British Guy Reacts to 'The Rules of American FOOTBALL EXPLAINED (NFL)' - 'Am I Still Confused?'

[@SteveFakerson]

There is also a massive depth of strategy to this sport. Every offensive play is a drawn up, studied, and practiced maneuver choosen by the head coach or quarterback that is intended to fool the defense. Defensive coaches and players are also running their own schemes to fool offensives. Basically it's a turn based game of chess with ridiculously athletic millionaires being directed by chess master coaches on the sidelines, who can even communicate in limited fashion with certain players via radios in their helmets

[@williamlucas4656]

Normal procedure for field goals involving two people was correct as far as the description in the film but dropkick’s are allowed but are extremely rare.

[@kentgrady9226]

American football, as it was originally played, was an amalgam of existing football codes - most notably, rugby football and Gaelic football. Like many existing football codes in their earliest days, the rules were not standardized. Teams would negotiate rules for a given game/match in advance. There are two vernacular holdovers from rugby, which American football first corrupted, then retained. The first is "touchdown". As in rugby, it was initially a requirement to ground the ball, or "touch the ball down" after crossing the goal line in order to score. The rule was later modified. All that is required is for the ball to break the vertical plane of the goal line. But they retained the existing, Americanized language. The second is the word, "scrimmage". That is a corruption of the word "scrum". I have heard different origin stories. The most common is, that it was a typographical error, as the letters "U" and "I" are neighbors on a standard English language keyboard. It's interesting to note that there were many different codes of football in the mid 19th Century. The Australian code was actually the first to be codified in a form recognizable to the modern game. The Irish code is by far the oldest, in terms of origin. Academics estimate that a form of the game was played in Ireland as early as 3000 years ago. Association football, the Beautiful Game, is easily my first sporting passion. But it is patently false to claim that it's the "original football", or the only sport which may properly lay claim to the title of "proper football".

[@seansteffen6737]

The Oneida rules are actually concurrent to the codification of rugby rules, so American football technically didn't come from Rugby, but another football ruleset that was being codified. Gaelic football might be the granddaddy of them all, tho. Goes way back

[@phnKinc]

Rules of tackling have a lot of nuance, but in general you are correct: You can't arbitrarily throw punches and you can throw your body hard at a ball carrier. Some quick limitations to tackles, but not all: You can't tackle by an opposing player's facemask at all. You can't tackle by the back of their neck (horsecollar). You can't pick them up off the ground and body slam them, or other type of wrestling moves. You also can't tackle intentionally by leading with your head, or intentionally hit any player in the head/helmet for pretty much any reason. Players without the ball that you're seeing get hit are "blocks" and have their own ruleset related to game fairness and player safety.

[@williamlucas4656]

Don’t forget that you cannot hit someone who is not involved in the play from the blindside or block a player below the knees while another player hits them above the knees a.k.a. “no body blocking” , or blind side hits, unless they are the ball carrier.

[@empirejeff]

Sean Taylor ultimate career highlight reel

[@SteveFakerson]

The difference in athletic types in the sport is massive. There are big slow guys, small fast guys, and everything in between. Tyreek Hill (a receiver for the Miami Dolphins) is one of the fastest runners on the planet and regularly out runs Olympic level sprinters.

[@williamlucas4656]

This is one of the particular reasons that they have special teams players for particular events like kick off or punting teams and receiving teams in their particular plays.

[@spellofoblivion313]

Wish you’d upload more bro but if your busy that’s perfectly understandable. And yes we hate draws I’ve never heard a crowd boo more than when I was at my local high school football game and it ended in a draw lol

[@Hessen84]

Technically you can still do a drop kick for a field goal. This is extremely rare, I think the last time was in the 90s.

[@sparkieT88]

It is super rare, but they have done it in the 2000s probably like once a decade

[@AceMoonshot]

I remember seeing it in the late 60s or early 70s. I was totally baffled but my old man was laughing his ass off. Saying that he hadn't seen it in forever. Then a few years later I saw it in the movie, The Longest Yard. I recall the Bears' QB Jim McMahon telling how he used to literally beg Coach Ditka to let him do it but Ditka wouldn't let him. Which was a shame because even after he retired he was brilliant at it.

