Questions tagged [american-football]
Questions about the sport of American football. This should not be confused with the [football] tag, which only applies to the sport called "soccer" in most of North America.
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Is there any video of this (or any) successful fair catch kick?
According to Wikipedia, the last successful fair catch kick in the NFL was made in 1976 by Ray Wersching. Is there any video of this (or any) successful fair catch kick?
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Division Tie Breaker - Common Games
I understand the common games tie breaker between division teams but what if Team A has played Team C twice (one loss, one win) and Team B has played Team C only once and won?
Would Team A's pct = ....
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NCAA Football 1 Point [duplicate]
I heard that is possible to get 1 point in an NCAA football game. Can someone explain how that is possible? I believe it is called the "One Point Safety".
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What does an NFL salary cap department do?
I sometimes hear about NFL GMs being "cap experts" rather than player-evaluators. And I just saw this headline: "John Idzik joining Jags as consultant". The article goes on to say, "Idzik, who was ...
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Do NFL or college football coaches make up plays during the game?
Some sports are sufficiently dynamic and with few enough players that coaches make up plays during the game. But American football seems sufficiently complicated I would imagine it's hard to do that ...
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What's the point of a half-point line?
In football betting, a "line" is provided by which the favorite team needs to win, in order for bettors to win that game.
Sometimes the line is x.5 points. If it's impossible to gain half-points in ...
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Scoring an American Football Game?
Is there an analog to baseball's scorecard for football?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_scorekeeping
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Placing a Player on IR in the NFL
What is the purpose of placing a player on Injured Reserve in the NFL? My understanding was that you could hold an injured player out of a game and dress someone else in their place regardless of ...
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What are the reasons/benefits to continue with the conference structure in NFL?
Outside of history, what are the reasons/benefits to continue with the conference structure in NFL? Under the current structure, it is impossible for there to be a Superbowl between the two best teams ...
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How does the RB know when to grasp the ball on a read option and when the QB is selling the fake?
In American football, on read-option plays, how does the RB know when to fully grasp the ball and when not to because the QB "pulls" the ball?
Commentators praise the QB on plays where he sticks the ...
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What prevents a player/team from agreeing to a long-term contract after the franchise tag deadline?
This afternoon is the NFL franchise tag deadline. I keep hearing radio hosts talking about it as the deadline to sign a long-term deal. However, I was under the impression that once this deadline ...
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Which of these sports requires a definite winner and loser?
From what I can see, the following sports require that there has to be a winner/loser (draws aren't possible due to some continuation rule that leads to a winning result):
Basketball
Baseball
...
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Running After Being Knocked Off Feet in the NFL
In what year(s) in the NFL was the runner allowed to get up and run after being knocked off his feet, as long as they weren't tackled and held down? From memory, it only lasted 1 or 2 years because it ...
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How to adjust to practicing with a junior varsity and varsity football team?
I'm a freshman in high school going into sophomore year. I played on the freshman team this year and now it's onto JV. JV and Varsity practice together, so I will be with the varsity players also.
I ...
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Can an offensive lineman catch a lateral in high school football?
In high school football, can an offensive lineman legally catch a lateral pass? Does it make any difference if a receiver is covering him from the snap?
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How can you toughen up your foot for barefoot kicking?
I'm a mom of a 13-year-old boy.
He loves football. (Me, not so much. No dad.) So after football season was over, he and his buddies were at school playing football, and my son was kicking the ball. ...
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Ring of honor, pride of the lions in NFL
I heard that Ray Lewis will be inducted in the Ring of honor. Do all NFL teams have their own version of this ring of honor?
Besides special recognition, is there any other special rites as a member ...
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What is the greatest number of field goals in an NFL game without any other scoring?
On 2022-10-06, the Colts defeated the Broncos 12-9 with all the scoring being via 7 field goals. Is this the greatest number of field goals in an NFL game without there being any other form of scoring?...
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Is recruiting rating a strong indicator of pro career trajectory?
I saw the following graphic:
Is there any data that correlates 5-star recruits to pro career trajectory? How accurate is the recruiting rating system among the recruiting services (eg, 247sports, ...
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Highest combined passer rating [closed]
Following last night's game between the Giants and Saints, where Drew Brees had a passer rating of 140.5 and Eli Manning had 138.2, does anyone know if there has been an NFL game where the combined ...
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Why do american commentators call the ball "the football"?
Listening to commentators on NFL games, it seems that all of them systematically call the ball "the football", and not just "the ball".
Why is that the case? In Rugby or Soccer (at least in my ...
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Why is the ball moved back during a field goal attempt?
Why isn't the football placed at the last yard line where it was if a field goal is attempted? In the Eagles/Bears playoff game on 6 January 2019, the ball was run to the 11 yard line. Then they ...
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How many yards is 3rd and Long?
An NFL announcer will say "3rd and long" when a team is about to start a 3rd down play and they are in the vicinity of 10 yards to go.
But what is the cutoff? What makes it 3rd and short to ...
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How is a Quarterback's passer rating calculated in the NFL?
In the NFL, all of the stats like YPG, and average fantasy points are calculated somehow.
How is a passer's rating calculated?
Does it have something to do with the average yards gained per completion,...
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Have any players ever won an NCAA football championship with two different teams?
