The Rules of American Football - EXPLAINED REACTION!! | OFFICE BLOKES REACT!!

[@LarryHatch]

A genius coach once said: football is like playing chess with sumo wrestlers and Olympic track stars.

[@From-North-Jersey]

I like that one, almost as much as I like how another coach described the game as "A full contact ballet with 22 psychotic ballerinas who average 250lbs fighting over one spotlight."

[@gawainethefirst]

It’s as much a game of strategy and tactics between the coaches, as it is a game of athleticism between the players.

[@aaronm8143]

That’s a perfect way to describe it lol.

[@toddtaylor6506]

Most non fans don't grasp how complex everything that happens on basically every play really is .... just one guy screwing up can ruin everything the offense or defense is trying to do. And players need to know exactly what they're supposed to do and many times need to know exactly what the guys around them are supposed to do as well.

[@hinchaalbiroja582]

Hell yeah

[@RyanAustinDean]

“It’s crazy that they’re all Irish, though. O’tackle, O’guard...” 😂😂😂

[@A_A_J.]

It's only fair, since all the defensive players are French...

[@StylistecS]

i laughed at that too.

[@johnquinn7794]

@@A_A_J. De’ tight end and De’ linebackoor

[@Thesavagemeister77]

Love it 🤣🤣

[@AsvaldoAyus9419]

lol🤣

[@teeheeteeheeish]

American Football is so ingrained in our culture that sometimes we forget that the rules and ways of the game are so strange to folks outside of our culture. I really appreciate that others take the time to learn a bit about my favorite game.

[@TheMisfitChef]

The offensive players on the field aren't set in stone like that. They have different set ups depending on plays they are doing. There might be no runners and more receivers etc.

[@GD-tt6hl]

Its kinda like reading a chessboard. The formation gives you clues on what the opposing side is trying to do.

[@joemckim1183]

The only requirements is that 7 players line up on the line of scrimmage, Its usually 5 offensive lineman and 2 receivers. Only the 2 receivers on the end of each side of the scrimmage are eligible to catch passes. That's why when theres multiple receivers per each side of the field that some of them have to take a step back from the line so that they can be eligible to catch a pass.

[@PizzaHutCEO]

Same for defense as well, in order to best guard against the offense

[@b7grams]

Plus fullbacks in many modern college and pro offenses are non-existent. And as John stated defensive formations can vary a bit as well. 3-4, 4-3, 4-4, 5-2, 46 Bear, nickel, dime, quarter, hell Nebraska used to run what was called the peso under Bo Pelini. I truly do think football is sport's equivalent of war in many ways, which subconsciously is probably a big reason people like it so much here.

[@dcmc7383]

All true, but the gent that broke these rules down in simple form did a good job. Most Americans, including myself, would have muddied the waters with all the “exceptions.” If a viewer understands the basics, they will notice and question the exceptions and details until they pick up those as well. This was a good vid and a good reaction vid.

[@majikmikey]

"...they're all Irish..." LOL

[@jamesallen5591]

Lol.

[@vinicio6070]

Really

[@larrymcjones]

One of the funniest things I heard all week

[@cjpreach]

YES! O'Line. O'Fense. O'Tackle. O'Guard. O'MY!

[@ethantravis4728]

yeah that got me for sure.

[@GrimScarlett]

I appreciate you guys taking it seriously and actually trying to learn

[@Reblwitoutacause]

“They’re all Irish...”

[@dariowiter3078]

Me too. All three guys were very focused on the explanation of the rules, which made it much clearer to them. 😁😁😁😁😁

[@ashleyshort6141]

The guy who watches football is trying to get his friends hooked on this glorious addiction. Good man. When the world opens up, carry them to a college game in the south.

[@gregcable3250]

College game is good, too. But show them college football in the North--real football weather--sorry, 70 degrees is for baseball, not football. Snow is football weather.

[@livefreeprintguns]

I'm from the Northeast and I can say that bringing them to a college game in the south would be where I would take them also.

[@dustypeppers1358]

@@gregcable3250 yes if you want them to experience crappy weather. If you want them to see championship football and passion go south.

[@ashleyshort6141]

@@gregcable3250 I've been to two games at Bryant - Denny, it's religion down there.

[@Kwehhhhh]

@@gregcable3250 Lol what an ignorant comment, everyone knows the best football players come from the south and the SEC is the best conference, snow is far from football weather, hell most players and coaches hate playing in the snow and other bad weather because it handicaps the offense to a pretty good extent.

[@steven2640]

It didn't cover stuff like pass interference, unnecessary roughness, face masking, delay of game penalty, etc. but this is a very good starter that gets you 90% of what you need to know.

[@mikestager9509]

This was a very bare bones basic introduction to American football. The specifics of penalties would be in a part 2 and then different formations and coverages part 3 probably.

[@jeffburdick869]

When I met my wife on August 15th, 2010. She knew basically nothing about the rules and positions of football. I literally was writing and drawing them out with a pen on bar napkins for her. Like two months later, I discovered that she kept all of those bar napkins of me drawing out football positions and rules. We got married on July 13th, 2013. And now she's as big of football fan as I am.

