OK, I'm not going to lie.
American football is a tough game to get the hang of.
Especially coming from the codes of football we have in Australia.
Having grown up with Rugby League, Rugby Union, Australian Rules Football and Soccer, the concept of stopping for a "rest" between each play seems like a cop out.
However, if one takes the time to understand the concepts of the game, the strategies and nuances of offense, defense, and special teams, it is easier to understand why the game is so popular.
The first thing I noticed when first watching an NFL game is the sheer number of players in each team.
How could so many players be on a team when only 11 were allowed on the field at once?
It becomes apparent that this idea lends itself to specialization, which, in turn, leads to higher levels of performance. Obviously, the more specialized a person is, the better they can perform these specific tasks.
For example, I would rather have a brain surgeon operate on my brain, than have a normal clinic doctor do so. It then follows that a defensive lineman will perform better if he can focus on defense, rather than playing both offense and defense.
In addition to positional specialization, there are also situation specific players. I think the New England Patriots use these players particularly well, with third down runningbacks and pass specific linebackers playing important roles for teams.
This is something that I have found to be in stark contrast to Australian football codes, as we rarely see many situational substitutions, and certainly no offensive/defensive specialists.
The second thing that stands out about American football is the stoppage time between plays.
I understand that there is a play clock, however, compared to other football codes, it appears like a long time between plays.
The reason for this is simply that short explosive performances, which American football is geared towards, are far more entertaining than more aerobic, endurance performances.
Compare Soccer, where the players walk/jog for extended periods, with NFL, where a play is over in five or six seconds, all of which is at maximum effort.
While the stoppage between plays appears to be a negative aspect of the game, it allows us to view more explosive, entertaining football.
Play design is an aspect of the game that takes a long time to understand, and even after extensive analysis, it is difficult to fully comprehend until you have been involved with football for some time.
While my understanding of football plays is basic, I have come to appreciate the strategy component of the game, which gives the game a whole other dimension.
We have all heard how sports are 10 percent physical, 90 percent mental, well, American football puts this theory into practice.
The idea that football players are all cavemen with IQs smaller than their shoe sizes is in question when you consider the complexity of some of the playbooks including, pass protection, route-running, and coverage schemes.
The fact that American football fans turn a football game into an event is another part of the appeal that we rarely see at games in Australia.
While people often meet up at a bar before/after the game, there is no comparison to the tailgating that occurs in the U.S.
I saw a video of an Ole Miss (I could have the wrong team here) pre-game party in the "grove," and that struck me as an awesome atmosphere to turn the game into an event.
One of the criticisms of the game is that it takes too long. Three hours for a football game. Usually Rugby League and Rugby Union games are finished within 90 minutes.
However, as far as I am concerned, a three-hour football game is twice as good as a 90 minute game. Let’s be honest, in Australia, we watch cricket games that last for five days. Three hours is really not so long, after all.
As for the players, there can be no doubting the athleticism of the individual players.
As mentioned above, the specialization of positions allows players to focus on speed and strength, or whatever trait their position requires.
To see men who can run 4.3 second, 40-yard sprints, and others who can bench press 225 pounds 40-plus times is beyond impressive, it's mind boggling.
As such, I believe that the NFL produces some of the most talented athletes in the world, simply as a result of the nature of the game.
There are however some interesting rules in NFL that I have yet to fully comprehend.
1. The offense is rewarded for getting out of bounds.
2. There is no consequence for an incomplete pass.
While these two rules make sense in the context of the game, they are two of the more difficult rules to understand for newcomers, particularly when these newcomers have been raised on a diet of other football codes.
Finally, the most obvious difference between American football and the other popular football codes is the body armor gridiron players wear.
There is nothing like this in any other code, and it has (incorrectly) lead to assumptions that the NFL is not as "tough" as other codes.
Well let me tell you, the nature of gridiron allows for tougher hits, and, with the protective equipment that players wear, they are able to deliver even stronger contact.
I have played all major codes of football, and, despite wearing full pads and helmet, I have never been hit as hard as I was on the gridiron.
Consequently, I have found that it is difficult to learn the intricacies of American football via Madden and TV, although I expect almost any sport is.
However, I have realized that, if people take the time to understand the game and learn the complexities of the sport, it is a fascinating contest featuring extraordinary mental and physical attributes, with some of the best athletes and coaching minds in the sports world.
I now thoroughly enjoy the game and love to watch all levels of gridiron, and have found the strategic aspects of the game to rival the physical feats for maximum entertainment value.
Comments (10) Add a comment »
from about 1 month ago
I was mildly impressed when I heard on FOXTEL that the best defensive player in the NFL had made 39 tackles (or thereabouts), only to learn that that was for the season, not for one game. In Rugby League, players are often totaling 38-50 tackles per game. Some without rest, apart from 10 minutes at half time. So to say specialising leads to greater skill in any one area is misleading. A player who makes 1,000 tackles in a season (including representative games) is obviosly going to have far more skill in this area than one who makes a mere 39.
The same can be said for attack. When one is called upn to make on fast the spot decisions that take the ability to read the game as it evolves, there is obviously going to be faster and better thinking skills involved as well as athleticism.
There are blokes in the National Rugby League in Australia who are doing 4.6 occasionally and 4.7s/8s on a regular basis over 40 metres (which is about 43 yards).
