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This "Superbowl" thing...
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tomdavidson69
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Feb 1, 2004, 09:00 AM
 
Does anyone know where/when I can watch the Superbowl on UK TV? I have Sky... I want to see all the fuss is about and I need an excuse to drink beer and yell at a TV....

As I've only caught 'Amercian Football' on TV late at night on Channel 5 (to water down the mediocre soft-core porn) I know nothing really about the game except that you can tackle just about anyone you feel like hitting. So I have a couple of basic questions:

1) I understand you have a certain number of plays (Bit like Rugby League?) called "Downs" .. just how many do you get?

2) How come there are 400 players for each team at the side of the pitch who just wander on and off seemingly at random?

3) How many points for a touchdown, field-goal etc...

4) Who are the underdogs today? - I'll support them.

5) Anything else I should know given that I view American Football as a "odd foreign-exchange student" of Rugby... with Pads and "bit" more showbiz...

Thanks "y'all".... Now I'm gonna go find me some Budweiser and a large pack of Prezels...
"I'm Captain Chaos! Been in the force long...?"
     
d4nth3m4n
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Feb 1, 2004, 09:18 AM
 
ho boy, here goes.

1) 4 downs per possession, then the other team takes over the ball. on the fourth down, you can punt to give the other team worse field position, or if youre in range, you can kick a field goal, which is worth 3 points. you can gain more downs if you cover 10 yards on the field. (one yard = .95 M) you will see bright orange markers laying out the 10 yards

2) unlike rugby, the format of american football allows very specialized players (punters, field goal kickers, punt returners, offensive and defensive players) with all the downtime in football, it is not a problem to switch these players.

3) touchdown- 6 pts. (you can kick an extra point, much like a field goal, for +1, or you can go for another touchdown, you only get one chance, for +2), fieldgoal- 3. and if your defense totally kicks ass, you can sack (tackle) the other teams quarterback in his own end zone for 2 points, this is called a safety. after all of these scores the scoring team will kick off to the other team

4) no idea who the underdogs are today, i dont watch football.

5) if you are receiving a kick you can down it (kinda like rugby, but you just have to drop a knee) in the endzone and the ball will be taken out to the 20 yard line, instead of starting on the 1 yard line or something. sometimes there is a scramble on the part of the kicking team to keep the ball out of the endzone, this is usually pretty damn funny

drink lots of beer and try not to get too caught up in what madden has to say. hes lost it.

pretzels?? you mean pork rinds pardner.


now you explain cricket to me.
( Last edited by d4nth3m4n; Feb 1, 2004 at 09:24 AM. )
     
tomdavidson69  (op)
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Feb 1, 2004, 09:26 AM
 
Thanks d4nth3m4n!

Now I've just got to find a pub showing it or see if it's on Sky and I'm set.

As for cricket - I'm not certain but I think it involves getting an indeterminate amount of people dressed on white on a oval ground. They throw the ball at/to each other for 4 days, stopping every so often because doing nothing is so knackering. The game ends a draw, except if you are England in which case you always lose....always.

I casually joined a club once but I wasn't allowed to play because I treated it like baseball when batting and fell asleep when fielding..
"I'm Captain Chaos! Been in the force long...?"
     
sideus
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Feb 1, 2004, 09:31 AM
 
I live in the U.S. and never understood football. Thanks d4nth3m4n!
     
Face Ache
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Feb 1, 2004, 09:34 AM
 
Originally posted by d4nth3m4n:
now you explain cricket to me.
You have two sides, one out in the field and one in.
Each man that's in the side that's in goes out,
and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out.
When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's
been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out.
Sometimes you get men still in and not out.
When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out,
and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in.
There are two men called umpires who stay all out all the time and
they decide when the men who are in are out.
When both sides have been in and all the men are out,
and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in,
including those who are not out, that is the end of the game.
     
d4nth3m4n
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Feb 1, 2004, 09:38 AM
 
Originally posted by Face Ache:
You have two sides, one out in the field and one in.
Each man that's in the side that's in goes out,
and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out.
When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's
been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out.
Sometimes you get men still in and not out.
When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out,
and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in.
There are two men called umpires who stay all out all the time and
they decide when the men who are in are out.
When both sides have been in and all the men are out,
and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in,
including those who are not out, that is the end of the game.
oh, thats how that works. i was just in india and there was a WHOLE lot of cricket going on, and i kinda maybe thought i had figured it out. i guess i didnt.
     
