Portal:American football
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American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football and often internationally as a type of gridiron football, as against association football, is a competitive sport, most often contested at any given point between two teams comprising 11 players each. A team attempts to advance a ball, roughly a prolate spheroid, by carrying (rushing), throwing (passing), or, under specific circumstances, kicking the ball, on a field composed of grass or artificial turf, intending eventually to advance the ball into an opponent's end zone–located 100 yards (91.44 metres) from a team's own end zone–prior to the exhaustion of a team's series of three or four downs, for a touchdown (worth six points) or a field goal (worth three points); the team to have scored more points upon expiration the time alloted for the game, 60 minutes–divided into four equal quarters–during a professional event, is the victor. The offensive unit of one team, featuring a quarterback to whom the ball is snapped who directs the play of his team, competes against an opponent's defensive unit; should the offense fail to advance at least 10 yards beyond the location (original line of scrimmage) at which it receives possession, it may surrender the ball to the opposing team, the offense of which then takes the ball, either by exhausting its supply of downs or by kicking the ball away (punting). Possession may also transfer should, in the course of active play, an offensive player drop (fumble) or throw (interception) the ball to a defensive player. Various activities–both relative to activities during play that inappropriately provide a competitive advantage or are inordinately dangerous and to unsportsmanlike conduct–are proscribed by rule and are punished with the assessment of penalties by a referee, who heads a team, at the professional and collegiate levels, of seven officials. Offenses are dealt with in a variety of fashions, but most often with an assessment of yardage to the team aggrieved or the nullification of a play during which an offense occurred. Several variants of the game exist, including arena football, indoor football, and flag football. Both Canadian football and American football are derived from rugby football, and while they have some shared origins, there are significant differences. The National Football League (NFL) commissioner Roger Godell is trying to pass a rule allowing for more games to be played during the regular season. As it currently stand each team plays 16 regular season games and 4 exhibition games. The commissioner is trying to extend the number of games by 2 so that the teams will now only play 2 exhibition games and 18 regular season games, which will make for a more exciting season and all the games will be more meaningful. The current contract is up after the 2010 football season. This action may happen after this contract. Super Bowl XXXIV featured the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Tennessee Titans in an American football game to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1999 regular season. The Rams (16-3) defeated the Titans (16-4), 23–16, to capture their first Super Bowl win and their first NFL championship since 1951. The game, played on January 30, 2000 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, was the fourth Super Bowl to be held a week after the conference championship games (the previous time this happened was Super Bowl XXVIII, and like this game was also played on January 30 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta). The Rams entered their second Super Bowl in team history after posting an NFC-best 13-3 regular season record, and making their first playoff appearance in 10 years. The Titans also finished the regular season with a 13-3 record, but advanced to their first Super Bowl in team history after entering the playoffs as a wild-card team because they finished in second place in the AFC Central Division. The first two quarters of Super Bowl XXXIV were largely a defensive battle. Despite outgaining the Titans in total offensive yards in the first half, 294–89, the Rams only held a 9–0 halftime lead off of three field goals. St. Louis later scored their first touchdown midway through the third quarter to go up 16–0. Tennessee then responded by scoring 16 unanswered points to tie the game with 2:12 left in the game, the largest deficit to be erased in a Super Bowl and the first greater than 10 points. However on their ensuing drive, Rams quarterback Kurt Warner completed a 73-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Isaac Bruce to take the lead again. The Titans then drove to the St. Louis 10-yard line with six seconds remaining, but on the final play of the game, Rams linebacker Mike Jones tackled Tennessee wide receiver Kevin Dyson one-yard short of the goal line to prevent a game-tying touchdown. This play later became known as simply "The Tackle." Warner, who completed 24 out of 45 passes for 414 yards and 2 touchdowns, was named the Most Valuable Player. His 414 passing yards and 45 pass attempts without an interception were both Super Bowl records. Warner became the sixth player to win both the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and the Super Bowl MVP award during the same season. He follows Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Emmitt Smith and Steve Young. (more) Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1954 – November 1, 1999) was an American football player, who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football. Payton, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection, once held the League’s record for most career rushing yards, touchdowns, carries, and many other categories. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. The NFL player and coach Mike Ditka described Payton as the greatest football player he had ever seen - but even greater as a human being. Payton began his football career in Mississippi, and went on to have an outstanding collegiate football career at Jackson State University . He started his professional career with the Bears in 1975, who selected him as the 1975 Draft’s fourth overall pick. Payton proceeded to win two NFL Player of the Year Awards, and won Super Bowl XX with the 1985 Chicago Bears. After struggling with the rare liver disease, "Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis" for several months, Payton died on November 1,1999 at the age of 45. (more) No picture has been selected for this week yet. Please be bold and click the "edit" button above to add one.
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