The Donegal/Derry Vipers have really burst onto the scene, and have intrigued many people around the northwest.
Their meteoric rise has brought me to the conclusion; American Football could become Ireland’s most played foreign sport.
By Séamus O’Donnell
Maybe Ireland could have a footballer in the NFL one day. Hopefully. Maybe it could be YOU. And we don’t to hear the excuses ‘oh I would if I knew the rules’ or ‘It’s too difficult to understand’. If only there was an article which explained all the rules to the world of the internet, so that those excuses were invalid. If only……
There are three parts of a team; the offence, the defence, and the special teams. Each part of the team can only have a maximum of eleven players on the pitch at one time.
The pitch, or ‘field’, is one hundred yards long and fifty-three yards wide. There are an additional 10 yards added onto the end of each side of the pitch; the end zone. This is where the magic happens, where games are won and lost. It’s where the touchdowns are scored. Little white lines going across the pitch called yard markers help the players, fans, and referees know and keep track of where the ball is on the pitch.
The match itself is divided into four quarters of fifteen minutes. There is a half time break of twelve minutes, and also two minute breaks at the end of the first quarter and the third quarter. The team that had the ball at the end of the first and third quarters retains it for the next quarter at the same distance from the end zone that they were when the quarter finished, the offence and defence just swap sides. This does not happen at halftime though, the game restarts with a kickoff the same way as it did for the start of the game.
The offensive team is the part of the team that is there to attack and score point. The defence part of the team tries to stop the offense from getting points. The special teams are the team that are usually used the least. They only come on for punts, field goals and kickoffs.
Progress is measured in yards in American football. The offensive side has four chances to gain yards. These chances are called ‘downs’. If the offense gain ten or more yards, they earn another first down and set of four downs. If the offense fail to gain 10 yards in 3 downs, they will usually punt the ball or go for a field goal, but they can also try a normal play again. If the offense fail to gain ten yards in their first attempt, it’s called a ‘3 & out’.
You can advance and gain yards on the field in two ways; throwing (passing) or running (rushing).
The quarterback (QB) usually passes the ball, but anybody on the offense can throw it. They must be behind the line of scrimmage, or ‘inside the pocket’. The ball usually gets thrown to a wide receiver (WR) or a tight end (TE). If the ball touches the ground before a member of the offensive team catches it, the pass in ‘incomplete’.
If the offensive team decides to rush, the running back (RB) or halfback (HB) will usually pick up the yards, but sometimes the fullback (FB) will run. The QB is also allowed to rush.
There are four ways to score points in American Football.
1.) Touchdown – a touchdown is worth 6 points. This is the most points you can get from a single play. In order to score a touchdown, the ball must be carried into the end zone or caught in the end zone.
2.) PAT attempt or Two-Point conversion – The PAT is worth one point and the Two point conversion is worth….. After a touchdown is scored, the ball is placed at the two-yard line, and the offense have to do one of two options; either to kick it over the crossbar (PAT attempt) or to do a normal play and get double the points (Two-Point conversion). Teams usually go for the PAT attempt, as it is said to be easier to convert as opposed to the Two-Point conversion. The PAT is also known as the point-after-touchdown or the conversion.
3.) Safety – Safeties are worth two points. They are a rarity in the NFL. They happen when the ball carrier of the offensive team is brought down in his own end zone.
4.) Field Goal – a field goal is worth three points. If the offense can’t score a touchdown, they could attempt to kick a field goal. Field goals often are the game winning (or game losing) plays in the last seconds of tight games. They can be kicked from anywhere on the pitch and on any down, but they are usually kicked from inside the defence’s 45-yard line on fourth down. For a field goal to be “good”(scored), the field goal kicker (K) must kick the ball between post uprights and over the crossbar.
LAST WEEKEND’S GAMES
The NFL is well into the playoff stage now, as last weekend are the conference games (semi-finals). The winner of the AFC Championship game will contest the winners of the NFC Championship Game. in the Super Bowl (the final). This year is the 51st edition of the Super Bowl (Super Bowl LI), and it is being held at NRG Stadium, in Houston, Texas, on the 5th of February.
NFC Championship Game: Green Bay Packers (21) vs Atlanta Falcons (44) played at the Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia.
This was the Falcons’ last game at the illustrious Georgia Dome, and they gave it a fitting farewell. It will be torn down and replaced next season by $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Potential MVP and Falcons’ QB Matt Ryan stepped up, throwing for 392 yards and four touchdowns.
“Matty Ice” also got his first rushing TD since 2012, in a 14-yard run to the end zone. His counterpart at the Packers Aaron Rodgers had arguably one of the worst games of his career, throwing an interception and getting sacked twice.
Falcons WR Julio Jones finished with nine catches for 180 yards and two TDs, which included a catch & run for a 73-yard touchdown. It was a great game for the neutral.
AFC Championship Game: Pittsburgh Steelers (3rd Seed) @ New England Patriots (1)
17 – 36
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
The Patriots showed why they were odds-on favourites to take home the Lombardi trophy yet again. Tom Brady was on form, and he strengthened his case to be known as the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). It’s not really that the Steelers didn’t show up, the Pats were just a class above. Brady threw for 288 yards and four TDs. For the Steelers, QB Ben Roethlisberger threw 351 yards and two TDs, and WR Antonio Brown had nine catches for 133 yards, which included a TD. This will be Brady’s seventh Super Bowl appearance, an NFl record. Out of the six he has played in to date, he has won 4, winning 3 Super Bowl MVPs, for Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII and XLIX.
The Patriots and the Falcons will certainly put on a show for us in Houston on Sunday week, and the question still remains unanswered; who will be MVP? Brady? Ryan? An outsider? We will soon find out.
Seamus O’Donnell is a transition year student at St Eunan’s College in Letterkenny and is undertaking work experience with Donegal Daily.
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