Thread: The Superbowl

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  1. #1
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    The Superbowl

    I live in Australia so I pretty know nothing about American football. But one boring day I stumpled upon a game on tv and found it pretty interesting and kinda picked up on a few things. (although didn't understand much, nore any of the lingo) Anyway I hear that the superbowl is close and would like to know when it is on cause I would like to tune in.

    If you would like to explain some other rules of the game to me that would be great aswell!
    Last edited by Abusetheweak; 2011-02-05 at 08:51 AM.

  2. #2
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    No idea if it airs on Australian TV, America did show already how retarded it is by shutting down the DNS server for 3-4 international internet streamers (legal) in Europe.
    Fuck I hate big events like this, not to mention America having 12/13 DNS servers on their soil

  3. #3
    The Patient JustTed's Avatar
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    The Super Bowl will air on Sunday, February 6 at 6:30 EST. Hmm, I wish I could say that after watching football for years with my dad, and now, forcing my husband to watch it with me as well, that I would know more about the rules of the game. However I can give you some very basics.

    Refs: When they're down in the end zones with their arms raised like the goal posts, that means touch down. If they're on the sideline, and a player makes a catch, if they do this motion where they bring the their fists down to their chests, it means that the ball was caught inbounds. I believe they'll stand where the ball will be marked at as well. If the ref puts their hand to their face and pulls down during a penalty, it's a face mask (personal foul) penalty.

    With penalties, there's normally added or subtracted yardage involved. Sometimes, coaches will decline accepting the penalty, if the play ended up going better than what the penalty yardage would give. Normally, you will see some players who see the penalty markers (yellow flags) kinda stop playing, however, the quarterbacks view these as free plays and will tend to go ahead and try to make something happen. A lot of the time, the penalties are holding, face mask, and offsides. I know there are other penalties like roughing the passer, and I'm pretty sure, that happens whenever a defensive player (or offensive player) has their hands in the area of where the ball is coming or forcing the other player into missteps, but that penalized player hasn't actually looked around for the ball. They're viewing the actions of who they're covering to determine where the ball is and to try and knock it out before the catch or to force the player to miss the catch, etc.

    Umm, this website has some good insight on the game in general http://www.nfl.com/rulebook. I don't think I've done a great job explaining anything, and for that, I'm sorry.
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  4. #4
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    sounds like 10am on monday for me. I should be able to get it with Foxtel.

    And do they have to get the ball on the play over 10 yards or it gets redone? If so how many attempts do they get at that.

  5. #5
    They have 3 attempts to advance 10 yards, which is renewed everytime they succeed to do so

  6. #6
    American Football is a USA thing only, it doesn't excist in Europe/Asia ...95% of the world doesn't know any NFL Team/Player.

  7. #7
    The Patient JustTed's Avatar
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    They can attempt getting the yardage needed on 4th downs, but usually, it's not prudent to do so.
    This passion is a plagiarism.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Lori View Post
    American Football is a USA thing only, it doesn't excist in Europe/Asia ...95% of the world doesn't know any NFL Team/Player.
    I woundn't say so. Football is not as popular as soccer in Europe, but also well known here.

  9. #9
    Also, if you've been completely uninterested in American Football until now, you may be in for a long treat.. there is sooo much tactic / strategy, which involves commercial breaks on the TV.. Actual time spent playing is like 25 % from the games I have watched.... But who knows, you might get hooked

  10. #10
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    haha yeah, I know some eagles team and a quarterback named Vicks. Thats all I remember about team/players

    I actually played it for one term at school. Basically our teacher had no idea so it was basically tackle each other and tackle hard we had the setup and all for the plays but thats about it.

  11. #11
    For australia its on 1HD @ 6am perth time/9am AEST game doesnt start till 10am/1pm AEST however. Also telecast on 10 @ 10am/1pm. i started watching 5 years ago, first game i saw was new orleans V minnesota, new orleans won and ive supported them since. its a fairly strategic game once u get used to the slowness, unlike aussie footy(which is still better)

  12. #12
    appearntly according to an article i read Denmark is the country who shows the most american football after the US itself... and i find it boring as hell... its so... fragmented, theres almost no pace in this game

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Lori View Post
    American Football is a USA thing only, it doesn't excist in Europe/Asia ...95% of the world doesn't know any NFL Team/Player.
    That. is entirely untrue. please dont speak as if you speak for everyone.