[@officeblokedaz]

Brilliant mate 👍🏻

[@Dios67]

American Football is like Rugby that has been turned into a tactical, grid based war game. Another rule about an interception; if the defense intercepts the football in the end-zone and tackled there the ball is brought out to the 25 yard line.

[@harryclam5869]

ROFLMAO @ the "It's crazy that they're all Irish though" comment. Had me in absolute stitches bro!!! Well done on that bit O'comedy :)

[@FreshCutFrenchFries]

Here's a super rare term; "Ironman" equates to a player or players that play both Offensive and Defensive postions.

[@flyflorida2001]

Very few of those, Patrick Richard of the Baltimore a Ravens is probably the best! 315LB fullback/defensive lineman

[@Kylora2112]

@@flyflorida2001 Troy Brown with the Patriots was their nickel back for a few seasons (and very good) along with being a starting wide receiver (he was also a punt returner).

[@thomaslgrice]

Someone say iron man? sciotohistorical.org/items/show/119 The Portsmouth Spartans beat the Green Bay Packers and played only 11 men the entire game getting revenge on Green Bay's canceling the final game of the previous season to preserve a championship for the Packers. Dec. 4, 1932 Portsmouth won 19-0 and went on to play the Chicago Bears in the first NFL championship game, but that's another story.

[@SlavicCelery]

While he didn't play defense, the term ironman is often attributed to Brent Favre. Due to his mind-blowing streak of starts.

[@monkeydude9192]

@@Kylora2112 Can’t forget Slater and Edelman filling in on defense during the injury plagued 2011 season

[@edsmith3461-z7m]

A sack is only behind the line of scrimmage, after the QB passes it he's a regular runner.

[@Kylora2112]

And it's nothing but a statistic (nothing special happens with a sack; it's just a tackle behind the line of scrimmage).

[@ultimategotea]

@TheCyberShark Apart from stats, a sack is just a normal TFL (tackle for a loss)

[@SlavicCelery]

@@ultimategotea Drives that have a sack tend to go three and out more often than stand TFL. There is a psychological impact potentially.

[@ahwhite2022]

@TheCyberShark, but it's fundamentally no different than if the QB had handed the ball off to another player and then the other player got tackled behind the line of scrimmage. Same loss of yards, with the new line being where the player was forced down.

[@xerothedarkstar]

If the QB gets rattled, it's a bad time for the whole offense. He's one of two people that touch the ball on every play, and the Center knows how to take a hit.

[@RC-vz7mx]

Most rule changes in the NFL now a days are changed in order to promote safety for the players

[@kevinb314]

But also replays and “what is a catch”, which is the most annoying part

[@gh8cw]

And promote offense.

[@billbradley4878]

And to get higher scoring games because fans like it more. Rules changes for decades have been aimed at making it easier to score. The five yard bump rule was because the Steel Curtain was mugging people down the field and no one could score. It was literally so someone else had a shot at winning.

[@khal7702]

And more scoring for offense...holding is legal now

[@leejoelbeasley5005]

even tho player in20s and 30s suffered less concision and permanent head trauma, with less equipment, than those players today

[@daveygivens735]

There's one fundamental you might not have heard. The game is all about possession. Until you score. You retain possession, lose possession, or give up possession. You retain possession as long as you keep making your 10 yards and the ball doesn't touch the ground. You lose possession if you 'turn the ball over' with a fumble or interception that ends up in the opposing team's possession. you give up possession by kicking or "punting" it away to the other team. You do this when you don't believe you can make a "1st" down on the next play which would give you 4 more tries. As an example, as a typical strategy, the defending team will "blitz" which means they will all run at the Quarterback to increase the chances of tackling him "behind" the line of scrimmage (where the ball starts on each play). If blitz and manage to tackle the quarterback behind the line it's called a "sack". Where the sack occurs is now the the new starting point for the next series plays. So if you were on your 1st try, attempting to get 10 years, and you get sacked 8 yards back, but keep possession, you still have your next down (2nd down) but instead of being "2nd and 10" you are now "2nd and 18" because you moved backwards and were sacked 8 yards back from the original 10 yard point To manage risk, but very much depending on field position, a team will reserve their last "down" (their last chance - 4th chance/down) to deliberately give up possession by kicking the ball way down the field to make it much longer distance to cover and score to get into your end zone.or are are taken to the ground-"tackled". You are "tackled" (which has its own protocol on how that's done), but it's usually violently, and you are only "tackled when a knee makes contact with the ground, or another part of your body, such as, obviously, on your back. However, a tackle is only recognized if it's been caused by the contact from an opposing player. If you are running down the field to score, fall down, but haven't been touched by an opposing player, you can get back up and continue running. -This is expected. If you fall down on the ground and are even tapped with one finger while you're in ground you are also "tackled" - called "down by contact".

[@calebberry6542]

The college football national championship between Alabama and Ohio State is tomorrow night, you guys should react to it!

[@fannybuster]

I believe that would start at about 1: 30 AM British Time

[@chasejordan22]

@@fannybuster Worth it. It is honestly the biggest game in the history of the most popular sport in the world.