CIA
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Feb 1, 2004, 09:50 AM
 
Well, as both a rugby player and a football watcher here in the US, I feel your pain. Rugby was a mismash of chaos to me when I started playing (I played fullback), now it makes sense too me. I don't know too much about the finer points of Football, but here is a quick summary:
Football happens on a rectangular field that is 100 yards from one goal to another. Similar to a rugby pitch, except the uprights at the endzone are off the field, Vs. Rugby wher they are right on the goal line.
Two opposing teams, (11 on each side) face off. One team kicks off the ball, the other catches it and tries to run into the endzone. (So far, it's Rugby...)
When the person carrying the ball is tackled, and his knees touch the ground the "Play" is over. The two teams then line up at that spot (The line of scrimmage) and the team with the ball "Hikes" the ball to the quaterback. Much like a scrum, the defense tries to get through the offense to the ball and tackle whoever is holding it. The quaterback then backs away from the chaos and either hands off the ball to a player who runs it up the field, or passes it with a throw up to a player. Once the ball passes over the line of scrimmage in a forward motion, you can only pass the ball backwards. This is rare, as the quarterback tries to stay behind that line. Once the ball crosses the line of scrimmage, you can hand it off, but it has to be backwards. (Just like good rugby players running up the field) You have 4 "Downs" to move the ball 10 yards up the field. If you can't get 10 Yrds up in 4 downs you kick the ball off to the other team from where ever you stopped (Usually 4th down is a kick, unless they only need to move the ball a yard up the field, then they may go for it), and the process starts again. A touchdown is 6 pts, with the extra point kicked through the uprights after worth 1 pt. Making it 7 points for a Touchdown and Extra point.
If you are close enough to the endzone you can try to kick a field goal, they are worth 3 points. (Say it's 4th down, and you are still 20 yrds away from the endzone. Go for a fieldgoal and get the 3pts.)
Unlike rugby, you don't need to place the ball down in the try zone, you always kick the extra point from the center of the field, about 20yrs from the endzone line.
There are a billion players on the side lines. One set of 11 for the offense, one set of 11 for the defense. Obviously there are many spare players for both if someone gets hurt, and there are also "Special Teams" on the sidelines as well. These "teams" are players used for certain plays that they are trained for, and not much else.
Kickoff has a team, receiving a kick has a team, field goals have a team, etc... + all the coaches and trainers etc...
For the record, I prefer rugby to football. No wussy padding, no stopping between plays, just non-stop action. Kinda like hockey without the ice. Americans can't seem to understand that while football and baseball are big, Rugby and Soccer (or Football as it's called everywhere else in the world) are HUGE. Billions of people tune in for the World Cups of both soccer and Rugby. Rugby is the largest club sport in the world. (correct me if I'm wrong here)

As a New Englander I'm rooting for the Patriots! GO PATS!
Work: 2008 8x3.2 MacPro, 8800GT, 16GB ram, zillions of HDs. (video editing)
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Chris O'Brien
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Feb 1, 2004, 09:50 AM
 
Originally posted by Face Ache:
You have two sides, one out in the field and one in.
Each man that's in the side that's in goes out,
and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out.
When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's
been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out.
Sometimes you get men still in and not out.
When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out,
and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in.
There are two men called umpires who stay all out all the time and
they decide when the men who are in are out.
When both sides have been in and all the men are out,
and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in,
including those who are not out, that is the end of the game.
My grandad has the original newspaper cutting of that quote that he carries in his wallet. I presume it's the original - I think it's from the 50's. However, it could just be a newspaper quoting someone else.
     
Dubya's Dealer
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Feb 1, 2004, 10:06 AM
 
Speaking of football let's not forget that we've got Arsenal v Man City today. Henry v Anelka!
     
Sherwin
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Feb 1, 2004, 10:42 AM
 
Originally posted by tomdavidson69:
Does anyone know where/when I can watch the Superbowl on UK TV? I have Sky... I want to see all the fuss is about and I need an excuse to drink beer and yell at a TV....
It's live on Channel 5 dude.

