Understand Football

Super Bowl XLIII

2009-02-03T10:25:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl XLIII – Pittsburgh Steelers vs Arizona Cardinals

Did you see that game? It was what a Super Bowl should be: close, fairly evenly matched, and decided at the end of the game.

In the first half, Pittsburgh looked like they were a lock to win. Arizona was struggling, and the James Harrison interception at the goal line that he ran back for a touchdown put the Steelers ahead 17-7 at the half. Did that knock the Cardinals out of the game?

No. They came back in the second half and did what they had to do. After letting Pittsburgh get ahead 20-7 (but holding them to only a field goal in the third quarter), Arizona started connecting in the fourth quarter. 7:33 remaining and the Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald catches a touchdown. 20-14. 2:58 and the score goes to 20-16 on a safety. Is there enough time left?

Yes there is. Pittsburgh punts, and a couple of plays later Larry Fitzgerald scores another touchdown at 2:37. 20-23, and Arizona has the lead for the first time in the game. Can Pittsburgh get a field goal and send this game into the first overtime in Super Bowl history?

No. Pittsburgh goes for the win, and with :15 left, they score a touchdown, retaking the lead 27-23.

Phenomenal game. Debate on PTI (Pardon The Interruption - ESPN) last night about whether this year or last year (NY Giants vs. New England Patriots, Giants win 17-14 and ruin the Patriots perfect season) was the best Super Bowl ever.

You decide.

2 Minute Drill

2009-01-22T13:44:00.000-08:00

Term of the day:

2 MINUTE DRILL: A sequence of plays designed to move the ball into scoring position, within the last two minutes of play in the second and fourth quarters.

This may seem more advanced than football basics, but when you watch a game, you hear a lot about the “2 Minute Drill” in the last few minutes of the second and fourth quarters.

Understanding football means understanding why teams plan certain plays. The 2 Minute Drill is designed to go into the locker room (at half-time) with the momentum of just having scored, or to win the game (in the fourth quarter).

Football Basics: Timeouts

2009-01-21T12:40:00.000-08:00

Football Basics: Timeouts

Football is played in four 15-minute quarters, with one 12-minute half-time period. Each team gets 3 timeouts per half, and timeouts do not carry over from the first half to the second half. There is a timeout at the two-minute point in the second and fourth quarters, called the two-minute warning, that is not charged to either team.

There are also TV timeouts, which are called by the officials and not charged to either team. Watching the game at home, it’s not noticeable. Watching the game at the stadium, there are periods when the teams aren’t playing.

A regular season overtime game has one overtime period, and each team gets two timeouts for that one overtime period. Pro football plays a sudden death overtime, which means that the first team to score wins, even if the other team didn’t get a chance to score. College football gives each team a chance to score; if neither team does, they continue alternating turns until someone scores, and both teams have had an equal number of chances to score.

Understanding football is easy once you learn the basics of the game.

Why I love football

2009-01-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

Football should be an easy game to understand. Run the ball, throw the ball, kick the ball, score. One hour and 12 minutes later the team with the most points wins. Not quite. Add players performing amazing feats of athleticism, players making errors, factor in rules and regulations, injuries, timeouts, commercials, and NOW you have a football game.

I grew up in New Jersey, following the Giants. The years my father and uncle had season tickets and neither wanted to use them, my sisters and I would go. Being at any game is a thrill; having had Dolphin season tickets I can say wearing shorts and a (Dolphin) T-shirt to a Miami game in December beats sitting all bundled up in the wind, cold, rain, and snow of a New Jersey winter at a Giants game. I learned the football basics watching alongside my father, and learned much more living with my first roommate after college, Debbie Murphy. Her brother played college football, and she knew a lot. We’d watch the Giants, the Eagles (her team), and if neither team was on TV, we’d cheer for the team with the cutest quarterback.

Understanding football makes watching the game much more enjoyable, and so does having a team to root for.

2 Point Conversion

2009-01-19T13:24:00.000-08:00

2 Point Conversion

Sunday’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Arizona Cardinals showed the risk and reward of the 2-point conversion. In a big game, with going to the Super Bowl at stake, both teams pulled out all the stops and went beyond football basics.

Both attempts occurred in the 4th Quarter. After scoring a touchdown and taking a 1-point lead, Philadelphia went for the 2-point conversion and a 3-point lead. They didn’t convert, and Arizona took the ball back with 10:45 left to play, down 25-24.

Running the ball, taking time off the clock, they scored a touchdown, went for the 2-point conversion, and got it on a pass to Ben Patrick. Leading by 7, Arizona gave the ball back to Philadelphia with 2:53 remaining and a score of 25-32.

Philadelphia needed to score a touchdown to tie, or get the 2-point conversion to win. They did neither, and Arizona is going to the Super Bowl.