[@calebberry6542]

They could always record it and watch the replay if they absolutely have to. But it would be awesome spectacle to get to watch that one.It should be an exciting one to watch as well

[@hanaj]

@Two Masta The Ohio State University to you. Go Buckeyes!!! Class of 2001

[@chasejordan22]

@Two Masta Thats the attitude that gave them the motivation to beat Clemson, and the same Alabama in 2014, with their third string QB.

[@michaelmachupa3854]

I never realized how American football was such an American staple until I moved and travel outside. As kids we played on the street, in the fields, on hills, in the snow and sleet. I used to come home with bruises and busted lips and loved every minute of it. Homework wasn't an option.

[@thumper7047]

He missed 1 way to score that is almost unheard of anymore - Doug Flutie reached back in time to do it last, but it is almost never done anymore and that is called "The Drop-Kick", when; on any down, the QB (becomes a kicker), drops the ball like a punt, the ball must touch the ground before he kicks it and it if goes between the uprights, that is 3 points - much like a FG, but no holder, no Special teams unit. Also, a team can punt on any down. Usually, if you do not think you can reach the 10 yards, you punt, so it is reserved for 4th down, but if it's 3rd down and a long way, you might punt, the other team not expecting it will have no one back to return it, so you can get more distance due to no return and the bounce and roll. One other thing, a punt can only be returned by the Def. but a Kick-off is "live" after going 10 yards and can be recovered by either team.

[@PizzaHutCEO]

He also forgot safeties

[@TheSaharay1]

@@PizzaHutCEO he mentioned safeties

[@PizzaHutCEO]

@@TheSaharay1 ah I missed that.

[@jcheroko7444]

@@TheSaharay1 he didnt mention one point safeties

[@TheSaharay1]

@@jcheroko7444 that's because conversion safeties have never been done in the NFL (only in college ball), which this video was about, and never really had the chance to be likely until 2015

[@necromantic4972]

I played in all 4 years of my Highschool, I was a (CB) corner back, They do focus on the (WR) Wide Reciever most of the time Each position can get into a different (CP) Cover Position depending on how the offense is layed out. Sometimes it's self judgement and sometimes the (S) Saftey will call it by seeing how the offense is layed out or if a player moves to a different side. They usually call out code names for cover types so the other side doesn't catch on, Example, "Cloud" could mean Man coverage, Blue could mean Man coverage, even going as far as someones name, "Jeffery" to mean deep cover. For example, The CB can run MAN coverage which means, whoever's infront of you, you stay with until they end of the play, you defend THAT man. You can also have ZONE coverage and have to defend whoever comes into that particular ZONE, That kind of defense layout is like shifting gears, If the WR runs in toward the defense you'd make an audable such as "In! In!" To let the (LB) Line Backer know they've got company coming to their ZONE, or the (LB) may yell "Out!" "Out!" letting YOU know that someones coming to your zone from the middle. Then you have deep coverage which is when it looks like the offense is favoring a pass, So the (CB's) stand about 10yrds back to try and keep the WR in their sights and make it harder for the QB to pass the ball to them. A standard play usually lasts about 5-12 seconds. you may think that's a lot of time for you, but it's not a lot of time for the QB. For a QB 10 seconds is a blink of an eye. If the QB can't find anyone open they may have to result in running the ball which is even harder (in some cases). Hopefully this helps :)

[@worldssmallestfan]

13:00 in the early 1900s coach Pop Warner kept finding such unusual rule loopholes the efforts to stop him essentially made modern rules.

[@AnimusZen]

5:30 - you can have more than one QB in the game, but it usually is part of a "trick play" and is called a "wildcat formation".

[@edsmith3461-z7m]

The basic structure of the NFL game has not changed much since the earlier days, it's mostly to do with penalties, the ground causing a fumble, pushing out of bounds. The one major change was the 2 point conversion which was added in 1994, taken from college ball.

[@trojanboy88]

If you've played or watched football your entire life, you get to a point when you can spot a penalty before the refs do. I'm cursed with spotting holding penalties in the line. You'd have to be blind to not spot a pass interference call too lol

[@IHaveGratitude]

So the refs are all blind. They miss those calls every game😂😂😂

[@potroast702]

To be fair, it’s pretty common football knowledge that you can call a holding on any given play in a game, it’d just be obscenely boring if they called everything they saw.

[@adambuckler1398]

@@IHaveGratitude It’s much easier to spot the penalties from the birds eye view and camera angles we have than being on the field

[@isaiahpavia-cruz678]

I was listening to this on headphones and when he said they were all Irish I let out such an audible “oh my gosh...” people looked at me funny 😂 if you want to follow the games, the playoffs have just begun

[@mikefleischauer498]

One thing they didn't talk about that is often confusing to those familiar with rugby is "blocking". Unlike rugby, any offensive player who doesn't have the ball is allowed to push or shove or run into defensive players to prevent them from tackling the ball carrier. If you block someone in the back, it us a penalty. They always used to call that "clipping" but they don't seem to use that term much these days.

