FOOTBALL 101-BASIC RULES

SEPT 5TH, 2024

Ok, so the objective is this: Eleven dudes have to move an egg-shaped ball called a football down the field towards the other teams ENDZONE. They can RUN with the ball, throw (or PASS) the ball to another dude, or KICK the ball.

They get four tries to go 10 yards. Every time they try, it's called a "DOWN," basically because when the guy with the ball goes "down" (as in falls or gets crushed into the ground), the try, or "PLAY" is over.

If they DO get the 10 yards covered, they get ANOTHER FOUR TRIES to make it another 10 yards. Are we getting this? It's like driving through traffic--you move forward a little bit, then stop. Move forward, stop. Wait. Discuss. Commercial. Eat some chips. Ya feel me?

And here’s something weird for you…technically, there are only 60 minutes of playing time in the WHOLE GAME. 

But how can this be? We ALL know that these games go on for hours and hours. The reason it TAKES so long is because the game clock stops after each of these downs. Remember, they get four tries to go only 10 YARDS. So, technically, it could take 16 plays to actually get to the other team’s end zone. 

Back to the rules. (almost done!)

If the OFFENSIVE team (the one making the plays) doesn’t make the next down in 4 tries, the ball goes to the other team and it starts all over again. 

Sometimes, if the ball is close to the endzone on the 4th down, a PUNTER (dude who kicks) will try to kick the ball through the end posts for what's called a FIELD GOAL (worth 3 points). A TOUCHDOWN, on the other hand, is worth 6 points. If they get the touchdown, they can gain an extra point by kicking the ball through the uprights in the endzone. They can also optionally go for a 2 POINT CONVERSION (two extra points) by faking a kick and instead running or passing the ball into the endzone. (This is usually the more difficult option and is only attempted when time is running out and the other team really needs the points)