    I myself have played in 2 UK teams for American football. there was a large governing body called the BAFL until recently, there is several leagues for it in the UK alone, I also know 2 swe friends who play.

    infact, a quick list of some of the UK teams..

    BAFL Division 1

    Division 1 comprised nineteen teams split into three regional conferences. As well as the teams relegated from the Premier Division, this included seven teams promoted from Division Two.


    Division 1 North Division 1 South-East Division 1 South-West

    * Dundee Hurricanes
    * East Kilbride Pirates
    * Gateshead Senators
    * Merseyside Nighthawks
    * Doncaster Mustangs
    * West Coast Trojans
    * Yorkshire Rams



    * Cambridgeshire Cats
    * Ipswich Cardinals
    * Kent Exiles
    * London Cobras
    * Norwich Devils
    * Peterborough Saxons



    * Birmingham Bulls
    * Nottingham Caesars
    * Oxford Saints
    * Redditch Arrows
    * South Wales Warriors
    * Tamworth Phoenix

    BAFL Division 2

    Division 2 comprised 26 teams split into six regional conferences. This included the three new teams accepted as associate members, plus the London Olympians who were re-admitted to this division.

    Division 2 Scottish Division 2 North Division 2 Central Division 2 East Division 2 South East Division 2 South West

    * Clyde Valley Blackhawks
    * Edinburgh Wolves
    * Glasgow Tigers
    * Highland Wildcats



    * Chester Romans
    * Hull Hornets
    * Lancashire Wolverines
    * Manchester Titans



    * Leicester Falcons
    * Lincolnshire Bombers
    * Shropshire Revolution
    * Staffordshire Surge



    * Bedfordshire Blue Raiders
    * Colchester Gladiators
    * Milton Keynes City Pathfinders
    * Watford Cheetahs



    * East Kent Mavericks
    * Essex Spartans
    * London Olympians
    * Maidstone Pumas



    * Berkshire Renegades
    * Cornish Sharks
    * Gloucester Banshees
    * Hampshire Thrashers
    * Plymouth Admirals


    In summary, Dont assume you speak for everyone. I for one will be hitting up a superbowl party on sunday night, and have monday booked off to recover! go steelers! (I'm a Giants fan, but hey, anythings better then the pack!)

  14. #14
    The Patient JustTed's Avatar
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    The teams going to the Super Bowl this year are the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

    @Abusetheweak: Vick made big headlines this year more for his off-field cruelties towards animals vs. the fact that he's a very good quarterback (QB). He did a couple months in prison, and came back as a starting QB this year, after the Eagles starter got hurt (concussion?). He's had an excellent year, and his continued devotion to speaking to at risk youths about dog fighting, I think is pretty admirable.

    Both of the teams in this Super Bowl are going to tackle each other and tackle hard. Both QBs are going to be sacked, and I'm betting whoever can get up and make the plays after being sacked on the last play, will be the team that will end up winning. Aaron Rodgers (Packers QB) is a more typical QB. He's got decent accuracy, he likes staying in the pocket, and he makes quick plays. However, he has some legs on him and strength, and if he's about to be sacked, he'll usually run for yards himself and get out safely.

    Big Ben Roethlisberger is a completely different QB. He likes to extend plays, usually playing out of the pocket and with several defensive players hanging off of him as he finally makes his throws. He's not amazingly accurate, but he makes the plays that he needs to usually win. He can also run if needed, but being 6'5 and 230(?) he's really hard to take down as he's running and has made several big plays because of this advantage.[COLOR="red"]

    ---------- Post added 2011-02-05 at 11:59 AM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Raldazzar View Post
    In summary, Dont assume you speak for everyone. I for one will be hitting up a superbowl party on sunday night, and have monday booked off to recover! go steelers! (I'm a Giants fan, but hey, anythings better then the pack!)
    I like you! Go Steelers!
    Last edited by JustTed; 2011-02-05 at 11:59 AM.
    This passion is a plagiarism.