[@nickthompson2023]

Little known fact: the players with the quickest acceleration are typically your cornerbacks. They must start their run normally in a reverse position, must flip around and start running to keep up with the WR’s, so they need to be insanely quick. To get an idea of how fast these guys are, a typical 40 yard dash for a CB is around 4.4 seconds, often faster for skilled/gifted runners. These guys are beasts of physical fitness.

[@saino2001]

4:28 - One thing that probably should be mentioned regarding the offense is that you always HAVE to have seven offensive players on the line of scrimmage. If not, it's an illegal formation, and a five-yard penalty will be called by the officials. The two players on each end of the line are eligible receivers (e.g. they can catch passes), while the five in the middle (the "interior linemen") are not. The "tight end" lines up alongside the interior linemen, while a "wide receiver" (occasionally called a "split end") is off by himself. The defense, on the other hand, can put as many or as few players on the line as they want.

[@michaelcoffey4953]

I find your questions and comments on American football very interesting and insightful. When I was in College I had a Physics professor who emigrated to the US from Hungary as a young adult. He was our schools "soccer" coach incidentally. On Monday's and Tuesdays he struggled to get the classes attention as many of his students were locked in conversation about Sunday's games and Monday night footballs results. He decided to incorporate football references into his lectures as a way of getting his classes to take some interest in the courses material. He began to watch the games and became thoroughly confused by the jargon and shorthand references of the announcers and "analysts", so he turned off the sound and approached the game from a scientific perspective, observation and results. He developed a completely unique language and investigative breakdown. We students who were raised with the game and it's stereotypical explanations were floored by this abstract way of looking at the game. After the word got around his classes became crowded with other students just sitting in, In a couple of semesters you couldn't get in the class it became so popular. When I listen to you guys it reminds me of that class, it's interesting to see the game through fresh eyes. Thanks, fella's.

[@juliancontreras7690]

Love that they are genuinely trying to learn. Respect.

[@onetruedodd]

In regards to the question regarding the location of the line of scrimmage after interceptions (around 9:32), if it is 4th down, it is almost always better for your the rest of the team, as a defender, to knock the ball down, rather than intercept it. Knocking it down will whistle the play over/dead with your offense taking over where the other team stopped. It is considered stupid and/or selfish to intercept on 4th downs.

[@hugotrevino2565]

I am amazed of the questions the guy on the left asks... his mind works in a very complex way, he is sharp!

[@bripa3890]

Its such a culture shock to see people who know this little about football, I get why it is, and I know next to nothing about soccer, but coming from a place where even people who don't like football still usually know the basics, it's just amusing and interesting to watch

[@YungJoe34]

I was waiting for you guys to do a reaction to the actual rules, keep up the great content!

[@Alan.Endicott]

I've had some success comparing American football to chess for Europeans. Two lines face each other, each piece or player has an assigned role, you try to match strength against weakness, and you pause between each play or move to reassess.

[@markkringle9144]

The game has evolved since the 1950s. The goal post used to be on the goal line, but people were being injured by hitting of being crushed into the poles. They then moved it to the back of the end zone. The extra point was one point. You could run it, but it was still one point. In collage games you got 2 points for running it in, and eventually (1980s? 90s?) The pros changed to the two point conversation for running. This kick is made like 99% of the time. A few years ago they moved the point after kick from the 3 yard line to the 30 yard line, so it wasn't a given.

[@drewdederer8965]

The big split between what became American Football and early Rugby happened sometime in the 1870s (the Association "soccer" split was in 1876, so it likely pre-dates it). A lot of the rule changes were the same ones later made by "League" Rugby (fewer players, limited, but discrete possession). The big one is that "interference" (that is blocking) ahead of the ball carrier was permitted. Most of the rest of the rule changes (forward pass for example) were made to control the violence allowing blocking unleashed. Free substitution didn't come in til the 50s for Pros (it started in WWII, when getting enough guys that could last a whole game was an issue). Colleges were playing both ways into the 1960s. American football still has bits of old Rugby in it. They kept "touchdown" but not the rule. And pro and high school still allow a free kick after a fair catch (the old Rugby "mark" rule).

[@traxiii]

Nice, it was interesting to see foreign blokes learning the rules to our game. American football has and will continue to evolve as far as the rules go. They've added penalties to protect players and moved where they kickoff from further back to compensate for players being able to kick further. They've moved or changed the goal posts a couple times. At one time the goal posts were two posts, stuck into the turf, on the goal line with a cross bar between them. They could be used to block players sort of obstacles to be used by either side. This didn't work too well as guys would get injured running into them. They first put padding on the posts, then they moved them to the back of the end zone, then to the raised posts above the cross bar setup they have now. That means there is only one post in the ground, about 3 yards back from the back of the end zone. Players still run into it, but it much less than before.

[@matthewgraham2619]

Football is like chess. Every situation (down/distance, score, location on the field, previous play, etc.) is different, and every coach has a lot to consider when choosing the next play. Meanwhile the opposing coach tries to predict what you are going to do and counteract it. But he knows, and you know he knows, and he knows you know he knows......

[@matthiasice]

When you guys were talking about them adding rules over time, oddly enough one of the core components of the game had to be added: the forward pass. Originally it was all running and laterals. The ball itself changed as passing became a more and more crucial part of the game.

