In my college days, when India had only one television
channel, Doordarshan, which was owned and operated by the Indian Government,
there was a news program called “The
world this week” produced by a private company, which today is NDTV, a
private 24 hour news channel. Every year they would show a minute of highlights
from an American football game, which for some unfathomable reason was called Superbowl. Like most of the world I only
knew soccer football then. This American football seemed very strange, with a
ball shaped like a rugby ball, which was also an alien game – but why call it
football when all you seem to do is throw it and someone else is catching it.
Just to add to the confusion, there were also a couple of instances when
somebody kicked the ball through upside down goal posts. All the players seemed
like heavyweight boxers, wore huge padded suits that made them look like Batman
without his cape or mask. Occassionaly, I saw American football in movie clips
and in comic books like Archie and Superman; once, in a Mandrake comic book.
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American football in an Archie comic book
Picture from The Deep Friar blog |
Nothing like my beloved cricket. Not even as watchable as
tennis or car racing. I was no big fan of soccer, though I watched a few World
Cup games. But a weird mysterious curious bizarre game, seemed this American football.
College Football
And then a few years later I went to the USA, to study. As
it happened, I landed up in a football crazy state, Texas – while America seems
uniform to outsiders, each state has its own character, that foreigners only
slowly comprehend after years of stay. Some Texans joke that Texas has two
religions, Christianity and football, not necessarily in that order. And that
is saying something, as Texas is in the heart of the Bible belt. (Cricket has
acquired a similar status in India, hasn’t it?)
I entered into a Master’s program in Computer science at a
university with a good college football team, Texas A&M University (TAMU).
College sports are a huge money spinner, and cultural focus of identity for
most universities in the USA. The autumn or fall semester, September to
December is also college football season: all American sports are seasonal. And
every Saturday afternoon my roommates and a couple of neighbors, all students from
India, mostly from Madras, in TAMU for graduate studies, gathered to watch TAMU
play football on TV. In a few weeks, I started watching professional football,
which was played on Sundays, and also shown on TV. It took me a few weeks to
understand the basic rules – every sport is much easier to understand if you
actually play it, not merely watch it on TV; and football while extremely
popular on American TV, is rarely played on its streets or grounds, except by
formal teams in schools and colleges. This is very much unlike basketball or
baseball or even soccer or volleyball. The sport most similar in this stark
contrast, is car racing.
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College football
Texas A&M University vs North Carolina University |
While I enjoyed the college version, especially because it
is very easy to root for the TAMU college team, the professional sport was not
only superior, it was better presented. In India, the only team I ever rooted
for in the 1980s and 1990s was the national team – there was no professional
leauge. The amateur league, where teams were divided by state, which played for
the Ranji Tropy, was never on TV, and unwatchable unless you were a desperate
fanatic, and a Bombay fan. Technically all Indian sports team comprised of
amateur athletes, because they were all nominally employees of some company or
the other like a bank, Railways, Telephones etc. all owned by either the
central or state governments.
Professional Sports
Socialist dullness pervaded every sport except cricket from
my perspective. The only professional athletes in India were in ancient Indian
sports like wrestling or bull fighting or bullock cart racing, most of which
urban democratic India was ashamed of and tried to suppress or destroy in
various ways. As a modern city slicker they were beneath even my contempt
anyway. They were never shown on Doordarshan (government run television), but
very popular in cinema, which was in the hands of private entreprise. But
cinemas showcased these sports so poorly, only the country hicks enjoyed them
in real life. (I had to go to college for four years in a rural setting, before
fully understanding how cut off we city slickers were from half of India, and
how arrogant and ignorant and condescending we are.)
I had no idea how loyalties worked in professional sports in
America, not just in football but also in Baseball and Basketball, the two
other extremely popular sports. The teams were all based on cities not states.
The Chicago (city) Bears, not the Illinois (state) Bears. The Dallas (city)
Cowboys not the Texas (state) Cowboys. Exceptions were Minnesota and Arizona where
the teams were named for their states, and New England named for an area with
multiple states. The players came from all over the USA, usually having played
for some college team. The colleges themselves had a caste or class system,
with about 100 Universities called First Division, forming a pool from which
the players for the professional leagues were chosen.
