Mathematics Matters Everday | Football Facts
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This page will discuss several attributes of the football game. Some of the concepts that will be covered on this page are the football field schematics, the games ball, athlete positions, and how points are scored on the field.
How the American Football game is played
The American football game is the most watched sport on Sunday and Monday nights. It is a game about gaining yardage as much as it is scoring points. Two teams occupy the field in the attempt to gain as much yardage on the opposing team. The teams face each other while the ball is in play. The team that has possession of the ball strives to gain as much ground in order to score a touchdown or field goal. The opposing team strives to hold the team back as much as possible.
An NFL (National Football League) game is divided into four quarters with an extended halftime break between quarters two and three. Each quarter is 15 minutes long. If the teams are tied at the end of the fourth quarter, they will play an extra 15 minutes called overtime. In overtime, the first team to score will be the team that wins. Although the four quarters add up to a total of one hour, a game of football normally takes about three to four hours to play. The game clock is stopped by an athlete running the play out of bounds, throwing an incomplete pass, calling a time-out, and at the two minute warning prior to the end of the second and fourth quarter.
Football is a game of inches played on a field measured in yards. A team is successful based on how may yards they can accumulate or allow. An official NFL (National Football League) football field is a rectangle that is 120 yards long and 53 yards and 1 foot wide. Most fields are coated in a grass setting in an outdoor stadium. Some have an artificial turf to reduce athletic injury, but most fields with the artificial turf are found in indoor stadiums. The following diagram depicts the common football field.
Sideline- is a 6-foot-wide borderline that runs on each side of the field. The sideline is depicted in white on diagram shown above.
End Zone- the end zones are two 10-yard-wide areas at each end of the field inside the end line. This is where a touchdown can be scored.
Goal Line- The goal line is an 8-inch-wide line that runs across the front of the end zone. Two pylons flank the end of the goal line.
Yard lines and hash marks- In the 100 yards between goal line, hash marks on either side of the field mark each yard. At every fifth yard, a solid white line runs from sideline to sideline, and at every 10 yards those line are numbered. This crosshatch of lines gives the field its “gridiron” nickname.Goalposts- Centered in the back of the end zone is a pole that extends 10 feet high and connects with a horizontal cross bar. On each end of the 18-foot, 6-inch cross bar is an upright post that rises to a height of 30 feet above the ground. A 4-inch by 42-inch ribbon is tied to the top of each upright.
The most vital piece of equipment in the game is the ball. The official NFL footballs are handmade by Wilson Sporting Goods Co. The football is an oblong sphere and is 11 to 11.5 inches long. It has a lengthwise circumference of about 28.5 inches and a width-wise circumference of about 21.5 inches in the middle of the ball. It weighs between 14 and 15 ounces. The ball consists of an inflated, polyurethane bladder placed in cowhide covering and laced with grid cord material. A valve connected to the bladder protrudes through the leather and allows air to be pumped into the ball.
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A football teams composed of no more that 53 player on a team. Eleven player of each team is allowed on the field at a time. Every team consists of three unique parts called the offense, defense, and special teams of which are strategically positioned with a set of unique skills.
The offensive team is in charge of running/moving the ball towards the opposing teams end zone. To accomplish their task, they must throw or run the ball forward. The following are the positions for the offensive team:
A quarterback (QB) is the player or team captain who throws the ball to the receivers or hands it to the running backs.
The offensive linemen provide cover or blocking for the quarter or running backs. The linemen positions include the center (C), guards (LG/RG) who flank the center, and the tackles (LT/RT) who are positioned on the outside of each guard.
Receivers are the players with the most speed. Because of their talent, they are the players who run down the field and catch a pass thrown by the quarterback. Receivers are either wide receivers (WR) or tight ends (LTE/RTE).
Running backs usually are athletes who have a substantial amount of speed, and a solid amount of strength. They take the ball from the quarterback and run up the field. A running back may be called a tailback (TB), half-back (HB), or fullback (FB) depending on their positioning.
The offensive team has possession of the ball located at right of the line of scrimmage, and the defensive team is left of the line of scrimmage.
The defensive team never has possession of the ball. Its primary objective is to prevent the opposing team from moving forward and scoring. The allowed approach is to tackle the offensive player who has the ball during a play. Although the defensive team never has possession of the ball, it can steal the ball by an interception or fumble. The following are the positions for the defensive team:
Defensive linemen put pressure on the opposing teams quarterback, by trying to tackle him before he releases the ball. They are also useful to stop running backs. Defensive linemen may include the ends (LE/RE) on the outside, nose tackle (NT) that lines up over the football, and the tack (LDT/RDT) which lines up across from a guard.
Linebackers are four linemen, which include a middle linebacker (MLB) and the two outside linebackers (OLB).
Cornerbacks (CB) prevent the receivers from catching the ball.
Safeties play far behind the rest of the defense to prevent a long pass or run. Safeties include the strong safety (SS), and the free safety (FS).
Special teams are used if the ball has to be kicked in a punt or a field goal attempt. The following are the positions for the special team:
A place kicker is the athlete who kicks the ball through the goalposts, and kicks the ball to the opposing team at the start of each game or after each scoring possession.
Punters free kick the ball if his team cannot advance on the fourth down.
A returner tries to catch the ball and return it as far as he can. This player is allowed to score a touchdown on a return.
How to make points in the game of football
Officials use a coin toss to determine which team takes possession of the ball first. A team’s offensive team is playing the ball when they are said to have possession of the ball. A team can take possession of the ball through five different methods. They can take possession through a receiving kickoff, turnover, safety, punt, or turnover on downs.
A unique system of American football is the down-and-distance system. When a team has possession of the ball, they are given four downs/attempts to move the ball 10 yards or more. If the team is successful the team receives an additional four downs/attempts to move the ball 10 yards. If the team is not able to move the ball 10 yards, they have the choice to punt the ball (as a way to push the opposing team as far as possible) or go for the first down. If the team is not successful gaining 10 yards on the fourth down, they will give up possession of the ball to the opposing team where they last had possession.
Officials determine how many yards are gained or lost after each play. They determine this by the distance gained or lost from the line of scrimmage. After each play the official places the ball where the play last ended. This place is where the line of scrimmage is placed, which is an imaginary line where the beginning of each play is started. Team official handles a 10-yard long chain that marks the exact measurement each team must move the ball to gain another first down.
All of this fussing to push the ball over the opponent’s goal line or over the end zone to score a touchdown. Scoring a touchdown is one of the five ways a team can score points. A team can kick a field goal for an extra point or attempt to run or pass the ball into the end zone for a two- point conversion. The following chart is description of how a team can score points, and the amount of points each method gives.
Method |
Description |
Points |
Touchdown (TD) |
A ball is carried into an opponent's end zone or caught in the end zone. |
6 points |
Extra point |
A ball is kicked through the uprights of the opponent's goalpost after a touchdown. |
1 points |
2-point conversion |
A ball is carried into an opponent's end zone or caught in the end zone. |
2 points |
Field goal |
A ball is kicked through the uprights of the opponent's goalpost. |
3 points |
Safety |
A player tackles an opposing player in the opposing player's own end zone. |
2 points |
