To help some of you that are new to the game I will be including a section each week on Football 101.  This is a basic introduction to football taken from various sources on the internet.  I hope you find this information helpful.

Getting Started
One 11-man team has possession of the football. It is called the offense and it tries to advance the ball down the field - by running with the ball or throwing it - and score points by crossing the goal line and getting into an area called the end zone.

The other team (also with 11 players) is called the defense. It tries to stop the offensive team and make it give up possession of the ball. If the team with the ball does score or is forced to give up possession, the offensive and defensive teams switch roles (the offensive team goes on defense and the defensive team goes on offense), and so on, back and forth, until all four quarters of the game have been played.


The Field
The field measures 100 yards (360 feet) long and 53 yards (160 feet) wide. Little white markings on the field called yard markers help the players, officials, and the fans keep track of the ball.

Probably the most important part of the field is the end zone. It's an additional 10 yards on each end of the field. This is where the points add up! When the offense, the team with possession of the ball, gets the ball into the opponent's end zone, they score points.

Obviously the team with the most points at the end of the game wins. So the offense tries to get as many touchdowns as they can and the defense tries to stop them. That is the simple part. How the offense and defense try to reach their goal is the tricky part.

The Rules
There are rules (modified version of NCAA Rules) and procedures to follow like in any sport. Breaking a rule is called a penalty. The team that gets called for a penalty usually looses yardage.

Some examples of penalties are: Click here for more info...

5 Yard Penalties - False Start, Encroachment, Offside, Delay of Game
10 Yard Penalties - Offensive Holding, Illegal Use of Hands
15 Yard Penalties - Clipping, Facemask, Spearing, Unsportsmanlike Conduct

In the game the Officials (nicknamed "Zebras" because of their striped shirts) can call a penalty by "throwing a flag", a yellow flag is carried in the back pocket of each man. When the flag is thrown the play is normally run and the penalty assessed after the play. Various penalties, normally 5, 10 or 15 yards are enforced depending on the infringement. If the team who has been offended has gained more yards than would be enforced on the penalty then they can "decline" the penalty and take the yardage gained.