In 1991, I didn’t have
favorite team, though my friends and roommates liked the Houston Oilers,
Houston being the nearest city. When the 1992 season started, after a few weeks
I realized I like the Dallas Cowboys more than the Oilers. Dallas was a better
team. That unit turned out to one of the best in NFL history.
There were several small professional leagues in American
football, but the biggest, richest league and most visible on TV, was the
National Football League. There used to be another league called the American
Football League, but the two merged in 1960, and became two subunits of the
same league. They just called themselves National Football Conference and
American Football Conference. There were fifteen teams in each group divided
into three divisions, but now there are sixteen teams divided into four
divisions, called North, South, East and West. The teams with best records
after the sixteen games in each division, play two others with the best records
in some playoffs within each conference. The winner of both conference playoffs
face off in the Superbowl, the most watched TV program every year in the USA.
I stopped watching the NFL after I returned to India, mainly
because those games happen at what is nighttime in India. But in 2015, I saw
some ten minute highlight clips of Sunday games and watched a few (sometimes on
the laptop, sometimes on my smartphone after 3G or 4G delivered high quality
videos). Since then I have been hooked again, watching these highlights every
Monday morning. The full game is fun to watch if you have friends watching with
you, but the ten to twelve minute clips are well mostly well edited, the
comments are sometimes terrific, and some post game chats are also delightful.
How it is played
Let me give an illustrated guide to the game. I doubt anyone
will start following the game, based on this essay, but, what the heck. One more arrow from quiver of Quixotism, after equally quixotic introductions to Carnatic music, Indian astronomy, Pallava grantham script, temple architecture, etc.
There are three aspects to the game – running the football,
passing the football and yes, also, kicking the football. Americans spell
English words differently, eat with forks in their right hands instead of the
left, modified cricket to turn it into baseball, use a different elecric
voltage and system of plugs compared to the English world, drive on the left side
of the roads - and they play football in a way the rest of the world doesn’t
even bother to pay attention. After 150 years of trying to be less English than
the English, they decided it was more important to be less European than the
rest of Europe, after the two world wars. Anyway…
The football field is a 100 yards long (the one English
thing America continues is their imperial measurement system) and 160 feet
(about 50 yards) wide. Every five yards is marked with a full painted line from
one side to the other, and every one yard is marked off with a hash mark, two
on the sidelines, two in the center a few yards apart. The ten yard lines are
marked 10,20, 30, 40 on each side, with the centerfield marked 50. On each end
of the 100 yards is a 10 yard long region called the endzone. The game starts
with a kickoff, determined by coin toss. The football is placed on a small
plastic tee at the 35 yard line of the kicking team’s side. A kicker kicks it
off, and tries to land it between the end zone and the 20 yard line of the
opposite team. One player of the receiving team will try to catch the kicked
ball and run it all the way the end zone of the other team. He is usually
stopped tackling after a few yards by the one or more players of the kicking
team, by physically tackling him. The receiving team (called the offense)
starts its possession (like an
inning), and tries to move the ball by passing or running the ball until it
reaches the opponent’s endzone. If a running player (usually called the Running
Back) enters the endzone with the ball, or passing player (usually called the
QuarterBack) throws the ball to a Receiver.
A possession consists of a series of plays. The ball is
placed on the ground at the hashmark where the previous play ended. This is
called the line of scrimmage, for each play. If the receiver or runner of the
offense was tackled at their 24th yard line, the ball is placed on
the 24th yard line.
The offense has to assemble in a formation – five players
called Offensive Linemen will line up, at the Line of Scrimmage. The central
player called Center, will hold the ball on the ground, then snap it backwards
between his legs to the Quarterback. Two offensive players line up at the two
ends of the line. These are usually the designated Wide Receivers. Four players
including the quarterback, form the backfield. Usually the other players are Running
Backs. Each play begins when the Center snaps the ball to the Quarterback, who
can choose to either pass (throw) the ball to one of the Wide Receivers or hand
it off to one of the Running Backs, who will then try to carry the ball (run)
towards the Defensive side.
