32mins 4-0

[lilley91]

im with you on that one completey Cobra, and i dont think that american football really has that much in the way of tactics, if at all.

if you look at a game like cricket, and im probably going to get killed for saying this but ill say it anyway.

it is a much slower game, and therefore tactics can some into it a whole lot more, for example, when to play which bowlers, and where to put your fielders, it tkes a whole lot more tactics than most people would think, and a lot of the wickets are taken because of the exceptional tactics that are used.  Shane Warne, is probably the most tactical man in the game, and he has more tactics than any american football player IMO

james

[beefhole]

im with you on that one completey Cobra, and i dont think that american football really has that much in the way of tactics, if at all.

For those who don't understand, (read: the Brits on this board minus Craig ) I'll do my very best to help ya out a little bit.

Every single player in American football has an exact job to do every second of every down of every game.  There is not a single player-and I mean not one-on that field who can do his job without each of the other ten guys on the field to support him.  This is not true of any other sport.  

It doesn't matter how good your QB is if you don't have the line to block him, the wide recievers to catch his passes or an adequate running back to keep pressure off of him.  

Doesn't matter how good your Wide recievers are if they don't have the QB to throw to them.  

Doesn't matter how good your running back is if he doesn't have the wide recievers and QB to take pressure off of him and the line to block for him.  

Doesn't matter how good your line is if the rest of the team is unable to take advantage of their protection.

Every single play is painstakingly engineered, and each and every player has a specific job that helps to fulfill the overall goal of the play and support the primary recievers/running backs.

Football sports the most complex offensive and defensive strategies you'll ever see, which alone speaks volumes.

Football also has, in my opinion, the best scoring system-after watching the game for years, someone who really thinks on a deep level will realise the brilliance of the point allocations. (2-safety, 3-field goal, 6-TD (1 XP))

Also, people who play football (and basketball) tend to be excellent (pro-level) at other sports, the same of which cannot be said for cricket or (english) football players.  This is not because Americans are naturally better at everything (that's a discussion for another time!) but because of the way football players build themselves-to be good at multiple things.  A wide reciever has to be extremely fast, strong, precise, and possess a near super-human catching ability.  A QB has to be able to throw the ball for both distance and accuracy, be strong, and preferably fast.  Running backs are perhaps the greatest athletes-they need to be fast, agile, strong, focused, have a high endurance and preferably an excellent catching ability close to that of a wide recievers.

This post isn't meant to convert but to enlighten.  Please tell me I didn't just waste seven minutes of my life.

[Cobra]

bah my attention span is way to short to get beyond the 2nd line, sorry!!  ;D

I'll just agree to disagree with you and leave it there

[Craig.]

Or to put it simply. The wrist band on a QB's wrist has roughly 50 to 100 plays on it. He will be given a choice of those during a game, they are usually only given names and numbers no descriptions. He has to remember the exact details of each and every one of those plays, he has to choose one based on the defense he see's and he has to do all that in about 10 to 15 seconds tops.
This is all after his coach has given him a play from a playbook containing in some teams cases upwards of 400 plays. Again given a basic name, so he has to remember the whole darn thing. This is just one player and the very basics of his job. Add in the fact he has to spend hours a day watching highlights of the team he's facing and their defense, he has to know what they do when they do it, and where the weak points are. Then he has to pick those all up and exploit them in the game.
If you really want to get into the real details of the game, Richie or Bman are your best bet, these guys will be able to tell you everything from a players specific assignment, to which blade of grass was cut first at the 3rd superbowl:)

[Craig.]

[quote]bah my attention span is way to short to get beyond the 2nd line, sorry!!

[Tweek]

I have no idea what you're talking about!

Would you like me to explain the offside rule?

Actually, I tried that before... it ended up where we started

[Craig.]

the offside rule is easy, people just make explaining it complicated.

[machineman9]

isnt it were the the most forward attacker is infront of the other teams defender who is closest to the goals. me hates football and just tackles everyone cos i can  ;D

[Tweek]

isnt it were the the most forward attacker is infront of the other teams defender who is closest to the goals.

You're on the right lines, but there's much more to it... that I'm not going to explain!

[lilley91]

well, if you are just watching a match on the TV, the you only need to know how to spot if someone is off-side and there isnt that much to it really

from what i know, and corect me if im wrong
If the farthest forward player is infront of the non-keeper player when the ball is kicked, and the linesan has to be able to see daylight between the two players, the it is offside, and the free kick goes to the other team on the spot where the player was offside.

cheers
james

[Tweek]

and the linesan has to be able to see daylight between the two players

Nope. Even being half a body's length in front gives and advantage, so therefore it counts as offside... even an inch infront of the defender. An inch would be hard to spot, though, and would be given as onside.

[MWISimmer]

A simplified offside rule:
If there are 2 or more opposition players between the attacker and the goal when the ball is passed (forward) - ONSIDE.
If there is 1 or none - OFFSIDE.
You cannot be offside in your own half, if the ball is passed backwards or from a throw-in.
Rob.