[@aznravechild6i9]

The last one was by Doug Flutie when he played for the Patriots in 2006.

[@quellenathanar]

Regarding passing: 1 forward pass is allowed per down, and a forward pass must be from behind the line of "scrimmage". Reverse passes may occur forward of scrimmage, and there is no theoretical limit to their number. A few other key points are: The game is divided into 4 quarters of 15:00 minutes. Tackling: A ball carrier is considered down if at least 1 knee has touched the ground and is touched by a player from the opposition, or he was pushed, or tripped by said player. Sometimes a defensive player will hit/ram the ball carrier low instead of a traditional tackle, usually a smaller/lighter defender vs. a big strong player. There are other rules and penalties, but the best way to learn is to watch the game. Chat GPT can probably do a decent job of explaining something you don't understand if there isn't a knowledgeable fan around.

[@PoeticNixon]

Our Football was birthed because our early 1800s version of it -rugby like, was a death machine of chaos and brutality. Rules like the line of scrimmage, the snap of the ball to indicate play, downs, were implemented to bring some order to a tame consisting of blocking, tackling, and lots of collisions.

[@mmxcix]

US have a rugby team called USA Eagles... they're not very good but I've seen them manage to defeat Scotland and the Pumas on few occasions when they visited Houston for a test match.

[@chadwilliams6632]

Rugby players being faster runners is crazy lol we have guys in the NFL that will beat any European country in a 4x1 relay in the Olympics

[@williamlucas4656]

But yet our rugby teams are not really that good mostly consisting of amateurs and a few former NFL or college football players. Both games involve unique skills.

[@danbaker300]

Yes, teams switch out all of their players when they change from offense to defense or vice versa - that's part of why team rosters are so much larger than the number of players on the field at any given time. Substitutions in general are unlimited between plays, and the formations shown for offense and defense are just examples. On offense, the five linemen are mandatory and the QB is nearly so (there are formations where a running back will take a "direct snap" instead), but the other five players can be any combination of WR/RB/TE. You'll see anything from "five wide" (no running backs or tight ends) in obvious passing situations to the "jumbo" or "goal line" package (three tight ends, two running backs, no receivers) in short-yardage situations. Defensively, 4-3 (4 linemen, 3 linebackers) and 3-4 (the reverse) are fairly common default formations, but it is common to swap out one, or even two, linebackers for extra defensive backs in passing situations. There have been occasional players who played both offense and defense, but the amount of specialization positions require makes it all but unheard of now past the high school level (there have been a couple recently in college, but I can't think of any in the NFL). Drop kicks are legal for field goals, but they're never done because they're so much harder (especially because the ball is a more pointed shape than a rugby ball, in order to accommodate the forward pass). The last one I remember was Doug Flutie (who was a QB, not a kicker!) doing an extra point drop kick in a preseason game just because he could. Overtime rules in the NFL are weird. Used to be pure sudden death (first team to score wins), but with as high scoring as games have become, that basically boiled down to "who wins the coin toss to start OT". Now the rule is that if the team that gets the ball first scores a field goal, the other team gets one possession to match or beat it. (In the playoffs, that applies even if the first score is a touchdown, and they're considering expanding that to the regular season as well.) After both teams have had the ball, it goes back to sudden death. Regular season OT is limited to a maximum of 10 minutes of game time (after which the game can be declared a tie); playoff OT can go as long as necessary to ensure a winner. College football uses different rules entirely: each team gets a possession from 25 yards out. If they're still tied, do it again, but this time they must go for 2 after a touchdown (this makes it less likely that the scores will match). If they're still tied after that, then teams attempt 2-point conversions shootout-style until one team makes it and one fails. One interesting thing about penalties is that they aren't an automatic turnover like they are in rugby - usually just yardage. For instance, if an offensive player is flagged for holding on 2nd and 6, they lose 10 yards and will now have 2nd and 16. Many (but not all) defensive penalties also give a new set of downs (resetting to 1st and 10), but most offensive penalties are loss of yards only. There are a few that include "loss of down" as well (meaning that in addition to losing yards, the play counts toward your set of four downs).

[@empirejeff]

Drop kicks actually is a thing in football.

[@mfree80286]

This would lead into the story of Doug Flutie.

