The Starter Guide for a New Football Fan
When I first started watching the football, it was because I had nothing better to do, but I barely knew anything about the teams, players, rules, or on a absolute flatline, how the league and game work. So, that’s what this article is for. If you’re someone who doesn’t watch football and wants to understand what your friend/partner is screaming about on Saturdays and Sundays, this article is for you. If you’re looking to get into football, but there is just so much content and it’s daunting, I’m here to break it down for you.
First things first, there are two major leagues of football you need to know about, the FBS and the NFL. In this guide, we’ll be talking more about the NFL than the FBS, a league also referred to as the NCAAF. The NCAAF is where all college football takes place, and is a feeder system for the NFL, the pro leagues of football. Around the end of every April, every NFL team gets to select the best players that have spent enough time in college to be “eligible”, and those players are signed to contracts in the big leagues, basically being called up to the NFL. This event is known as the NFL Draft, and the only other thing you need to know about it is that the order of the draft aligns itself based on the standings of the teams from the previous season, so the worst team gets the first pick, with the team’s standings getting better and better until you reach the team that won the Super Bowl. We won’t be saying much else about this for the rest of the guide, but it’s a good thing to keep in mind.
Football: What is it?
Alright, so with that out of the way let’s get into the nitty gritty. We’re talking about American football here: a game where two teams of 53 players compete against each other to win games. To be played, there are 11 players from each team on the field at a time. One set of those 11 people is the offense, trying to move the football down to the other side of the field to score points. The other set of 11 is the defense, which is trying to prevent the offense from scoring. the football field is 100 yards long, with an end zone at either side. If the offense is able to get a player with the ball in their hands into the end zone they’re driving towards (plays proceed down one direction of the field), they score six points! This is called a touchdown. After a touchdown, the team on offense has the option to run two different kinds of plays for one or two extra points. The first option is a kick, where that team’s kicker has to land the ball through the uprights from the 15 yard line for one point. The second option is for the team on offense to run another play and try to get back into the end zone. This play starts at the two yard line, and if successful, the team scores two points.
A football drive is also separated into downs, where a team has four plays where they can throw the ball or run it to gain 10 yards. If they do so, it is a new set of downs, and the counter resets. If a team on offense cannot get the ball into the end zone and find themselves on the fourth down, they have two options. The first option is to kick a field goal. Kicking a field goal is worth three points rather than six, and is successful when a kicker gets the ball through the uprights of the goal post in the direction the team is driving. If the kicker misses the field goal, the other team’s offense takes over and drives the other direction from the spot where the kicker missed from. The second option is to punt the ball, where a punter from the offense kicks the ball as far down the field as they can, for an opponent to catch it and run it up the field as far as they can. Where the returner is tackled is where the previously defending team’s offense will start.
The defense’s job is to try and stop anything the offense is trying to do to move the ball down the field. They do this by breaking up passes, tackling the passer, or tackling the person who has the ball. If the ball carrier hits the ground, the play stops there and the ball is placed there as a starting point for the next play. There are three main things a defense can do and is measured on: interceptions, sacks, and tackles. An interception takes place when someone from the defense catches a pass intended for someone on the offense. When an interception happens, as soon as the defensive player with the ball is brought down, their team’s offense comes into play. This type of play immediately gives possession of the ball to the other team. If the defensive player with the ball runs the ball all the way to the other end zone, it’s a touchdown. You will often hear interceptions referred to as “picks”, and interception touchdowns referred to as “pick-sixes”, an interception for six points. The next defensive measure is tackles, how often that defense can bring a player down without letting them gain too many yards, and preventing them from getting first downs. The third statistic is a sack, which happens when a player from the defense tackles the passer before they throw the ball and are still in the “pocket”, the area of the field between the ends of their protective players, the offensive line. This results in a huge loss of yards on a play, normally.
A football game is separated into four quarters, each with 15 minutes of game time. The clock runs any time the ball is in play, or in between plays when a runner is brought down inside the sidelines of the field. If they are brought down or step out of bounds, the clock stops, and if the passer throws an incompletion, the clock stops. after two of these quarters, the game breaks for halftime, stopping whatever drive is taking place. After four quarters, whatever team has the most points wins!
Positions in Football
There are eight main position groups in football: the quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends, running backs, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs. There are also special teams players such as kickers and punters. Let’s start with the positions on a team’s offense.
Quarterback - This position is the passer, the one player responsible for leading the team and distributing the ball to their receivers. They’re the player that communicate with their teammates before every play to tell them what routes and blocking they need. They also get plays told to them by a coach who talks to them through a speaker in their helmet. These coaches usually call the plays, and the quarterback is responsible for relaying that to the rest of the offense.
Wide Receivers - This position’s main goal is to catch the ball from the quarterback and run with it. They run different routes to try and elude the defensive backs who are trying to stop them from catching the ball. Wide receivers also spend time blocking defensive players from tackling their ball-carrying teammates on plays where they do not have the ball.
Tight Ends - The tight end is a mix between an offensive lineman and a receiver. They normally have a bit of a larger frame than a wide receiver, and are used to catch passes, while also block for other teammates who carry the ball. They line up for plays along the offensive line usually.
Running Backs - Running backs’ main goal is to carry the ball once it is handed off to them by the quarterback, and gain yards without the need for a pass. There are two kinds of routes a running back takes on a carry, either through the offensive line or around the offensive line. Either way, they rely on the offensive line and other members of the offense to block for them.
Offensive Line - These players snap the ball to the quarterback from the ground at the beginning of each play, and hold players from the defense back from getting to the quarterback or short-range receivers.
Now, to the defense.