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In yellow rectangle - Offensive Line (Buffalo Bills, red uniform);
In blue rectangle - Defensive Line (Pittsburgh Steelers, white and yellow uniform) |
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Offense Formation
Top view |
The eleven players of the Defense also have a basic
formation, usually four players called the Defensive Line facing the Offensive Line
with a one yard neutral zone between them. Behind the Defensive Line are three
LineBackers. When the ball is snapped, the four players of the Defensive Line
charge at the five players of the Offensive Line, and try to get past them to
tackle whoever is holding the ball (Quarterback or RunningBack). The
LineBackers have the option of either charging along with Defensive Line or
dropping back to stop the Running Back, if he manages to break through to the
other side.
Also on the defense, two CornerBacks line up facing the two Wide
Receivers at either end of the Offensive Line. Their job is to prevent the WRs
from catching the ball. They may not hold them, grab them or tackle them before they receive the ball thrown by
the Quarterback, but may try to
catch the ball themselves or hit the receiver as he catches it to stop him at
that point or force an incomplete pass. If a player drops a catch or catches it
outside the sidelines or even with one of his two feet outside the sideline, it
is considered incomplete. The Wide Receivers or the Running Back try to reach
the opponents EndZone – if they cross the line with the ball or catch it in the
ten yard wide EndZone, it is called a Touchdown and the offense gets six
points.
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| Quarterback hands over ball to Running Back |
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| Quarterback throws ball to Wide Receiver |
Just in case an offensive runner or receiver manages to get
past the Linebackers or Corner Backs, there are two more defensive players
called Free Safety and Strong Safety who twenty to thirty yards behind the defensive
line to try and tackle them. The play ends when the runner or receiver is
either tackled to the ground or goes out of bounds (goes beyond either
sideline). The line where they are tackled is now the new line of scrimmage,
and a fresh play starts with both teams lining up in formation, a fresh snap by
the Center. If a ball is dropped (incomplete pass), the next play starts at the
same line of scrimmage.
The first line of scrimmage of each possession is called First
Down. The offense is allowed four Downs, called obviously First Down, Second
Down, Third Down and Fourth Down to move the ball ten yards from the first line
of scrimmage. If they manage it or go even farther (say fifteen or nineteen or
twenty six yards), they get a new First
Down. Each offensive possession is a series of small First Down attempts, to
eventually reach the End Zone and score a touchdown. There are no point for any
of the downs.
If after the third down, the offense hasn’t managed to move
the ball ten yards forward from the First Down line, they can choose to punt
the ball, or try one more pass or run. In a punt, the center snaps the ball to
a punter, who is usually about fifteen yards behind the line of scrimmage (not
one foot behind, like the Quarterback). He catches the ball with his hands and
tries to drop kick it as far as he can to the other side, from which point the
other team starts their possession and series of First Downs.
Usually the offense punts if they are at least forty yards or more away from
the endzone. If they are within the forty yard line of the opponents side,
though, they may instead try a field goal. This is where the Center snaps a
ball to a Holder, who is kneeling about seven yards behind him, places it on
the ground and a Kicker tries to kick the ball between the upright goal posts.
If he succeeds, the team gets a Field Goal, which is worth three points (half
the six point of a Touchdown). If he misses (that is, the ball drops short or
goes left or right of the goal posts), the defense starts their possession from
the line of scrimmage. That is why the offense doesn’t try to usually kick very
long field goals (remember the field goal has to go ten yards longer than the
touchdown).
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| A long field goal attempt - from 54 yards away |
If the offense scores a Touchdown, they are allowed to make
an extra point attempt. They can either try to kick the ball from the ten yard
line for one extra point, or try to run or pass into the endzone again from the
two yard line for two extra points. So a touchdown is worth more than just two
field goals.
