Can anybody tell me how American Football is played, the scoring system, the functions of each player ,etc.?

Question

I am actually reading a book by Lou Holtz, former(?) Notre Dame University football coach. It is quite a good and inspiring book It is just that I have very little idea how the game is played unlike baseball or basketball. I hope somebody will fill me in on this, or at least direct me where I can get the infos I need whether it be an article, a website, etc. Thanks.

Answer 1

ok it is alot like rugby. You have a goal that you need to get to. Your team calls a play and that's what you run. If you get into the goal you get 6 points. You get 4 plays to get a first down,or ten yards. After the touchdown is scored you need to kick a field goal. You must kick the ball through the uprights.

if you don't get into the goal, or endzone, you can kick a field goal if you are close enough. if you kick a field goal you get 3 points.

you can also score touchdowns defensively by getting take aways such as interceptions or fumbles.

You may also score 2 points but that is defensively. If you can get the other team into your endzone and tackle them that is called a safety and you get 2 points.

you may also get another 2 points for attempting a 2 point conversion. after a tocuhdown is scored you have the option of going for a field goal or a 2 point conversion. On a 2 point conversion you start from the opponent's 3 yard line and you get 1 play to get into the endzone.

That's pretty much it.

Answer 2

Shady's answer was pretty informative. There are a lot of direct similarities between rugby and football. To summarize:

Touchdown ~ Try, but worth 6 points and you don't have to 'post' the ball, just cross the goal line. Furthermore, the uprights are at the back, not the front of the end zone.

Extra Point ~ Conversion, but worth 1 point and kicked from the
3-yard line (college) in the middle of the field. Alternately, a team has the option of attempting a 2-point conversion. When 'going for 2', the team runs another play from the 3-yard line (college).

Field Goal, also worth three points, however in American football, extra points and field goals are not drop kicks. Instead, the ball is snapped to a holder 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage who holds the ball in place for the kicker to kick.

Downs~Phases, but instead of having a certain number of downs to score, the offensive team has four downs to gain ten yards.

Four major differences:
Pads- while both football and rugby are very physical games, the nature of football is such that even shoulder pads, hip pads, knee pads, thigh pads, tail pads, and a helmet aren't enough to prevent injuries from happening.
Blocking- while this would constitute an Obstruction penalty in rugby, blocking is completely legal as long as the blocker does not hold or grab the defender and does not block the defender in the face or back.
Forward passing- legal in football, however, you cannot throw the ball forward after crossing the line of scrimmage and you cannot pass the ball forwards twice in one play. If the ball hits the ground before being caught, it is an incomplete pass.
Pace- unlike rugby, which has a soccer-like pace, football is largely anaerobic with pauses between plays for huddles, penalties, and whatever else. Necessarily, the clock runs differently.

Hope this helps, I would just look up American football rules online. Also, Lou Holtz is a great coach to learn from.