Portal:American football
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American football portalAmerican football is a popular sport in the United States. A descendant of rugby football and closely related to the Canadian version, the game took its modern form in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the many innovations and rule changes instituted by Walter Camp. The game is played between two teams of eleven players each. The offensive team is in possession of the ball and attempts to score by moving the ball towards their opponent's goal area, called the end zone. The other team, or defense, attempts to prevent the offense from scoring and take the ball from them. American football is not a continuous-action sport, instead action takes place in short engagements called downs. Before the beginning of a down, the two teams line up on opposite sides of the ball, separated from each other by the line of scrimmage. The ball is put into play by "snapping" the ball, which begins the down. During play, the offense may choose to do four things with it:
Play stops, and the down is over, when any of the following occur:
The offense is given four downs to advance the ball a minimum of ten yards; doing so gets them another four downs. If they fail to advance the ball at least ten yards in any four-down series, they forfeit control of the ball to the defense, and the two teams switch roles. The defense may also gain control of the ball by taking it from the offense, either by recovering a fumble or catching a forward pass themselves, called an interception, or if the offense chooses to punt the ball. After a score, the team on offense sends the ball to the defense via a kickoff. To aid in the placement of the ball between downs, and to judge how far the offense has advanced the ball, the field itself is marked by a grid of yard lines. Major lines run the width of the field every five yards, with "hash marks" at one-yard intervals between them. This pattern resembles a cooking grille, or "gridiron", which leads to the sport being referred to as gridiron football, especially in countries where soccer is the dominant form of football. There are several methods of scoring in American football:
American football allows free substitution, where any player may enter or leave the game at any stoppage in play, which in football are frequent. This allows a practice known as "platooning", whereby separate groups of players play on defense, offense, and "special teams". Players usually play in only one of the many highy specialized positions on the field. Organized leagues exist for American football. Youth leagues, such as Pop Warner Little Scholars, manage the sport for children. At the high school level, the sport is organized by state level high school sports associations, coordinated nationally by the National Federation of State High School Associations. The National Collegiate Athletic Association is the largest university-level sports association, and the highest level of college football is played by the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision. Professionally, the 32-member National Football League is the highest level of American football. The NFL championship game, known as the Super Bowl, is annually the most-watched televised sporting event in the U.S. edit
Selected teamCard-Pitt was the name for the team created by the temporary merger of two National Football League (NFL) teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Cardinals, during the 1944 season. The teams were forced to merge, because both had lost many players to World War II military service. After the season, the merger was dissolved and with the war over by the start of the following season, traditional operations resumed for both teams. Together, the two teams did poorly as the combined team finished with a 0–10 record in the Western Division. Sportswriters called the team the "Car-Pitts" (carpets). Previously in 1943, the Steelers had combined with the Philadelphia Eagles as the "Steagles". Sixty-five years after merging for a season, the Steelers and Cardinals (now based in Arizona) met in Super Bowl XLIII. edit
Selected coachWilliam Ernest "Bill" Walsh (November 30, 1931 – July 30, 2007) was a head coach for the San Francisco 49ers and Stanford Cardinal football team, during which time he popularized the West Coast offense. Walsh went 102–63–1 with the 49ers, winning ten of his 14 postseason games along with six division titles, three NFC Championship titles, and three Super Bowls. He was named the NFL's Coach of the Year in 1981 and 1984. In 1993, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. edit
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Edward Earl Reed Jr. (born September 11, 1978) is an American football free safety for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens 24th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami. In his career, Reed has been selected to seven Pro Bowls, was the 2004 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and has the NFL record for the two longest interception returns (106 yards in 2004 and 108 yards in 2008 ). He is considered one of the most dominant safeties currently playing in the NFL and is often referred to as a "ball hawk." Since entering the league, Reed has been known to study film to memorize opposing teams' tendencies and his habit of baiting quarterbacks into throwing interceptions has also earned him recognition throughout the league. edit
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Selected game or playGhost to the Post is a significant play in NFL history. It refers specifically to a 42-yard pass from Ken Stabler to Dave Casper, nicknamed "The Ghost" after the cartoon character, that set up a game tying field goal in the final seconds of a double-overtime playoff game played between Casper's Oakland Raiders and the then-Baltimore Colts on December 24, 1977. Casper also caught the last pass of the game, a 10-yard touchdown pass. The game is currently the fourth-longest in NFL history, and has become synonymous with the play that made it famous. edit
Selected termAn automatic first down is one in which a severe penalty is assessed against the defensive team, even if the penalty does not advance the ball beyond the point needed for a first down. In the NFL and NCAA, the fouls include pass interference and all personal fouls. Under NFHS (High School) rules only roughing the snapper, holder, kicker, or passer and forward pass interference by the defense are penalized with an automatic first down. edit
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