(note for all you UK peeps - interesting choice of film that BBC1 has on the other side at the same time: Black Sunday... An Isreali anti-terrorist agent must stop a disgruntled Vietnam vet cooperating in a plot to commit a terrorist plot at the Super Bowl.)
     
proton
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Feb 1, 2004, 10:47 AM
 
What I want to know is why is it called a touchdown if you don't put the ball down?!?

Oh, and for Australians, it's on SBS live, 10am Tuesday 2nd February, and I believe it's on Fox Sports 2 on Foxtel/Austar as well.

- proton
     
tomdavidson69  (op)
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Feb 1, 2004, 11:21 AM
 
11.10 Channel 5. Right, I'm all set. Thanks to all for descriptions of the game... Hopefully now it will be less like watching a foreign-language film with no subtitles..

Looks like the Carolina Panthers are the slight underdogs so I'll support them. In the style of Joe from Family Guy: "BRING IT ON!!!"
"I'm Captain Chaos! Been in the force long...?"
     
jerry1
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Feb 1, 2004, 11:25 AM
 
Cricket & Football, both are completely different kind of sports. I've never liked Football whereas I can never have too much of Cricket. Right now I love the way Indians have ruined the Australian summer down under.
     
m_young
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Feb 1, 2004, 11:58 AM
 
Originally posted by d4nth3m4n:

3) touchdown- 6 pts. (you can kick an extra point, much like a field goal, for +1, or you can go for another touchdown, you only get one chance, for +2), fieldgoal- 3. and if your defense totally kicks ass, you can sack (tackle) the other teams quarterback in his own end zone for 2 points, this is called a safety. after all of these scores the scoring team will kick off to the other team

Just thought I'd make a few corrections here. Not just the quarterback can be tackled in the endzone for a safety. Any player on the team with posession can be tackled for the safety in the endzone. Also, if the ball goes out of the endzone while it's in the offense's possesion, it's a safety.

And if a safety is scored, the team that scored the safety gets the ball back in the form of a free kick from the other team, which is like a punting kickoff.


Finally... The Panthers were 7 point underdogs, last I checked.
     
mitchell_pgh
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Feb 1, 2004, 12:04 PM
 
It's funny, because this is how I feel about soccer...

OK, there is a goal, and some guys are in the front, and some are in the back... and one guy tries to keep the ball out of the goal all the time...

Basically, the superbowl is the one time of the year when all the non-football fans come out and act like they are the best fans in the world for teams they don't follow.
     
Judge_Fire
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Feb 1, 2004, 01:12 PM
 
NFL Europe has a nice beginner's guide. I had trouble with the Real videos, but the text is clear and concise.

We get both a Finnish and the Original broadcast (without ads, tho), so there should be something on somewhere in the UK. Got digital?

Then again, American football is surprisingly well known in Finland, for some weird reason.

J

Go, Panthers.
     
benb
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Feb 1, 2004, 04:29 PM
 
Originally posted by CIA:
. . .No wussy padding. . .
That's right. They only wear pads because they are wusses. You heard it here folks!
     
wolfen
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Feb 1, 2004, 04:40 PM
 
Go Panthers!

Translation: Don't let it be a blowout. Lose it with dignity, in the 4th quarter. After I've enjoyed my chili, chips, and ice cream. After I've finished lusting after all the cheerleaders, I've enjoyed having a lead and rubbing it in my buddies' noses, and after the commercials have all got me spewing chili on myself.

THAT'S when you should lose. Not until then.

Am I fan, or what?


wolfen
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Do you want forgiveness or respect?
     
nredman
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Feb 1, 2004, 05:26 PM
 
Originally posted by wolfen:
Go Panthers!

Translation: Don't let it be a blowout. Lose it with dignity, in the 4th quarter. After I've enjoyed my chili, chips, and ice cream. After I've finished lusting after all the cheerleaders, I've enjoyed having a lead and rubbing it in my buddies' noses, and after the commercials have all got me spewing chili on myself.

THAT'S when you should lose. Not until then.

Am I fan, or what?


wolfen
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*LOL*

"I'm for anything that gets you through the night, be it prayer, tranquilizers, or a bottle of Jack Daniel's."
     
Kenneth
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Feb 1, 2004, 05:27 PM
 
Two words for ya.. who cares?
     
Steb Mad
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Feb 1, 2004, 05:27 PM
 
.
( Last edited by Steb Mad; Feb 2, 2004 at 03:45 AM. )
     
   
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