[@Tyrantofthewind]

I appreciate the effort to actually understand the game. I know far too many people who would have already given up when the chart of the various positions came up.

[@kensmith2829]

I thought that was a really good introduction to the NFL. There's obviously a lot more to it, but if you know everything in the video, you can watch the game casually and understand it.

[@Blossompot]

Played American football since I was 8 years old. Funny seeing these guys react to this stuff. 🤣

[@raywilliams6675]

You are correct there is a rules commission that debates and sets the rules and updates them from time to time.

[@davidickes4621]

Something they didn't discuss but is very important is time management. If you are on offense and you run the ball or catch a pass and get tackled, the clock keeps running. If you throw a pass, and it isn't caught, then the clock stops. This is important to understand. Because a team that is winning near the end of the game will start running the ball on every play to keep the clock running or force the other team to call a time out. Teams that are losing by a significant amount of points will start throwing the ball more often than running in order to have the clock stop if the pass is incomplete. It helps them keep time on the clock in order to be able to have the extra time to get back into the game. Also, if a player with the ball runs out of bounds, the clock stops. So you see near the end of the game when the losing team is trying to score to win, you will see them pass the ball near the sidelines so if caught they can immediately run out of bounds. There is a lot of time strategy involved in this game. And if you don't know these rules, you may not understand why a team seems to be running or throwing a lot.

[@mljrotag6343]

The basic offensive and defensive formations they showed are just one option. There are many. On offense, for example, it is helpful to think of the eleven players as Linemen (OT, OG, C) minimum of five at all times (they cannot handle the ball other than the center to snap) and the other six are Skill Players (a QB, with the remaining five almost any combination of TEs, WRs or RBs)...you could have zero TEs or zero RBs, etc.. Defensively you could technically have all eleven as Defensive Linemen or cornerbacks. Both would be highly unusual as they are basically responding to defend the offenses player combination on the field for that snap. Combinations are limitless. Defensive assignments can also get very, very complicated. Man coverages ("marking" in soccer terms) but also zone (area assignments rather than player) or many combinations at once (man coverage underneath with zone on top, one side man the other zone, etc..) Also man coverage itself has many variations, loose or off coverage..defenders start off the line of scrimmage (giving a cushion, 3,5,10 or any amount of yards...more a read and react type of man) or bump or press coverage where they physically challenge the WR, TE or RB (could line up as WR) at the line to disrupt passing game timing patterns, etc... Additionally, the defense will generally try to disguise what the coverages are (and blitzes...a disguised pass rusher on the QB...or running game) and the offense will generally try to force the defense to show their hand pre snap. Offensive players must also adjust "on the fly" after the snap if their pre snap read was wrong...this must be done very, very quickly and they must all (or most) respond in the right way (not easy). Also Defensive Linemen may run games up front (a whole new discussion). Basically, it is much, much more complicated.

[@TheDaringPastry1313]

The game actually starts with a coin flip to decide what team wants to receive or play defense first. Whatever team plays defense first will get possession of the ball after half is over. This can allow teams to score before half and get the ball after half in certain situations to either close the gap they are behind or lengthen the gap.

[@chrispalmer7291]

Just a small note about offensive formations: American football rarely uses a fullback anymore, even in the NFL. Most teams in college and pro use a formation which includes three wide receivers, a tight end, and a running back. Another common formation is with two wide receivers, two tight ends, and a running back. Essentially the fullback has been replaced by a second tight end. The standard formation in your diagram with the fullback is known as an I-formation because the two backs line up directly behind the quarterback, forming a lowercase i.

[@edsmith3461-z7m]

Charged team timeouts shall be 2 minutes in length, unless the timeout is not used by television for a commercial break. Timeouts shall be 30 seconds in length when the designated number of television commercials have been exhausted in a quarter, if it is a second charged team timeout in the same dead-ball period, or when the Referee so indicates.

[@mmbtvs56]

I was looking to see if someone said this because the information in the video is incorrect.

[@jeffreywickens3379]

There was a little bit left out in describing how a safety is scored. Yes, the defending team gets two points, if they tackle the ball carrier of the offense in the offense's own end zone, but, the defense also gets those two points if the offense's ball carrier runs out of the back or sides of their own end zone, or if the offense's ball is fumbled out of the back or sides of their own end zone, or if the offense commits any kind of illegal procedure in their own end zone. And even the defensive team can give a safety to the offense, IF, the defense intercepts a pass or recovers a fumble in their own end zone, and then runs out of that end zone in an attempt to advance the ball down the field, and then they run back into their own end zone and they are tackled there. And any time you give up that two-point safety, you have to kick the ball over to the opposing team.

[@mcm0mmles]

I’m confused (as an American/KC Chiefs fan) about soccer (football). As Ted Lasso says ““Will you explain to me how that was offside? No! I’m asking you. Seriously! Explain offside to me. It makes no sense.” Please do a Ted Lasso reaction! That show is magic!

[@Pete_Finch]

So glad you guys went with Ninh Explains - easily one of the best American football explanation vids around

[@SomethingSeemsOff]

As an American I'm realizing now that I too have some rules to learn lol

[@SlavicCelery]

Play nfl video games. Seriously helped me learn a lot of the rules when I was much younger....and video games were 2-d at best.

