Football Rules!!!

These are the official rules of Football.

RULES OF FOOTBALL

The game begins with a coin-flip to determine which team will begin the game on offense. The team that will begin on defense kicks off to the other team. A player on the offense tries to catch or retrieve the ball and run as far up the field as possible until he is tackled. (If the ball goes into the end zone, the team can take the ball at the 20 yard line instead of running it back; this is called a touchback.)

The offense then has four downs in which to move the ball at least 10 yards downfield from the original line of scrimmage. They can move the ball downfield by running with the ball or by passing, but not by kicking.

If they succeed, they are said to have made a first down, and then they have another four downs to try to move another 10 yards. They can take as much time as they want (until the clock runs out), as long as they keep moving 10 yards in four downs or less.

If the offense fails to move the ball at least 10 yards in four downs, the opposing team takes possession of the ball at that point.

More often, though, if the offense has completed three downs and is not close to making the first down, it will use its fourth down to kick the ball. There are two kinds of kicks the offense may do at that point:

If they are close to the opponent’s goal line (within 40 yards or so), they may attempt a field goal. In a field goal, a player holds the ball upright on the ground, and the kicker place-kicks the ball from the ground toward the goal posts. If the ball goes between the uprights and above the crossbar of the goal post, the field goal is ruled "good" and the offense scores three points. If the ball is farther away from the goal line, the offense may punt the ball. In a punt, the ball is hiked to the kicker who catches it, then drops it towards his foot and kicks it before it hits the ground. The opposing team will catch or recover the ball and attempt to run it back upfield. The goal of the punt is to move the ball as far downfield as possible. While a field goal is an attempt to score points, a punt is a way to surrender possession of the ball to the other team.

Scoring: The object of the game is to move the ball toward your opponent’s goal line and score points. There are 4 ways of scoring points in football:

Scoring a touchdown, in which the team on offense moves the ball over the opponent’s goal line, either by running or by completing a pass. A touchdown is worth 6 points. The Extra Point, or Point-After-Touchdown (two names for the same thing). If a team scores a touchdown, they take the ball at the two yard line and have the choice of either place-kicking the ball over the goal post (like a field goal) or moving the ball over the goal line (like a touchdown) in one play. If they make the kick, the extra point is worth 1 point. If they move the ball over the goal line, the extra point is worth 2 points. Kicking a field goal, as described above, for 3 points. A Safety, in which the team on defense tackles the offensive player with the ball behind his own goal line. A safety is the only way the defense can score points without taking possession of the ball, and is relatively uncommon. A safety is worth 2 points.

Turnovers: It is possible for the defense to take control of the ball during a play, and to score points if possible. If a runner fumbles the ball before he is tackled to the ground, any player on the field can pick it up and run with it. Also, if the offensive team attempts a pass but a player on the defensive team catches the ball, it is called an interception; the defensive player with the ball is entitled to run with it.

In either case, the defensive player with the ball can run with it and try to score a touchdown. If he does not score a touchdown, his team becomes the offense on the next play, and will bring out its offensive squad.

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