[@seansteffen6737]

Theres an interesting history to how the various types of football came to be. When I say football, I'm referring to the broad category of sports like Rugby Association (Rugby), Football Association (Football/Soccer) and American Football, as well as the Canadian varient. Theres an old football rule set that was played in America called the Oneida rules, which predates even the codification of football association and rugby association. This rule set is the starting point for American football. The Oneida rules made their way to Harvard and slowly evolved into American Football over time, while similar versions developed in Canada. One of the biggest contributors to American football was Yale University. Their most famous contribution was their proposal (that was accepted) to allow forward passes, which was a significant departure from Oneida rules, and rugby association. Their second contribution is much funnier. Yale's stadium wasn't big enough to have a rugby end zone, so they shortened it to 10 yards. This is a major difference between US Football and Canadian Football, which has rugby size end zones. This seemingly small difference completely changes the scoring dynamic when close to the end zone, as receivers have less room to run a route the closer you get to the goal line.

[@mfree80286]

To shed a little light on some of the situations on field, it's important to remember that the forward pass was added on to the early, very rugby-like game, and it's where a lot of the confusion comes from through the rest of the rulebook. But if you remember that it's an add-on, and that it alone influences one section of rules, then it makes much more sense. Any given play is allowed one forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage, to an eligible receiver (one of a few men who were at the ends or behind the line). Any other situation, those limits don't exist. Handing the ball off, passing backwards, no restrictions of any kind. The one who catches the ball hasn't RECEIVED it until it's in control and they make a 'football move'... usually a step or three, that's up to the referee if it's the case that it matters, like someone's tackled early and the balls knocked free. They are a RECEIVER until they make that move, and then they're a RUNNER... and those are the two types of in-play ball carriers. Runners just have to go somewhere, and avoid finding any part of their body other than hands and feet on the ground while an opposing player is in contact with them, or being stood up and stopped by that defense. They can hand off, they can pass backwards. They can even trip and hit the ground as long as they retain the ball and can get up and moving before a defensive player can touch them (in NFL rules.... the college game is much more strict, contact isn't required to kill the play so if you trip, that's it). Anyhow, without getting any deeper than that there's a package of rules for receivers, and a different package of rules for runners, and receivers quickly become runners during the play. Receivers are only for the forward pass, if I hadn't mentioned that, a backwards pass has no receiver, just another runner. Which actually makes me wonder if pass interference can even be thrown against interference on a backward pass, hrmm.... gotta leaf through those 200 pages again soon.

[@SteveFakerson]

Ties (draws) are actually possible in the NFL if the score remains tied up after an the overtime period, as long as it isn't a playoff game.

[@AceMoonshot]

And then there are "TV Time outs.' Which are the reason I stopped watching football 20+ years ago. They just kept extending the duration and the number allowed year after year. They completely ruined the flow of the game. Which is why a game designed to be played in 75 or so minutes becomes 3 hour+ long. As for fouls, there are just too many to list. I would hazard a guess though that "offsides" and "holding" are the most common. Offsides is when a player moves across the line of scrimmage too soon. Before the ball leaves the ground. iirc it is a 5 yard penalty and you repeat the down. Holding is basically what it sounds like. Offensive holding is a 10 yard penalty and they replay of the down, while defensive holding's a 5 yard penalty and an automatic first down for the offense. Far as I recall, there is some holding on every play. Mostly it is the more egregious examples that get flagged. I would point out that the holding penalty, at least on the offense, is better than your quarterback getting hurt by a sack.

[@A_Name_]

@5:30 american football players are insanely specialized. Whiel you will see some guys in certain situations play offense and defense its very rare. To give you an idea of how specialized players are this video gets it kinda right with the tight end position where he says he blocks and catches passes. However most team will havr 3 or 4 on the roster. One will be more of a pass catching specialist. One more of a true inline blocker, and anothrr that is a flexable guy they can move all around the formation. Every down is a chess match disguised as a blood sport. We have unlimited substitutions so you will see loads of guys coming off and going on every play to try and find the best matchup againdt the other team.

[@Maderikm-w9j]

Although they won't make a US track and field national team, many NFL players were track stars at their colleges. They reach speeds between 19-21 mph pretty regularly, loaded down with pads and helmets.

