Rules of American Football
Game play in American football consists of a series of individual plays of short duration, outside of which the ball is dead or not in play. These can be plays from scrimmage—passes, runs, punts, and field goal attempts—or free kicks such as kickoffs. Substitutions can be made between plays, which allows for a great deal of specialization as coaches choose the players best suited for each particular situation. During a play, each team should have 11 players on the field, and each of them usually have specific tasks assigned for that specific play.
The object of the game is to score points by advancing the ball to the opponent's end zone for a touchdown, or to kick field goals, and to prevent the other team from doing likewise. The team with the most points when time has expired wins.
Collegiate and professional football games are 60 minutes long, divided into four quarters of 15 minutes each. In high school football, 12 minute quarters are usually played. The clock is stopped frequently, however, so that a typical professional game can exceed three hours in duration. Timing is stopped after any incomplete pass and any play that ends out of bounds (although in the NFL the clock restarts on the referee's ready-for-play signal outside the last two minutes of the first half and the last five minutes of the second half). In addition, each team is allowed 3 timeouts each half that they may use at their discretion.
The clock may also be stopped for an officials' time-out, after which, if the clock was running, it is restarted. For example; if there is a question as to whether or not a team has moved the ball far enough for a first down, the officials may bring the chains in to measure. While this measurement is taking place, the officials will signal for a stoppage of the clock. Once the measurement is finished and the ball is spotted, the referee will then signal for the clock to restart. Additional situations where officials make take a time-out are to administer a penalty and for an injured player to be removed from the field.
In addition to the game clock, a secondary play clock is also usually displayed. This counts down the time the offense has to start the next play before it is assessed a delay of game penalty (see below).
Officials call for media time-outs after a change of possession (turnover by interception, fumble or on downs), following a successful PAT (Point(s) After Touchdown) or a field goal try, or in the NFL after a kickoff when the opposing team scored, usually when there is more than 5 minutes to play in each quarter. If an instant replay challenge is called during the game, the referees also signal for a media time out. The referee signals these media time-outs by first using the time out signal, then extending both arms in a horizontal position.
Separating the second and third quarters is a halftime. Teams change ends of the field at the end of the first quarter and the end of the third quarter. In the NFL, an automatic timeout is called by the officials when there are two minutes left (or less than two minutes if the play began with over two minutes left and ended with less than two minutes left) in both the second and the fourth quarters; this is most commonly referred to as the two-minute warning. No such warning is normally given in amateur football, though if there is no visible stadium clock, the referee will give a two-minute warning (four minutes in high school).
If a game is tied at the end of four quarters, overtime is played.
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In the NFL, overtime periods are 15 minutes in length and are sudden death, meaning that the team that scores first, by any means, wins, and the game automatically ends (referred to in recent years as a walk-off touchdown, walk-off field goal or in rare situations, a walk-off safety). A coin flip is employed to determine which team will gain possession first; the winning team has the option to either receive the kickoff or choose the side of the field they wish to defend. During the regular season in the NFL, one overtime period is played (with each team receiving two time outs), and if neither team scores during overtime, the game officially ends in a tie. In the playoffs, as many overtimes are played as are necessary to determine a winner.
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NFL Europa, a developmental league run by the NFL, utilizes a 10-minute overtime period, with the constraint that each team must have the opportunity of possession; once both teams have had such an opportunity, the overtime proceeds in a manner similar to the NFL's. Thus, if Team A has the first possession of overtime and scores a touchdown and converts their kick (thus being 7 points ahead of Team B), Team A would then kick off to Team B (In the NFL, the game would have ended with the touchdown, without a conversion being attempted). Team B would have to match or exceed the 7 point difference within this ensuing possession; exceeding it would end the game immediately, while matching the difference would result in a kickoff to Team A. From this point, the overtime is sudden death.
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In college and high school football, an overtime procedure (the Kansas plan) ensures that each team has equal opportunity to score. In college, both teams are granted possession of the ball at their opponents' 25 yard-line in succession. A coin flip takes place, with the winning team having the option either 1) to declare that they will take the ball first or second, or 2) to decide on which end of the field the series will occur (both teams' series occur on the same end of the field). The losing team will have the first option in any subsequent even-numbered overtime. In the first overtime, the team with first series attempts to score either a touchdown or a field goal; their possession ends when either a touchdown or a field goal have been scored, they turn the ball over via a fumble or an interception, or they fail to gain a first down. After a touchdown, a team may attempt either an extra-point or a two-point conversion. (However, if the team on defense during the first series recovers a fumble and returns it for a touchdown, or returns an interception for a touchdown, the defensive team wins the game. This is the only way for a college overtime game to end without both teams having possession.) Regardless of the outcome of the first team's series (be it touchdown, field goal, or turnover), the other team begins their series. If the score remains tied after both teams have completed a series, a second overtime begins. If the score remains tied after two overtimes, teams scoring touchdowns are required to attempt a two-point conversion from the third overtime on. Just as in regulation, if a defensive team recovers a fumble/returns an interception to the end zone during a two-point conversion attempt, they will receive two points.
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In high school football, in most states, each team is granted possession of the ball at the 10-yard line, meaning that a team cannot make a first down without scoring except via a defensive penalty that carries an automatic first down (such as defensive pass interference or roughing the passer). As is the case with the college overtime rule, the team that wins the coin toss will have the choice as to whether to take the ball first or second, or decide at which end of the field the overtime will be played. The other major difference between overtime in college football and high school football is that in high school football, if the defense forces a turnover, they may not score. However, in Texas, the college overtime rule is used, as the University Interscholastic League, which governs interscholastic activities for Texas public high schools, plays by NCAA football rules with a few modifications for the high school level.