[@hah3456]

Eh? This was like the most basic of basic?

[@SlavicCelery]

@@hah3456 Wait till they get into explaining what counts as a genuine catch. *Mind 💥*

[@FasterthanLight11]

I think one important point is how time is kept. You can do certain plays that stop the clock between plays and some dont. Usually there is a huddle where the offense and defense choose a formation but a "hurry up offense" means they line right back up after a play with no huddle or plan. Its brutal for both teams that may end up constantly moving/holding the line and you cant switch out players but damn if it isnt entertaining.

[@redleg3963]

For Special Teams there is also a Long Snapper. The Kicker, Punter, and Long Snapper make up the three special teams players who are exclusively on the field for that.

[@bradpirochta9293]

Where American football really shines is the various strategies. The Defense is trying to disguise what they're doing and the QB is responsible for figuring it out. 3-4 defense vs 4-3 defense... blitzing corners, blitzing LBers, blitzing safeties. Zone defense. Man-to-man defense. And whole lot in between. And the offense has MORE chicanery. There's a battle of wits going on out there on so many levels.

[@buddystewart2020]

There's definitely been changes to the rules in football, for instance the first legal forward pass didn't occur until 1906.

[@glasswhisperer]

There is also a 1 point safety. It's very rare, in thirty five years I've only seen two. The offense attempts a three point kick, the ball doesn't make it through the goal and is recovered by the defense in the end zone, brought back out of the end zone, ran back into the end zone and tackled in the end zone. #ComplicatedAF

[@docbearmb]

The rule of American football have constantly evolved since the first intercollegiate game between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869. Rutgers won 1-0. (You got 1 point for a touchdown. ) The field is often called a gridiron because way back when the lines on the field ran horizontally and vertically. Don’t ask me why. As far as players, up until the 1960s most NFL players went both ways playing offense and defense ( and usually in the kicking action too.). Then came specialization. Only a very few players today will occasionally play both ways today and only for a few downs. Most notably in recent memory is Deion Sanders; Hall of Fame as a cornerback but played on offense at times. Oh, and he was a kick returner of major note. Did I mention he played MLB also?

[@RCShadow]

And each NFL Team has a Playbook. The Playbook is memorized by most players and each position has a set "pattern" they are to take within a given play. These plays have names as well like "Blue-31". The quarterback does a huddle before a play to decide what play is to be executed. This is why you see them in a circle before each play. If time is short, the quarterback will do an "audible". The audible is the quarterback yelling to the players what play he is about to do. I hope this helps expand even more knowledge about American Football.

[@davidreade2582]

A question was asked as to what options a defensive player might have if a pass was intercepted by the defense in the end zone. That defensive player can either: 1.) Take a knee down in the end zone and his team’s offense would take possession of the ball from the (nearest) 20 yard line; or 2.) Run the ball out of the end zone as far as he can and, barring any fouls occurring during the runback, his team's offense would take possession of the ball from that point (unless he is able to run the length of the field in the opposite direction and score a touchdown). If I recall correctly (please, someone correct me if I'm wrong), if a foul is committed during the runback, the appropriate penalty yardage is assessed from the spot the foul was committed, in the opposite direction of the team that committed the foul; however, if the penalty yardage puts the ball into an end-zone, then half of the yardage between the spot of the foul and the end-zone is assessed.

[@willster8759]

The rules of American football have changed a lot over the years. It used to be more of a defensive game. The rules tend to favor the offense more now, specifically passing and limiting how the defenses can defend (penalties against the defense). It did, like you say, have rules committees create the game and set in stone a lot of the fundamental rules back when the game was being formed. Just like most sports stuff is added over time and changed. Glad you are enjoying football!

[@davehelms1398]

The game started with rugby, and developed by colleges in the northeastern US, which were mostly church ruled, thus the rules were pasted down from above (committees of school leaders), rather than made through compromise like "aussie rules" which also started as rugby. The best example is the goal posts, the US & Canada have 2, Australian has four, the 2 main ones and smaller secondary on each side (called " assigns" which award 1 point instead of 3. You can imagince a bunch od ex-cons getting into a fight if a ball was in or out, deciding the if "close enough" they should get something. Its not a hard game to follow on telly as the commentators usually explain everything.

[@robertdysonn]

I think the thing that’s different about NFL football is the fact that it seems more organized in the sense that there are specific place. Each team gets its four downs and they are for individual plays where as soccer is just a continuous movement of the ball back-and-forth down the field just like basketball.

[@brettg274]

A key difference in strategy is management of the clock. You will see in NFL games, especially when the score is close at the end of the game, how much time management and timeout management plays a huge part.

[@davidbarber3821]

Lawrence Taylor was a 3-4 Linebacker which is pretty much the same as a 4-3 defensive end Ray Lewis was a 4-3 linebacker which mainly drops into coverage

[@2catgumbo]

It's only a 3 minute video, but you guys need to see "Stephen Fry in Alabama". He attends an Alabama/Auburn game and the footage is majestic.