Could go on, but being called by the wife for a night out. Enjoyed the read and there were some interesting points made.
from about 1 month ago
"Let’s be honest, in Australia, we watch cricket games that last for five days" - How about a Twenty20 Cricket game buddy that last under 3 hours? Why not you take a dig at Golf? Why Cricket? Just be real...every sport cant be a 3 hour sport. Cricket is Unique. You can play a match that lasts 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours or 5 days. Each sport is unique ...just appreciate it and move on.
btw,,,,no doubt Football is the most exciting sport in the world....LOL. Sometimes, Football can better without time outs. Once two teams ran out of timeouts during the last 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. That game was the so exciting.
from about 1 month ago
Nice. I work in the States (Montana) with a guy from New Zealand and we've had this conversation many times. I've also played both sports, Rugby and Football. The biggest difference to me right off the bat is in one football play there is more hitting than in 10 minutes of Rugby. There are 10 other individuals that can hit someone multible times if they want (On offense). There are 11 other individuals on the other side that can hit back also. Very violent hitting in comparison too, I might add. In Rugby it's mostly drag down, but I admit not always. The most frustrating thing to playing Rugby, for me anyway, was not being able to block, (hit) and continually avoiding contact, unless you have the ball. It's obvious to me that football started out as Rugby and it got progressively rougher until it became another game altogether. At some point someone said I'm going to create interference and blocking was born. I will admit though that the continual bombarding of tv timeouts is ridiculous, but that's mostly in Pro's.
from about 1 month ago
elephant walk, two fattah (sp). Weird stuff guys.
from about 1 month ago
I'm not sure what FOXTEL was talking about, but the best player in the NFL made 174 tackles in a season. His best performances were two games where he had 20 tackles each. His name is Patrick Willis. He also attended Ole Miss, the college containing "The Grove" mentioned in this article.
from about 1 month ago
Each sport has it plus and minus, it be great to hold a sports seminar every ten years and see what we could borrow from one another haha...
I loved the article, rugby is still to me the best team sport and hardest hitting. NFL is extreme at times but it aint so much tackling (with exception to proper tackling when arms go around the person) as it is causing GBH by flying through the air with equipment that will damage any soul being hit.
from about 1 month ago
Ok, to the first anonymous;
Simply by making more tackles in a game does not mean tha skill level are higher in one sport than another, there is no doubt that someone like Nathan Hindmarsh is a great player, and I am sure that there are many great Rugby League Players, However I am trying to make the point that Gridiron is a more explosive/sprint oriented sport, as opposed to rugby leagus/union which are more aerobic/endurance sports.
While "Fast on the spot, decisions" such as those made by players such as Jonathon Thurston and Darren Lockyer are very impressive, I also think it is hard to deny that a QB breaking down a blitz to find an open receiver, is equally impressive.
To the second anonymous;
I wasn't trying to have a go at cricket, I enjoy watching the game, and find test matches to be an interesting version of the game. What I was trying to say was that the fact that American football games go for three hours shouldn't be considered a weakness of the game.
To the third anonymous;
I thoroughly agree. I think one of the points that I should have made, and that I missed was that in gridiron, players can be hit "off the ball" whereas in rugby and other codes, such contact is heavily prohibited. I think that the hits in NFL are possibly harder than in other codes, but that this (at least partially) is a result of the protection that players wear.
To 6 Gun;
Thanks for the comment, it's much appreciated, and I can definately see what you mean in the differences between rugby tackling and gridiron hitting!
The only other point that I can think that I should have made is that preference for each code is subjective, and that certain aspect of the sports appeal to different fan bases. I am not advocating one code over another, but simply saying how much I enjoy Gridiron, and trying to compare the major football codes.
Thanks to everyone for their comments, they are very much appreciated.
from about 1 month ago
NFL is a boring sport imo,. That's why its about as popular as Sumo wrestling. NO one outside of america will ever give a flying fuck about american football just like no one outside of Japan will ever give a flying fuck about sumo wrestling. They are both slow and boring when compared to faster paced sports, their appeal lies only in that they are uniquely american and japanese, they form a sense of nationalism and cultural uniqueness.
Howver, outside the american cultural context, no one will ever be entertained by such sports. Why would anybody watch american football or Sumo wrestling when superior alternatives like real football and basketball exist? Even rugby is better.
from about 1 month ago
I am the first anonomous, though I did actually put my name down. Karl of Perth Western Australia. I understand the off the ball hitting in American Football and can appreciate the same in Australian Rules. I know a lot of the guys playing defense in American Football are very fat and although they can explode into action for 30 seconds or so, I would hardly call them athletes.
For most Americans they think of Rugby Union when comparing thier game to rugby, but Rugby League is far more explosive, faster and harder than Union and is a much bigger game here in Aus where athleticism is appreciated (hence union being the smallest of 4 codes here, but big in NZ. LOL). I would also say there are far more sprints made in Rugby League than The NFL on top of the other things I have already stated.
I admit I have not had the time or inclination to get into the NFL as you have and understand that any sport will have certain elements to entertain and enthrall a fan if you have the time to spend working it out.
from about 1 month ago
My two cents...Aussie Rules is the ultimate code of football. Exciting, fast, athletic. Just wish I could bloomin' watch some in the States!
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