Defensive Line - The main goal of a defensive lineman is to get to the other team’s quarterback and bring him down to the ground on passing plays, and to stop that team’s runner on running plays. The mark of a good defensive lineman is the ability for them to shed a block from an offensive lineman and break through to get into the pocket.
Linebackers - Linebackers are the jacks of all trades on the defense, playing the role of both a defensive lineman and a defensive back, depending on the play called. They also are the “quarterbacks” of the defense, communicating with their side of the ball and adapting their schemes to try and stop the other team’s offense best. They are usually found either rushing the passer or dropping back and covering receivers.
Defensive Backs - These players are responsible for breaking up passes and tackling receivers, making sure that if they do get the ball they don’t gain too many yards off of the reception.
A breakdown of the NFl
The NFL has 32 teams in it. These 32 teams are separated twice, into two conferences (the AFC and the NFC), and then into divisions within those conferences (North, South, East, and West for each). Each conference has 16 teams in it, and each of the divisions has four teams. Through the course of a season, a team will play every other team in their division twice, another division in their conference once, another division in the other conference once, and then three more games based on your standing in the division from last year; two against conference opponents, one against a non-conference opponent. That’s a lot, so let’s break it down with an example:
The Atlanta Falcons are in the NFC South, a division which plays host to three other teams: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Carolina Panthers, and the New Orleans Saints. They will play each of those teams twice this season; once each at home, and once each away. That’s six total games.
This season, the Falcons are playing two other divisions in full as well, the NFC North and AFC South. The divisions they play change every year, and they will never play the same full division two years in a row. with four teams in each of those divisions, that is eight more total games, bringing us up to 14.
The Falcons placed fourth in the NFC South last season, meaning that they face the teams in the NFC East and NFC West that placed fourth in their divisions last season as well. They will already face the fourth-place finisher from the NFC North because of the division-vs-division match. That’s two more teams, bringing us up to 16 games. A seventeenth game was added last season to accommodate an expanded season, which added a rankings-based out of conference game for every team as well. This season, the Falcons will face the fourth-place finisher from last year’s AFC East, the New York Jets.
Rankings are determined by win-loss record and a few statistical tiebreakers if it comes down to that.
Each NFL team has 53 players, and those player’s salaries must all fit underneath a salary cap, limiting how big the contracts can be for however many players. This cap exists to help spread the talent around the league, as one or two teams don’t have the cap space to pay everyone.
Like many other sports, player trades can happen, where a team sends a player to another team in exchange for players or future draft picks in the NFL Draft. Trades can happen any time between the March start of the new league year and Week 8 of that year’s NFL season.
Players have limited contracts that expire after a certain number of seasons. After those deals, a team can choose to resign that player, or let them go elsewhere. These contracts are another way that talent moves around and makes the salary cap an important asset to manage in the running of any NFL team.
Each NFL team is also a business in its own right, with owners, presidents, and other employees. The two employees you’re likely to hear the most about are the Head Coach and the General Manager. The Head Coach brings in their own coaching team to help the team perform on the football field, and the General Manager takes care of all the behind-the-scenes things, like completing trades and coordinating scouting for the players that team might be interested in in free agency or the NFL Draft.
The Format of the NFL Year
The NFL is a league that can be followed all around the year, with events happening about once every month. The year really kicks off in early September, right when the season starts. Let’s run through what happens around the calendar for the NFL.
September - Early January - The NFL regular season takes place. Each team plays 17 games over 18 weeks to determine their standings in the league and if they qualify for the playoffs.
Middle of January - Middle of February - The NFL playoffs take place. The division winners from each conference and the next three teams with the highest win-loss record compete in a tournament. The AFC and the NFC each have one of these tournaments that run concurrently until a champion is crowned on either side. Those two teams then play in the Super Bowl.
Middle of March - Free agency begins, the start of the new league year. This is a time when players whose contracts have expired go to other teams where they fill a need or are offered more money to play. During this time, the NFL Combine is also held, where college prospects come together and show off their physical skills to NFL teams before the next month’s NFL Draft.
End of April - The NFL Draft takes place over three days and seven rounds of players are selected to join NFL rosters.
Middle/End of July - Training camps begin as NFL teams begin to prepare for the upcoming season.
August - Preseason games are held as training camps continue, and the cycle repeats itself all over again.
College football follows close to the same schedule season-wise, starting a bit earlier in late August and most teams’ seasons ending on New Year’s Day. Playoff teams in college football compete for another week or two into January before their championship game.
The Current State of the League
The NFL is currently at a state where many teams are ready to break through and contend with the teams that are known to be very good. Here’s a more detailed guide covering this exact topic. I’ll break this down by asking what kind of fan you want to be:
If you want to cheer for a team that wins a lot: Root for the Kansas City Chiefs or Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams’ rosters are built to succeed long term and they just met each other in the Super Bowl. The San Francisco 49ers are also a good option here.
If you want to cheer for a team that is on the verge of being very good: The Los Angeles Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, and Detroit Lions are all good options. Each of these teams has a young roster with a couple of questions concerning their success. If they get a football identity put together, they can be fantastic.
If you want to have the gratification of watching a team grow, but might not win a lot or soon: Root for the Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears or Atlanta Falcons. All of these teams are undergoing what is called a “rebuild”, where a team trades away or releases all of their old talent to clear salary cap space and starts over from scratch. They usually like to build through the draft or by signing under-the-radar free agents.
If you want to not think too much about what you want out of football: Root for whatever team is geographically closest to you or you have family ties to. That way, you instantly have people who are cheering at games with you.
Football is best enjoyed with friends, and even if you have a sliver more of knowledge to help you understand this game a lot better, there’s nothing wrong with grabbing a friend and plopping down to scream at your TV on a Sunday. This game is meant to be enjoyed and had fun with, so do just that.
