The Inkling Volume 2

NFL Basics
David Makalena
You’ve probably heard of American Football (or NFL). What makes it different to normal Football though? Well I’m here to
breakdown the basics so that you can join in this season with watching the NFL.
Playing a match:
If you think of rugby and how to play that sport, you’re not a million miles away from American Football. Two teams play
each other, with 11 on each team allowed on the pitch at the same time. The game is made up of four quarters with a half
time after the second quarter. There are three parts of a team, an offensive, a defensive and a special team. The offensive
is the most important part of any team, because it is how they score points (or touchdowns). This is where ‘the
Quarterback’ plays which is what most people think of when they think of American Football. The game begins with a kick
from one team to another so that the ball placement can be determined. From there, the offensive team has to work their
way up the field to the end zone. When a team gets a player in the end zone with a ball in hand and two feet on the ground,
the team wins a touchdown - worth 6 points. The team then goes on to shoot a field goal, like a conversion in rugby. If they
kick the ball between the two posts, then the team scores an additional 1 point. When the team wins points, they flip
possession of the ball and their defensive team comes on. The special team is used for field goals, punts and other special
moves.
That is the easiest way to describe American Football. However, we haven’t mentioned the most important and probably
complicated part of American Football - Downs.
Downs:
In the NFL, you see yards painted onto the pitch - this is why. When a team starts their lineup to put the ball into play, they
start with a ‘1st Down & 10’. This basically means that it is the team’s first chance to run forwards 10 yards from where the
ball starts. If the team manages to gain 10 yards in their first throw, then it moves onto another ‘1st Down & 10’. If the team
makes no progress, then it goes to ‘2nd Down & 10’. If the team makes progress but under 10, for example 7 yards, then
the team would go to ‘2nd Down & 3’ (because 10-7=3) Still with me? The team has 4 chances to gain 10 yards and if they
fail to, then the team loses possession and the ball is passed over to the other team. If they are over half of the pitch, then
the team is in distance to score a field goal. When it comes to the ‘4th Down’, then the team can shoot a field goal
conversion which is worth 3 points, but of course the further away it is, the harder it will be to gain points.
Okay. Now that’s out the way. Good. That is honestly the most difficult part to understand but once you wrap your heads
round it, then American Football is relatively straightforward.
Penalties:
As it is a full-contact sport, things have to get pretty extreme for there to be penalties. The most common are blockings,
illegal contacts, offside and false start. They are signalled by someone throwing a yellow flag on the pitch. I know, very
sophisticated. Then, a referee with a headset, waves his hands a little and then decides whether the penalty was valid or
not. If it was a penalty, then the team being charged is pushed back. That’s about it.
The final thing to understand about the NFL, is how the it actually works. Why do certain teams play certain teams, and
what leads up to the Superbowl.
How does the NFL work?
NFL stands for National Football League and is made up of two ‘conferences’, the NFC (National Football Conference) and
the AFC (American Football Conference). These are like this because the NFL was made by combining these two leagues.
Imagine if they combined League One and League Two in Football into one League. Each conference is divided into North,
South, East and West. There are four teams in each division. This is just the basics.
There are three seasons in the NFL. The preseason: which is where each team plays four games against other football
teams so that football coaches can evaluate the team and see what needs to be done.
Next is the regular season: which is where each team plays sixteen games, six of them against the three other teams in
their division both home and away. Eight games are then played by a team against all other teams in a NFC division and an
AFC division. The other two games are known as ‘intraconference games’ which is determined by the team’s position in
last years league. If they came first in their division, then they would play two other first place teams. All of this is played
over seventeen weeks with a team having at least one bye week.
Then comes the postseason, the easiest part to understand. Six teams from each conference (the four winners of the
divisions and two wild cards which are the teams with the best record) go into a head to head bracketing competition. The
first games are between the two wild cards and the fourth and third winners of divisions. The winners of those games then
go on to play either the first or second winner of divisions. Finally, those two teams play and whoever wins that game,
comes out on top as winner of the conference. The AFC Winner and the NFC Winner then go head-to-head in the
Superbowl, to determine the best team of the year.
And breathe. Well…. There we go……. The NFL explained…… sort of. Basically, if you were to watch the NFL, then the
more your team wins, the better. Wow, that was so much easier. Great. Thanks for reading.