American Football... What are the markings for?

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   ASHWINSPGAposted 15 years ago

   From where i come from American Football is totally lost on us, But recently i watched a game on Espn and got hooked on it. I kind of understand whats going on as the game progresses but what are the lines for with the yard markings? Why is it so important to land the ball at a certain yard line? And if a player touchdowns in the centre of the goal post where the sponsor mat is placed, do they give extra points for that? Finally i want to support a team, a team that are always labelled as underdogs but always manage to spring a surprise on big teams. a dangerously unpredictable team..Which team best fits that bill? Thank you in advance for any help friends

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   1. 61

      allshookupposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      You have 4 downs (tries) to try to move the ball 10 yards. You may have heard them say things like 3 and 10 or 2nd and 5. They try to progress the ball toward their end zone for a touchdown. They don't give extra points for where they enter the end zone. Long as they pass line, it's a 6 point gain. If they then kick for an extra point, that is for one point. This is usually the case. But sometimes they need to score 2 points if they are behind and are trying to catch up so they try to run the ball into the end zone after the touchdown. If they make it, they get 2 points. If they are stopped, none. Now days, they have an imaginary computer line put on the TV so we can see where the line of scrimmage is and where the first down is that the team is striving for. As football has progressed over the years, many rules have changed. I'm glad you are finding that you like our football. It's a GREAT sport to watch. One thing that you probably have noticed, when the clock says there's 2 minutes to go in the game, the game likes about 45 minutes being over LOL.

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      1. 58

         ASHWINSPGAposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         I remember posting this question a few weeks ago and kind of forgotten about it, thanks for the replies, Cleveland Browns sounds great. I think Drew Carey supports this team right. Heard him mention this in The Price Is Right. Actually I still can't quite grasp the yardlines explaination, but i understand the 1point kick and Try.  about the 2 min turns in 45min, i think they do that in basketball too guess they reserve their party tricks towards the end .

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            EYEAM4ANARCHYposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            They give the team on offense 4 plays to gain at least 10 yards. If they get the ten yards, then it starts over and they have another 4 plays to get at least 10 more yards. That continues until they either score or they don't get at least 10 yards. In that case, the other team gets the ball and they can try to score in the sae way, while the other team plays defense.
            
            It might be hard to follow without visual aids, but hope that helps.

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   2. 73

      EYEAM4ANARCHYposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      That's a great idea! You should get your resume in to the NFL's marketing department.
      
      
      
      Jump on the Philadelphia Eagles bandwagon, it's headed to the Superbowl this year. Cleveland hasn't surprised anyone lately, unless you count being surprisingly bad.  ; ^ )

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2. 71

   Bruce Bostwickposted 15 years ago

   I can give you two teams that are underdogs without question.  The Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.  Those two teams are generally never expected to be good.  This past season we had the Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, and Miami Dolphins actually do well.  It's a tough call overall on that.

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