  15. #15
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    Ahh that would make sense. Because the game I watched with him in it the commentators were talking about him being in prison but didn't go into specifics. Steelers seem like the better team from all the talk i have heard. But my vote will probably go to the people who have the prittier uniform

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    Oh, well, you don't get any prettier than Black and Gold in my opinion. Although, they'll be in their white uniforms for the Super Bowl. Green Bay is well...green and yellow. Hideous.
    This passion is a plagiarism.

  17. #17
    It's an event, even if you are not a fan of sports or the superbowl in general i would reccomend at least attempting to watch it. It's really great that the superbowl actually gets coverage here in the uk now. I am by no means an expert what so eve merely a fan. All i know about american football i got playing john madden on my sega megadrive back in the 90s

  18. #18
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    One or both teams are very likely to run a no-huddle offense for extended periods of time (not just in the last 2 minutes of each half). This will speed up the pacing a bit for those who don't like the stop-start nature of American football. Teams run a no huddle offense for 2 reasons: First, to get more plays off rapidly in an attempt to score faster (which is why almost all teams will do this in the last 2 minutes). Second, and why Green Bay and Pittsburgh are likely to run it more often, is to keep the defense from freely substituting and changing their defensive sets. A no-huddle give the offense a bit of an advantage because they never have to guess which set the defense will be in. They're pretty much forcing the defense to play how they want them to play. It can also tire out a defense and put them on their heels rather than attacking.

    That said, some basic rules for the uninitiated or casual viewer:

    1- When a team is on offense, they have 4 attempts (downs) to gain 10 yards. If they gain 10 yards on any of those attempts, they get 4 more downs. If they fail to move the ball 10 yards in 4 downs, the other team gets the ball. You don't want to let a team have the ball to start close to a scoring position. Therefore, on 4th down (last attempt), most teams will "punt." A punt is a free kick that can be caught and returned by the opposing team. Once caught, they have possession of the ball.

    Now, if the team with the ball is facing a 4th down, but is close enough, they may try to kick a Field Goal rather than punt. Field Goals require your team to have a man hold the ball down, and a kicker to kick it off the ground, through a set of uprights at the back of the endzone. They make it look easy: it's not. A field goal is worth 3 points.

    A team can try to gain the 10 yards on 4th down, but it is a gamble. Usually, they'll only gamble in a small area where a punt won't put the other team back very much, but it's too far out for a field goal. But sometimes, teams will gamble big. It's fun when they do, but it doesn't happen often and is usually a sign of desperation.

    2- Possession of the ball changes teams whenever:

    a- A team scores. A touchdown or field goal require the team to "kick off" to the other team. A kickoff is a kick from the ground from the 30 yard line. Once caught, the other team has the ball, and can return the kick. However, once the kicked ball travels 10 yards, it is a live ball, and can be picked up or caught by EITHER team. So once in a while, you'll see a kicking team do an "on-side" kick, where they squirt kick the ball short in an attempt to get the ball back for themselves. Very risky gamble, but it can swing a game.

    b- Turnovers. A turnover is when the defense takes possession of the ball away from the offense on a live down. There are 2 types of turnovers. Fumbles (player drops the ball before being ruled "down by contact"), and interceptions (a defensive player catches a forward pass instead of the intended receiver on the offense).

    A quick note on fumbles: a fumble is any time the ball hits the ground while the play is live EXCEPT for incomplete forward passes. This can include attempted laterals/pitches/backward passes that the receiver doesn't catch.

    3- Once a play starts, it does not end until a referee signals the play dead. A play is dead if a team scores, obviously, or if:

    a- the current ball carrier has any part of his body touch out of bounds
    b- the current ball carrier is tackled or "down by contact." To be considered down by contact, your knee, back, buttocks, or elbow must hit the ground from a continuing action of a defensive player touching you. Now, if any of those body parts touch the ground, but no defensive player touched you, you are free to get back up and keep running.
    c- A quarterback attempts a forward pass but the pass is ruled incomplete.