[@kentgrady9226]

American football, in broad strokes, is a simple game. If you know rugby, you can follow the basic flow of gridiron football. One team is trying to cross a line, whilst the other is trying to stop them. As simple as it gets, really. In reality, however, the rules, strategy, and tactics are incredibly complex. The best way to learn is simply to watch games. If you pay attention and have a bit of patience, you'll take in a great deal by osmosis. It is also helpful to watch games with a knowledgeable fan who is willing to explain the game and give context as it progresses.

[@RoeShamBoe]

rugby and american football are cousins who grew up on different continents

[@andrew_ray]

You asked why the timer keeps stopping. I may not remember this precisely, but what I recall is that the timer 1) stops when a timeout is called by either team and resumes when the timeout is over; 2) stops when an official calls a time out, including for penalties, and resumes when the timeout is over unless the timeout occurs within the last two minutes of the 2nd quarter or the last five minutes of the 4th quarter, in which case it doesn't resume until the next play starts; 3) stops after the ball goes out of bounds and resumes when it is brought back in bounds, unless it was carried out of bounds by a player during the last two minutes of the 2nd quarter or the last five minutes of the 4th quarter, in which case it doesn't resume until the next play starts; 4) stops after an incomplete pass and resumes when the next play starts; 5) stops when the defending team gains possession and resumes when the next play starts; and 6) stops two minutes before the end of the 2nd and 4th quarters, or immediately after an ongoing play during which the two-minute mark is reached, and resumes when the next play starts.

[@Snipergoat1]

You could also add that there are entire strategies based around controlling this clock especially as it gets near the end of the game. If you are ahead, you try to burn up as much clock as possible. So lots of run plays and snaps are done within a second or two before a delay of game would be called. More exciting is if you are close but behind The two minute drill comes in. There are lots of pass plays thrown towards the outside boundaries, If you catch the ball or run it you want to jump out of bounds before getting tackled in order to stop the clock. If you can't stop the clock between plays for whatever reason you will have a hurry up offense where the offensive team doesn't even huddle before the play and everything is done to fire off the next play as rapidly as possible. Careful use of this clock control is why one a close game the last 2 minutes of the game can take almost as long as a regular 15 minute quarter. Particularly if the offense scores and takes the lead with enough time on the clock for the other team to potentially score and retake the lead. You really get to see what a team is made of by how well they hold together during these.

[@Terrell070]

American Football has nearly unlimited substitution. The offense can substitute any player on any down, but if they do they must give the defense time to do the same. Most likely players to be subbed on offense are backs and receivers when injuries not including injuries. The QB is going to be in on nearly every offensive play, unless he's hurt or benched for poor play. American Football is a collision sport. There are some rules about physicality. The QB has additional rules to protect him when he's in the pocket. There is a penalty called unnecessary roughness in all levels of football. You cannot use the top of your helmet to hit another player. It falls under unnecessary roughness, but it College Football it's also targeting. Targeting also includes hitting a QB in the head or neck areawhile he's in the pocket, or hitting a defenseless receiver in the head or neck area. Unnecessary roughness carries a 15 yard penalty, and if against the defense an automtic first down. All targeting calls are subject to review and confirmation by the replay booth, as it carries a mandatory ejection of the offending player. With regards to targeting, the replay booth can also buzz down if they think a targeting call was missed, and it's subject to review. You can have a game end in a tie in the NFL; ties are not allowed in College Football.

[@sallythekolcat]

also, forward passes are only allowed from behind the line of scrimmage (the current start line). backwards passed are allowed anywhere on the field. it was added to the game in 1906, prior to which the game was much more rugby like. the forward pass was supposed to make the game safer, because previously it was a wedge of guys running at a wedge of guys.

[@britishguyreacts]

Ah I see - even more similar to rugby then!

[@sallythekolcat]

@@britishguyreacts And most American universities do have a rugby team, but they are student organized clubs, rather then school organized teams. the college rugby league is separate from the main sports organizations (SEC , BIG-12 ACC). rugby only has had a championship since 1980, and rarely gets tv coverage. international rugby 7s will get some coverage, but on a specialist channel, because we don't understand it as a rule.

[@andrew_ray]

@@sallythekolcat We do now have Major League Rugby in the US also, though of all the top-tier professional leagues in the US, it maybe has bottom billing, even below Major League Soccer.