The game begins with a kickoff, which is one type of free kick (see below). Prior to the game, captains from each team participate in a coin toss. The winner of the toss may make one of the following choices: to kickoff, to receive and have the other team kickoff, or to choose an end of the field to defend. The toss winner nearly always chooses to receive, because that means they get to go first on offense. The other team then may choose from the remaining options (usually which end of the field to defend). In amateur football, the winner of the toss may also defer their choice to the second half and give the other team first choice of options in the first half. This is typically done when the captain winning the toss wants to receive to start the second half.
A kickoff is also used to start the second half of the game. The team who did not get first choice at the coin toss now chooses; likewise, they nearly always choose to receive. Kickoffs also take place after each touchdown and field goal, with the scoring team kicking off.
The ball is placed on a tee (or held) at the kicking team's 30 yard line (35 yard line in college and 40 for high school). The kicking team's players line up on the field parallel to and behind this line and may not cross it until the ball is kicked. A valid kickoff must travel at least 10 yards (though the ball is usually kicked as far as possible—40 to 70 yards), after which any player (though usually one on the receiving team) tries to catch or pick up the ball and advance it down the field before being downed. Occasionally, the kicking team may set up a kick with the intent to recover it; this onside kick is a play where the kicker tries to kick the ball just over the required 10-yard distance in a manner such that a teammate might catch it after a lucky bounce.
If a kickoff goes out of bounds before being touched by a player from the receiving team and before entering the end zone, the ball is spotted at the point where it went out of bounds, or 30 yards from the point of the kick, whichever is closer. This spot becomes the line of scrimmage. A kick that travels through the end zone, or is caught by the receiving team within the end zone but not advanced, is called a touchback. The ball is placed on the receiving team's 20 yard line, which becomes the line of scrimmage. Most commonly, however, a member of the receiving team will return the kick until he is downed. The spot of the downed ballcarrier becomes the line of scrimmage.
A player carrying the ball is downed when any of the following occurs:
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Any part of the runner other than the hands or feet touches the ground. This may be as a result of:
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Contact by an opponent, where the opponent tackles the runner by pushing him, grasping him and pulling him to the ground, sliding into his legs, etc. Unlike the use of the word tackle in other sports, if the opposing player fails to down the ballcarrier, it is called an attempted tackle.
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Accidentally falling to or touching the ground. However, in professional football, the runner is not down in this situation, but may rise and continue to run—unless he is down by contact with an opponent, in other words he has been touched by an opponent whilst he has possession of the ball.
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Intentionally downing the ball: intentionally kneeling, verbally declaring "I'm down" (except in college) or similar actions. For example, to protect the quarterback from violent hits by opponents attempting to tackle him, he may slide to the ground feet-first. This slide is interpreted as intentionally downing the ball, and opponents may be penalized for hitting him.
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The runner goes out of bounds; that is, any part of his body touches anything (other than another player or an official) on or past a sideline or an endline. Note that the entire sideline is out of bounds.
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The runner's forward progress toward the opponents' goal line is stopped from contact by the opponent with little chance to be resumed. The exact moment at which the player's forward progress stops may be unclear and is subject to the judgment of the officials. When this contact occurs on the quarterback, who is grasped and in the control of opponents in the backfield, the quarterback is often referred to as in the grasp.
The width of the spotted football defines the width of the neutral zone, an area of the field no player other than the snapper may position themselves in or above before the snap. Each team has its own line of scrimmage which is a vertical plane from sideline to sideline that passes through the point of the ball nearest its own goal line.
The players on offense must arrange themselves in a formation, all "behind" their line of scrimmage (that is, on the side of the line nearest their own end zone). At least seven players on offense must position themselves "on" (very near) the line; up to four may be farther from it. All players on offense must come set, or stop moving, before the snap. Once set, the offense may "shift" and come set again, as long as they do not simulate the beginning of a play. Additionally, one player at a time, called the man in motion, may be in motion, so long as he is not moving forward (toward the opponents' goal line) at the time of the snap.
The offensive linemen are the players who line up on the line. The center normally lines up directly over the ball, on each side of him is an offensive guard, and on both sides next to the guards are the offensive tackles. The rules require that 5 offensive linemen wear jerseys numbered 50–79. Usually these 5 interior lineman are the ones who wear those numbers. Any other linemen near the tackles are called tight ends and are not part of the interior line. The remaining offensive players who are called backs if they are postitioned in the backfield (the area behind the linemen), or wide receivers (also called split ends). Any wide receivers who are on the line are also linemen. The quarterback is in position to receive the ball from the center; running backs position themselves anywhere in preparation for the play; and wide receivers line up in the backfield positioned to go downfield to catch passes. Of the running backs, a halfback or a tailback will often be in position to run with the ball; a fullback will be in position to block or run with the ball.
The players on defense may arrange themselves in any manner, as long as all players are "behind the line" (that is, on the side of the line nearest their own end zone). Players who line up opposite the offensive line are called defensive linemen, usually with one or two defensive tackles in the middle (although a single defensive tackle is often called the nose guard) and one defensive end on each side. Behind and near the linemen are positioned the linebackers; positioned opposite the wide receivers are the cornerbacks. Two other defensive players, called safeties, position themselves somewhat freely, but usually in the middle of the field behind the linebackers. These last four players are often referred to as the secondary.
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