NFL 101

Sundays always seem a bit eerie to me. I mean, you can't help but notice that as you shop for the week's groceries, go on your favorite hike and one's general meandering about town to finish eleventh hour errands, the male population has seemingly disappeared. Holy mackerel, it's straight out of some apocalypse movie! But alas, let me allay your fears as these men haven't really disappeared, rather they go into a hibernation of sorts where they spend the hours between 10:30AM to 8 PM every Sunday in their man caves. And what do they do in their man caves every Sunday making ape noises at the T.V.? We all know the answer, so let's say it together, "NFL". It's the sacred day for all men to beef up their Fantasy Football teams and get their head straight for the week. Well ladies, yours truly is one of those bears hibernating out in that den. After growing up in a male dominated family, it's hard to choose Barbies and Blossom over pigskins and ESPN. I got used to the phrase "Are You Ready For Some Football?" and now it's your turn to do the same (while still keeping your feminine sensibilities of course). I want to share a few basics about the game with you so that everyone is on the same page (and for those of you who have already mastered the basics, well, then stay tuned for future, more advanced posts and chime in with any color commentary that you seem fit):

1. The Field: The playing field is 100 yards long. On each end of the playing field is an "end zone" which extends ten yards so the total field is 120 yards. At the very back of each end zone is a "goal post" and the intersection of the end zone and the playing field is called the goal line. You still with me? :::sipping morning iced, nonfat mocha:::: Ok, the yardage from the goal line is marked at ten-yard intervals, up to the 50-yard line, which is in the center of the field, and after reaching the 50-yard line, the yardage markers start to descend (40, 30, 20, 10) every ten yards until they reach the opposite goal line.

2. The Teams: Each team is allowed 11 men on the field at a time. Any more than 11 could result in a penalty. Each team is comprised of an offense, defense, and special teams (which is the unit for kickoffs, kick returns, punts, extra points, field goals, etc).

3. Object Of The Game: (i.e. what are those large men running around on the field trying to accomplish?: outscore the opponent (duh) by advancing the football into their end zone for as many touchdowns as possible while holding them to as few as possible. There are other ways of scoring, but a touchdown (worth 6 points) is usually the prime objective.

4. Beginning The Game: (i.e. what's happening from the opening kickoff?): Before each game begins, the captains from each team and the referee meet at the center of the field for the coin toss. The winner of the coin toss has the option of starting the game by kicking the ball to the other team or receiving the kickoff from the other team. The game is officially "underway" when one team team kicks off to the opponent. That initial play ends when the player with the ball is knocked to the ground (tackled), or makes it all the way to the kicking team's end zone (touchdown / uproar / loud noises). The spot where the kick returner was tackled becomes the "line of scrimmage" (which is a term for the place where the ball is spotted before a play is run)

5. Downs and Distance: Alright gals, now this is the biggest key to understanding the game. Basically, a "down" is a play. From the time the ball is snapped (or put into play), to the time the play is over (indicated by a whistle by the official) = one "down". A team's offense is given four downs (i.e. plays) to move ten yards toward the opponent's end zone. Now, distance is the number of yards a team needs in order to get a new set of four downs. If that team makes the ten yards needed within four downs, then they are given a new set of downs and voila, the cycle starts again. This is called getting a "first down".

However, if they don't make the required ten yards, the other team's offense "takes possession of the ball" and tries to score. OR, that team can elect to "go for it" on fourth down and try to pick up the remaining yardage, but they run the risk of turning the ball over to the other team if they do not get to the first down marker...very risque. OR (and this happens the majority of the time) teams will elect to "punt" the ball away on fourth down. OR, another option is to kick a field goal (3 points, which is totally acceptable, but not as fantastical as a touchdown).

I know this may be a bit of information overload, but if you have any questions at all, feel free to post...