[@beapot]

I really appreciate and respect that you all are willing to learn about American football. It's my favorite sport and so entertaining to watch. Also, I admire all the hard work, athleticism, and skill that each player brings to the team.

[@doneyunrings]

that discussion over the corner kick rule sounds pretty similar to conversations about the catch rules lmao

[@connorwilliams574]

Much respect y'all breaking down basic rules and concept to try to understand the game, as a 29 year old born and raised in Texas I know football, keep learning if it seems interesting

[@rybone1rybone189]

Sorry to nit pick but I'm an American who loves American Football, It says you don't have to set the ball down like in Rugby and that you only need to cross the End Zone line. That isn't exactly the case either. You don't have to cross the line at all. You merely need to have even the slightest tip of the ball touch even the very front edge of the End Zone line and you will have a TD. It only needs to break the plain, not cross it. You can literally be standing in the End Zone your entire body, But if you don't pull the ball to the line you don't have a td. The ball has to touch/break the line-plain....

[@futuregenerationz]

Wait til you see the defensive line. They're all Italian.

[@davidrichards6509]

I had to Google to check but the forward pass in American Football was first used and declared a legal play in October 1906. According to Google before that American football would have pretty much have resembled rugby. The first American professional football league was first formed in 1920.

[@somersetcace1]

There's a lot of dynamics that weren't covered but that's the basics. As has been said, offensive and defensive formations can be switched up. On defense, the most typical are the 4/3 and 3/4..That is 4 defensive linemen, with 3 linebackers or 3 defensive linesmen and 4 line backers. Then they have nickel and dime formations to stop passes that have more corners and/or safety's. There are some limits to al of that, but it's fairly wide open.

[@scottgrohs5940]

Safeties are even more expensive than described in the video. In addition to the points, the team that got safetied also forfeits possession of the ball.

[@LarryHatch]

They had to add a "shot clock" to American and International basketball because some coaches had their teams hold the ball for 5-10 minutes, waiting for that perfect shot or gap. The game got way better and more popular after the clock got added.

[@bripa3890]

They also figured out that 24 second shot clock would average about 100 shots per game, which they felt was the ideal number of shots to keep the fans involved. It's crazy the amount of thought that went into that discission

[@Jon_FM]

American / Canadian Football started from Rugby rules and over about 120 years they modified things to fit what they wanted to do, so yeah they definitely purpose rebuilt the game over time, a game in the 1910s would look a whole lot more like a Rugby game than it would Football. To this day as an example the Canadian Football League fights for the Canadian Amateur Rugby football championship - Grey Cup (donated by Earl Grey in 1909).

[@JKM395]

That's actually a fairly comprehensive video. It's certainly great for beginners. Great choice Blokes.

[@anthonystarke893]

When it comes to the defense. Your linebackers are usually split up between MLB (middle linebackers) and OLB (outside linebackers.) Middle linebackers are usually the "quarterback of the defense" and are usually responsible for getting the players the defensive play call from the coach. Outside linebackers are usually responsible for "setting the edge" which means not letting the offense get outside with the ball, because usually there aren't many defenders outside. It really depends on the defensive alignment, because what the video doesn't say is there is no limit to how many of each position group you can have. You could theoretically put 11 linebackers out there if you wanted to, but it wouldn't be a good idea. Typically teams will run a "base" defense where they either configure into a "4-3" (4 defensive linemen, 3 linebackers) or a "3-4" (3 DLs and 4 LBs.) Sometimes you'll see a "5-2" on plays where it's fairly obvious the offense is going to run, or back in the 80s the Chicago Bears ran a "4-6" defense where they brought one of their safeties into "the box" (area in the middle of the field ranging from directly behind the ball on the defensive side to roughly 10 yards deep behind the defensive side of the ball.) It really just depends on situation and the opposing team's personnel when compared to what you have on your team. If you add players to your secondary (cornerbacks and safeties) you start calling them American currency 😂. Take away a LB and put another cornerback out there and you have what is called a "Nickle" coverage. Take away another LB and add another CB and you get "Dime" coverage. Only DLs and secondary is "Quarters" coverage and if you take one DL away for another person in the secondary that is "Dollar" (the last 2 are very rare to see, usually at the end of games where the offense needs a miracle to win). Offense has certain rules it must abide by as far as alignment goes. Particularly with how many people that are aligned on the line of scrimmage and with the tight end if he is eligible for a pass or not because of the wide receiver alignment. But defense you're allowed to line up however you want to so long as you're not offsides.

[@fbksfrank4]

You can have two quarterbacks on the field, in certain razzle dazzle plays. Yes, the nuances of it, can spend a few just on clock management, using the rules to help you, loads of small things.

[@rickrenzi6906]

I’m 63, I played football from age 10 to 20. I had at least three serious concussions, two knee replacements, a hip replacement, both shoulders are shot. I’ve probably taken 10 years off my life. Crazy thing, I would do it all over again.

[@tiapetable]

That is crazy.

[@krcjayhawks]

That was a solid recap of the game. Just like any sport, there are so many levels to understanding. This is everything you really need to know though. I've been watching for years and still need to watch breakdown videos to catch all the little things I missed.