Are there any players who have won an NCAA football championship while playing for two different teams?
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In American football, which team is on offense first?
Is it guaranteed to be the home team or the away team, or is it decided randomly?
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NFL rules question (completed pass)
If I catch a pass while jumping next to my sideline and land with one foot in and then step out of bounds, in the NFL, that's not a complete pass.
But what if I catch it on the one foot and then hop a ...
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Is an infinite game possible?
Suppose that, in a football game, for whatever reason, one team wanted to prolong the game indefinitely and never reach an end.
Now, suppose they had the ball, say on the 25 yard line, then they would ...
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Is the field goal good?
During a field goal, if the ball hits the ground and bounces through the uprights and above the crossbar, is it still good despite hitting the ground first?
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Why do teams leave ~4 seconds for a field goal attempt
In the NFL, it is common for teams to leave about 4 seconds on the game clock before taking a timeout, or spiking the ball, when going for an end-of-half field goal attempt. Why do they do this?
I ...
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When did the NFL move the stanchion out of the end zone?
I was just watching a clip of Bart Starr's game-winning quarterback sneak in the Ice Bowl. One thing I noticed is that the goal post stanchion is inside the end zone, not behind the end zone as it is ...
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Can a quarterback pass the football even if he is running forward and gaining yards?
At school, we were playing football and I was quarterback. I'm not really good at football so I took off, and then I threw it while running.
They said it didn't count but I think it does. Can the ...
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What happens if a team returns a blocked extra point a long way, but not all the way to the end zone?
Suppose a team blocks an extra point. I realize that if the defense returns the ball to the end zone, it counts as a two-point score. However, what if the defense returns the ball to, say, the ...
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Why weren't the Eagles penalized for illegal touching on this quick kick in 1986?
In this video you can see the Eagles punting the ball away on 2nd down and 40. Randall Cunningham punts the ball into the back of one of his offensive linemen and the ball pops up in the air but ...
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Different uniform/jersey for same team in American-Football
I heard that two different jerseys are used for offense and defense in american-football.
Is it so?
If yes,
What is the reason for that?
I saw in the normal football matches that the goal-keeper ...
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Why is it a considered a passing touchdown in cases when the receiver gains most of the yards?
I don't understand why it is considered a passing touchdown that accrues to the QB's stats, in cases when the receiver gains most of the yards. Consider a 5 yard pass where the receiver then runs 90 ...
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Does the coin have to flip in NFL rules?
In a 2016 NFL playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and the Arizona Cardinals, the game went to overtime. On the overtime coin flip, the referee threw the coin in the air and it didn't flip. The ...
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Why do most coaches save key defensive resources till the end of the game?
This question could be asked of a number of sports, but the example I'm using comes from football.
Yesterday, during the wild card round, the New Orleans Saints called a time out early in the second ...
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Is the reception completed if a receiver gets one foot in bounds and then he steps on his own foot instead of getting the other foot down?
As the title explains, if the receiver gets one foot down, then he steps on his own foot and gets out of bounds, is it considered a valid catch or no?
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NFL Team Lose on Purpose for Draft Pick
How does the NFL prevent a team on the last week of the season to losing on purpose ensuring a #1 draft pick for the following year?
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In American football can it not be "Illegal use of hands" on the ball carrier?
It's fairly common that the defense is called for an:
"Illegal use of hands - Hands to the face".
But, I've seen it a couple of time now, when the ball carrier (offence) does the same thing ...
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What are the 2 nfl teams that played each other the least and the most?
What are the 2 nfl teams that played each other the least and the most?
P.S. This is between two teams that exist right now not defunct teams
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Is it a touchdown if the receiver puts a knee out of bounds before the second foot in bounds?
Is this considered a touchdown - attempting a catch, the receiver gets one foot touched down in bounds, then the knee touches the ground out of bounds, then the second foot touches in bounds?
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How does a player re-establish position infield?
So in the NFL if a player goes out of bounds on a play he must "re-establish position" inbounds before he can touch the ball. How or what does re-establishing position entail?
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Why are the Cowboys known as "America's team"?
Considering that there have been plenty of more successful teams both in football (NE Patriots - 6 SB wins) and in American sports in general (GS Warriors, LA Lakers, NY Yankees, etc.) in the past two ...
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Which players have played against one team three times during one regular season?
In 2018, Golden Tate played against the Cowboys as a member of the Lions in Week 7. He will play against the Cowboys as a member of the Eagles in Weeks 10 and 14.
Which players have played against ...
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Is it legal to ice your own kicker?
In the NFL a Coach can call a timeout right before the kicker kicks the ball in order to affect the kicker's chance of succeeding. In many cases, the kicker will take the kick twice, once right after ...
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How are NFL division titles determined when a team has best record within division, but not in overall games?
Can a NFL team win their division games and have the best record for games within the division, however not have the best overall record, and be the division champion?
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How can NFL legally suspend players for off field actions
Inspired by the deflate gate and Ezekiel Elliott's now halted suspension, I'm wondering how the NFL can legally suspend players for off the field behaviours. Are there clauses in the contracts and CBA ...
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Is the receiving team more likely to win a overtime?
As I learned, one part of the overtime rules is:
If the receiving team scores a touchdown on the first drive, said team will win.
It sounds unfair to me, as it's likely that both teams could do ...