[@mfree80286]

@@britishguyreacts It started out almost exactly as rugby. And those wedge plays, like the flying V... those almost got the game banned, in the early 20'th century before the NFL was established those plays were largely responsible for the annual dozen or so fatalities the early game was producing. Young men were simply getting crushed and trampled.

[@williamlucas4656]

“… much more rugby like… “ , and involved many more deaths in the game. In general during footballs earlier periods they were a few were rules and many, many more injuries and deaths. This is why so many rules have been instituted to preclude severe injuries and deaths. Death itself is quite rare but can occur during a game usually involving a heart attack.

[@A_Name_]

@6:00 you aren't allowed to punch other players but you will actually see a lot of punches being thrown to try and knock the ball out. Also whatever happens at the bottom of a scrum stays at the bottom of a scrum. Whatever you can think of happens at the bottom of that pile to get the ball.

[@hardtackbeans9790]

Football did grow out of rugby but evolved around the same time. So they aren't intertwined like some other sports. On the 4th down you have to option of punting the ball to the other side, or trying to continue to make a 1st down. Which makes much more sense in some situations. You can drop kick a field goal. Very rare & not nearly as accurate. Drop kick field goals are also allowed in Canadian football. A safety scores 2 points except in that very rare instance when it only scores 1 point. This is very obscure & most don't even know about it. Don't bother with the oddballs of football & you will be fine. Baseball is even worse.

[@zeeshanhz_gaming8538]

My hometown team the Baltimore Ravens just lost the AFC (American Football Conference) championship game 😭😭. We lost it at home and everyone in Baltimore was really hyped for the game because it’s the first time we hosted the AFC championship game in this city. Our Quarterback, Lamar Jackson will likely win the MVP award. This would be his second time winning it. Though as a Ravens fan I am a little upset with him for losing to the Kansas City Chiefs.

[@sallythekolcat]

the referees throw the flag towards the place where the foul happened. both referees and prison uniforms are designed to do the same thing, draw attention. the refs don't want to be mistaken for a player. prisoners, especially where they exit the prison to work picking up litter or work in fields, are not to be mistaken for non prisoners. that makes it harder for them to escape / hitch a ride / blend in with civilians. the striped aren't used in most places, but it's an easy shorthand for cartoons, etc.

[@mfree80286]

The stripes also make it much easier to discern the hand signals from a distance. Remember the roots are in pre-electronics days, the hand motions are all the refs had to tell the folks in the upper stands (and the scoring booth) what just happened.

[@Scholarstorm]

There are rules of engaging receivers - you have to give them way after 5 yards downfield. If they don't have the ball, it'll be called interference.

[@empirejeff]

Yes one team wants to go one way. The other way is backwards.

[@TheTexasorbusted]

There's a saying in American sports "A tie is like kissing your sister", meaning you both effectively get nothing from it.

[@A_Name_]

@13:00 american football players are insanely fast even before you take into accoutn their size. Even in pads carrying the ball guys top out over 20mph every week. Quite of few players run the 100meter in jurt over 10seconds. Even the massive 300+ pound linemen run a sub 5sec 40 yard dash for the most part. Think of american football players like quater horses insanly strong and fast but less stamina than their rugby counter parts who are always out there but not always going full speed which is required in football

[@danielvandusen5724]

Dude, if you want to get a ton of views, you have to do 3 separate NFL videos. NFL's biggest hits, most athletic plays, and funniest mic'd up moments. Individually, these 3 separate NFL reaction videos will dwarf most of your other sports videos combined. And on top of bringing in a ton more views and subs, they are also the most fun sports videos for you to watch for yourself.

[@Scholarstorm]

Head to head nowadays is illegal* if the refs call correctly.

[@josephharrison5639]

Could ya react to more nascar, especially some history, like the documentary “the day” or the legacy of the 1

[@britishguyreacts]

That's a great suggestion - will add to the list!

[@empirejeff]

You are not sure 😕

[@mfree80286]

Americans hate rules? On the contrary. Americans love rules. If there were no rules, how would we find the means to slip between them? That's the *real* challenge...

[@williamlucas4656]

This country is ruled by laws and its games are controlled by rules which are in effect laws. The field officials are it’s judges.