[@David_D.926]

They also forgot to mention the 40 second play clock. That's how long you have to put the ball in play once the previous down was completed.

[@brianrigsby7900]

5:55 doing a dirty hit on this guy will get a major reaction from his teammates

[@paxonearth]

That's a pretty good tutorial, I'd say. The system of "downs" is what's normally confusing for those who haven't watched much football. Like the video says, it's just four attempts to move the ball 10 yards., repeat if successful. That's really the entire game.

[@B___848]

That instructional video that you chose was one of the most accurate explanations of the game that I’ve seen. Well done.

[@theblackbear211]

I thought that this was a good basic explanation, but just as someone has already said about the offensive formations, the defensive formations are also quite variable. Though particularly on offense - there are rules that limit what some players are allowed to do. For example - except in certain circumstances (I won't quote rules) an offensive lineman (Center, Guard, Tackle) cannot move past the line of scrimmage during a passing play - until the ball is thrown. A ton of details, but I'm glad that you are finding it interesting. FYI - Saturday January 16th - should be a very interesting game at Green Bay - it will be outdoors and the weather is likely to be unpleasant.

[@fuzytaco6]

This is the most accurate explanation of the NFL rules. Great work man.

[@mickeygarlock4611]

Best linebacker ever was Dick Butkus, the award for best linebacker of the year is called The Butkus award.

[@adirondeau]

He was good, and it may be the Butkus award, but Lawrence Taylor is the greatest ever to play the game.

[@jamesjoseph1249]

12:07 The story about having watched a game forever and seeing something brand new (even to the announcers) reminds me of baseball. That game has been around for 150 years and you're still liable to see something that's never happened before at a game.

[@stevem6856]

The first video every new comer to American football needs to watch is "biggest hits" no question. It's a very physical game

[@scottbilger9294]

The rules governing penalties are many and varied. In most cases, when a foul occurs, the official throws a flag to mark the spot of the foul but play continues. When the play is over the penalty is assessed*. Most penalties on offense result in the play being cancelled and the down does not count -- as if the play never happened, except for the penalty yardage applied. That means an offensive foul on a 50 yard pass would result in losing the 50 yd gain and losing 10 more on penalty. Penalties on the defense are more varied. Some are assessed from the line of scrimmage (the start of the play), other from the spot of the foul. If the Defense commits the foul on that 50 yard pass (resulting in an incomplete pass), the offense gets the ball at the spot, 50 yards downfield. Defensive fouls usually, but not always, give the offense an automatic first down, even if the offense didn't gain the 10 yards. More than one penalty could be called on any one play. It is not uncommon for both teams to be called for separate fouls on the same play, in which case the fouls are said to "offset". Neither team is penalized, and the play does not count. The "down is replayed." In the NFL, the number and severity of the fouls does not matter, 6 major fouls can be offset by a single minor one. If that isn't enough, when a foul is called, the opposing team has the option to decline the penalty and choose rather the result of the play. The reason for declining are usually self-evident: ie the play gained more yardage than the penalty. * Some penalties at the line of scrimmage will result in the play being stopped or "blown dead" before it actually begins.

[@Brunners90]

I'd recommend just watching some NFL, you'll quickly get the hang of it. The playoffs are going on at the moment, so there's plenty of games on Sky Sports :) First is at 6:05pm tonight.

[@EarlyBirdCraft]

I’m American and I find the soccer rules more complicated than the football

[@mavleetv8789]

Y'all should watch 'Rules added because of players" itll clarify on how much the rules have changed over the years because of actions by players on the field

[@briankgarland]

The subtle strategies, employed by every player, embedded in what appears to be just chaotic violence, is what makes it so great.

[@fubar1217]

If I remember correctly, some of the rules about how long the timeouts are were added to keep game length reasonable for TV broadcasts. I also remember when they added the technology to show line of scrimmage and 1st down on the screen. Before, you had to look for the markers on the sidelines. I also remember walking to school barefoot in the snow.......uphill.......both ways...... :P

[@GD-tt6hl]

Some people still don't realize those are added in.

[@AIRFGC]

Always interesting to hear people look at games I've always loved with fresh eyes. I appreciate you all being open-minded and and taking the time to learn more about the game rather than being dismissive like many others are when it comes to American Football. It's really disheartening for me to see others assume the game is mindless violence interlaced with advertisements and that us here in the states are a bunch of braindead yanks for enjoying it so much. It truly is a beautiful game and something that brings our communities together in special ways. It doesn't matter your size or athleticism, in a small town in Texas, there's always room for you on the team and some way you can contribute. Much love from Dallas, Texas! Thanks for the reaction, gents.

[@whiteboyplayssoccer]

American football actually used to be very different but way too many people were dying in games so teddy Roosevelt helped come up with safer and more widely accepted rules while he was president in order to keep the game from being more or less banned

[@Fadamor]

[@crispenc3511]

I’ve seen you guys look at several videos about American Football violence, traditions, stadiums and rules. You should take a look at some videos about the complexity of the play calling. I recommend “translating quarterback play-calling language” by NFL films. It is pretty eye opening even for those of us that know a lot about the game!