far back as possible.

Another form of kick is the onsides kick. This occurs after a team has scored and attempts to get the ball back on the kickoff. The kick must go 10 yards, and if the kicking team recovers, its offense takes over the ball. If the receiving team recovers, it gets the ball in good field position. Onsides kicks are most often attempted when a team is trailing late in the game and needs to get the ball back on offense.

The object of the game is to move the ball toward your opponent’s goal line and score points. There are four ways of scoring points in football.

1. Scoring a touchdown, in which the team on offense moves the ball over the opponent’s goal line, either by running or by completing a pass. A touchdown is worth 6 points. The defense may also score a touchdown by running back an intercepted pass or recovering and returning a fumble by the offense.

2. If a team scores a touchdown, they take the ball at the two yard line and have the choice of either kicking a point-after-touchdown or extra point (like a field goal) or attempting to move the ball across the goal line (like a touchdown) in one play. The kick, or extra point, is worth one point. Moving the ball across the goal line is worth two points (also called the two point conversion).

3. Kicking a field goal, as described above, for 3 points.

4. A safety, in which the team on defense tackles the offensive player with the ball behind his own goal line. A safety, the rarest of scoring possibilities in football, is the only way the defense can score points without taking possession of the ball. A safety is worth 2 points. A safety also occurs if the offensive team snaps or fumbles the ball and it goes through the end zone and past the end line, or if the quarterback intentionally throws the ball way to avoid being tackled in the end zone.

The playing field is 100 yards long from goal line to goal line and just over 50 yards wide (160 feet). At each end, past the goal line, is the end zone, which is 10 yards long. The end line marks the boundary of the playing field on the ends, while the sideline marks out of bounds on the sides. The goal post sits in the middle of the end line at each end of the field.

Professional and college football games are 60 minutes in duration, divided into four quarters of 15 minutes. Games for younger players, high school and youth leagues, have shorter quarters. After two quarters are played, there is a half time intermission. The second half resumes with a new kickoff. At the end of the first and third quarters, teams switch ends of the field.
The team scoring the most points at the end of four quarters wins. If there is a tie, a limited amount of overtime will be played in the NFL (known as sudden death). The first team to score in sudden death wins. Unlike baseball, it is possible for a game to end in a tie score in regular-season play. In post season play, or the playoffs, tie games continue until they are broken.

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Christopher Fister is a former sports editor at the New York Post.
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 24th, 2005 at 4:34 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.