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LasVegas Raiders Wide Receiver (in black and white uniform)
heads into the endzone (painted black) having beaten Indianapolis Colts defenders (white and blue) |
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| Referee signals a Touchdown, by raising both hands |
This is a just briefing of a small set of rules of American football
(I have said nothing about penalties for example, and special exemptions). It
usually takes the newbie to the sport several weeks or months of watching the
game before picking up the basic elements. And this is why the game is not
popular outside the USA (Canada plays its own version with slightly different
rules), except among people who have spent a few months in the USA. Hence basketball
and baseball are more popular US cultural
exports. The rules for cricket are just as complex, which is why only former
colonies of England play that game.
The degree of specialization is somewhat insane. Each team
actually has separate teams for Offense, Defense and Kicking (called Special
teams). That means a minimum roster of thirty three (three sets of eleven). A
full team roster usually has nearly fifty players. Even the punter and field
goal kicker are two different players. The Quarterback almost never plays any
other position, for example, though he sometimes runs the ball, if none of his
wide receivers is open and free to catch the ball. The Offensive Line may not
catch or run the ball, they may only block the defense.
The head coach of each
team is highly critical, in a way peculiar to American sports (basketball and
football head coaches also have enoromous say in almost every play). The
coaching staff for each team runs into double digits. The money is quite
astounding. Outside the USA, only soccer players and Formula 1 drivers make
comparable amounts of money (boxers too, but they are usually American).
Head coaches of several university football teams (which are
amateur sports – no college player is paid) are paid a million dollars – some
of them are paid more than the President (ViceChancellor) of their University
or Governor of their State.
Strategies and Trick plays
What makes America football fun, is not just the basic rules
and games, but the strategies, trick plays, ununsual formations, and incredible
athleticism, that is often on display.
A common example of athleticism is when a Running back tries
to leap over the defensive line, into the endzone, to score a touchdown. (Cricket
metaphor: Like a batsman diving over the crease to avoid a run out, or a
fielder diving for a catch).
Deception is often the best form of offense. The most common
trick play is called play-action. In
this, the Quarterback pretends to hand over the ball to Running back, but doesn’t.
The Running back pretends to tuck the ball and run forward. The Linebackers of the
defense therefore, assume that it is a run attempt, rather than a pass attempt,
and try to block the runner from coming through one of the gaps between the
players of the Offensive Line. They are only fooled for about two seconds, but
these two seconds is what the Quarterback needs to drop back without being
rushed and in these two seconds, one or more of the Wide Receivers may get a
two yard separation from the Cornerback covering him. The Quarterback then
passes it to whichever WideReceiver is open. As soon as the ball is thrown, the
entire defense can see who is the intended receiver and the nearest players try
to tackle him. (Cricket metaphor : Spinner’s googly or batsman’s reverse
sweep).
Another trick play is when the Quarterback passes the ball
backward to a Wide Receiver or Running Back. The catcher may only be a yard
behind the horizontal line on which the QB stands, and the defense will assume
he is trying to run after the catch, and will tackle him. But the catcher now throws
the ball to an open Wide Receiver, whose defenders are momentarily distracted
and gets far more yards than the first pass and run would have fetched.
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Trick play part 1 - QB passes backwards to RB
Cornerbacks allow Wide receivers past them, go to tackle RB |
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Trick play part 2
RB passes to WR, who is now 15 yards past cornerbacks |
There are a vast number of trick plays with fascinating
names like Statue of Liberty play, fake punts (whether the special team lines
up for a punt, but the punter throws the ball to a wide receiver for a first
down), fake field goal, reverse (a wide receiver comes around to take the
quarterback’s handoff rather than the running back), flea flicker, shovel pass,
and so on. They are spectacular when they come off, and seem silly when they dont.
Here is another strange play, perhaps not originally planned as such, where QuarterBack Patrick Mahomes of Kansas City, (No. 15, in white and red uniform) escapes a tackle, runs toward the first down, but shovels a backwards pass underhanded to a Running Back behind him. Mahomes is the Virat Kohli or Steve Smith of football, the most exciting new player since Tom Brady. He led his team to a SuperBowl victory last year and may do so again this year.