    4- Scoring:

    A touchdown occurs if the ball carrier has the ball break the plane of the goal line before being ruled down by contact. ANY part of the ball just slightly breaking the plane counts. Touchdowns earn 6 points plus an extra play. The extra play can either be an extra point kick (basically a field goal try from the 3 yard line... easy, and worth a single point). Or they can try for a 2 point conversion (one more play from the 3 yard line. If they successfully cross the plane on that attempt, they get another 2 points).

    We covered field goals.

    The odd-ball score is something called a "safety." It's rare, but it has happened in Superbowls before. A safety occurs when the ball carrier is ruled down by contact in his own endzone. It is worth 2 points to the defense AND requires the offense to give the ball back to the defense on a free kick afterwards. 2 points doesn't seem like a lot, but coupled with the change of possession, it can really swing a game.

    There are a whole host of rules and penalties. It would take too long to go through all of them and their subtleties (it's just something you'd have to pick up from watching the game a long time). But some major ones that can factor into the game:

    Helmet to helmet hits on defenseless players: I mention this because they put added emphasis on it this year (and the Steelers particularly get called for it a lot). You cannot initiate contact with your helmet or shoulder to a defenseless player's head, neck or upper chest. A defenseless player is defined as a QB attempting to pass, or having just passed the ball; a receiver jumping for or reaching for a pass, or one who just caught the ball but hasn't had sufficient time to protect himself. However, once a ball carrier is in the active process of running with the ball, and CAN protect himself, all bets are off. Helmet to helmet calls are personal fouls, and are a 15 yard penalty. Especially egregious personal fouls COULD cause the player to be ejected from the game.

    Other personal fouls: hitting a quarterback at or below the knee, hitting a quarterback after the ball is passed (you're allowed about a half step), "unnecessary roughness" (hitting late after the whistle, out of bounds, or any other act of aggression not occurring within the rules or play); certain facemask penalties (grabbing, holding onto, twisting, or tackling soley through holding the player's facemask).

    Holding (offense): Holding is subjective, and holding calls (and non-calls) garner a lot of controversy sometimes. But holding in theory means this: if an offensive blocker impedes a defensive player by grabbing and holding onto any part of his body or equipment AND is not directly in front of said defensive player. A block should be a straight up, pushing contest. If the defensive player could otherwise get away from the blocker but being grabbed is stopping him from disengaging from the block... it's holding.

    Holding (defense): 2 ways this happens. First, if a defensive player holds a blocker and impedes him from getting away to block someone else. This is not called very often. Second, if a defensive player grabs onto a receiver and impedes his ability to run his route before the ball is passed. In the second description, the penalty is 10 yards and an automatic first down to the offense.

    Illegal contact: the defense CAN hit or "chuck" receivers at the start of the play until said receiver is 5 yards from the start of the play (line of scrimmage). But any bumping/hitting past that point prior to the ball being passed is illegal, and will cause a penalty of 5 yards, plus an automatic first down to the offense.

    Pass interference: Once a ball is passed, and in the air, if the receiver is held up, hit, bumped, or otherwise physically harassed before he has a chance at attempting to catch the ball, it's pass interference. The penalty is an automatic first down, AND the ball is spotted at the point of the penalty, so, in theory, the penalty can be 60 yards if that's where it happened. HOWEVER, the ball has to be judged as "catchable" or no penalty is called. Also, once the ball is touched, no interference can occur. Lastly, when a ball is in the air, BOTH teams have a right to it, so the OFFENSE can and does get called for interference too, if a defensive player tried to catch it but was interfered with.

    Those are the major penalties.

    Each team has 3 timeouts per half. Each team can challenge a referee's call twice per game (usually if a score, or change of possession is in doubt).

    Hope this helps.
    Last edited by Disenchanted; 2011-02-06 at 10:48 AM.

  19. #19
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    Oh wow great post! A lot of that was new to me and easy to read Im kinda excited to watch it at the moment.

  20. #20
    I live in New Zealand. We're a huge rugby nation so American Football is buried under that. Does anyone know where I will be able to watch the Superbowl streaming live?

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