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Backward pass from Patrick Mahomes (No. 15) to Running back
Notice Line of scrimmage in blue
Receivers are blocking defenders downfield of Mahomes
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But the defense is also made of intelligent human beings,
and they often detect the offense’ tricks and try to spoil it. One such play
is when a cornerback guesses the intended receiver and jumps in front to catch
the ball. This is called an interception, and if Cornerback catches it, the
defensive team now gets possession, from the spot where it was intercepted. The
intercepting player can also run the ball towards his opponents endzone, and if
he reaches it, the he scores a touchdown and gets six points. If he manages to
only run a few yards before he is tackled by one of his opponents, that becomes
the starting line for the intercepting team
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Cornerback (No 23 in white uniform) leaps to intercept
ball intended for Wide Receiver (No. 83 black and silver uniform) |
An interception is one of three possible turnovers. Another
is when a running player drops the ball or the ball is slapped out of his
hands, before his back or knee hits the ground. This is called a fumble. If the
fumble is recovered by his own teammate, they continue from there, but if one
of the defensive players grabs it, he can return it to the opponents end zone
or as far as he can.
Sometimes, the offense is barely one yard or one foot short
of the first down marker, and will go for a run or pass on fourth down. If they
don’t make it, the opponent starts possession at the point they stopped the
offense. This is called a Turnover on Downs.
Usually the offense only tries this when they are well into the opponents
territory and they want to score a touchdown rather than settle for a field
goal.
Remember Offensive Line has five players and the Defensive
Line usually has only four, with three Linebackers hanging back. Sometimes two
of these linebackers try to cut through the offensive line, with a six on five
mismatch. This is called a Blitz. Then they try to tackle the Quarterback
before he can pass or the Running back while he is still behind the line of
scrimmage. This is called a Sack. Say the offense is on their own 24th
yard line, First Down and 10 yards to go. They have to reach the 34th
yard line for fresh First Down. If one of the blitzers tackles the ball carrier
at the 20 yard line, the offense now has Second Down and 14 yards to go.
Sometimes a cornerback or safety comes around the end of the
offensive line for a blitz, rather than a linebacker trying to cut through. A
lot of the strategy in football is the offensive line blocking the defense in
creative ways, and the defensive line trying to cut through the offensive in equally
ingenious ways. TV commentators rarely highlight this, but it is where half the
games are lost or won, away from the ball. The players on the offensive and
defensive line invariably weigh more than three hundred pounds (140 kg) and are
built for almost wrestling skill, not speed and mobility.
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Excellent blocking
Offensive Line (black uniform) protects QB (left extreme)
from defense (white uniforms), giving him time to throw |
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QB (left extreme) on 30 yard line
throws the ball just avoiding the blitz |
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SanFrancisco QB in (red and gold uniform)
sacked by Dallas Cowboys cornerback (white uniform) who broke through the Offensive Line |
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Quarterback Tom Brady (12) gets past defensive line
avoiding the blitz |
This last picture of Quarterback Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, avoiding the sack, is interesting. While the offensive and defensive linemen are locked in blocking, he has managed to get past them and is about to throw to a Wide Receiver (right extreme), who is just past the first down marker (yellow line - graphics effect). The Line of scrimmage for this play is the blue line (graphics effect. Tom Brady is the Donald Bradman of the American football. He has reached nine Superbowls, playing for the New England Patriots, and won six in a twenty year career. Some excellent football players have never reached the Superbowl, and only a few have even reached four Superbowls. In early 2020, the Patriots released him and he joined the Tampa Bay team, which won its first playoff in thirteen years, under him, and today (Sunday Jan 17, 2021) he won another playoff game against the New Orleans Saints.
But I have already perhaps written more about football than
any reader of my blog is likely to read or understand. So I will stop, here.
Most of the pictures were taken from screen captures of Youtube videos of these NFL games. The Archie comic picture is from The Deep Friar blog
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