What if American football used soccer-style rules?

[jo39416]

I watch water polo and figure skating during the Olympics too.

 

Really?

[bbb]

Say what you guys want. I enjoy watching the game. The stoppage time deal is usually pretty reasonable. For people complaining about low scoring, this year's World Cup has been anything but that. There has been quite a bit of scoring, and no 0-0 games, and just one 1-0 game.

 

Wasn't there a 0-0 game yesterday?

 

Lol, it is true... at least in each and every European country it is... All countries have programs similar to ESPN sports center based around summaries of the games. And euhrm I know because I grew up in one of those countries watching soccer summaries on Sunday night over dinner...

 

JA just throws pompous **** out there, trying to look superior, and hopes that people don't actually know differently.

 

I've played, coached and refereed. The custom is that the referee does not end the game if a try on goal looks like its going to happen in the next 3-5 seconds. The ref actually has a lot of influence on how the game is played and what roughness is allowed, not so much by actually blowing the whistle, but by how he looks at the players, talks to the players and even by how he positions himself on the field. A good ref will not have to stop play for infractions all the time, nor hand out very many yellow or red cards. You might look at his role as faciliating a fair game, rather than a policeman.

 

How did you like refereeing? I have attended many high school and college games (womens) and I have never seen a sport where the parents complain so much.

 

I know it's because pretty much every play looks like it can go either way, but holy crap they need to chill a little.

 

My soccer loving niece, who plays D3, coaches, etc. - the only thing she didn't like was reffing.

[Taro T]

But it's done in the open, not in a refs head.

Putting time back on the clock is clearly in the refs' heads.

 

Personally, I find the way soccer handles the timeclock to be silly, but I follow the game (at least for the WC) well enough to know pretty much how much time will get added and when it's going to end.

 

And when you get right down to it, in either sport you pretty much know when the last play is going to be. Even though the watch may read 0:00 (or 45:00, as the case may be) once that 'last' play starts they both let it run to completion.

[bbb]

How have we gotten this far into the thread and not talked about what happened last night? Unbelievable.

 

Those that don't get it wont and likely never will. The good news is those people will be left behind as they got older - wondering why/how soccer is becoming more popular.

 

As much as I love football - by far my favorite sport - you will see parents guiding their children into sports where concussions are not as prevalent - and we will see a surge in the quality of American soccer (as we have seen for the last 20 years).

 

For those that love it - enjoy the ride the next few weeks!

 

And for those that say soccer is not catching on the US - here are some random spots in the country where the game was being played last night.

 

http://screamer.dead...63/ Sean-Newell

 

I have to wonder how many of these spots are like Buffalo. There is ONE bar here that is the soccer bar. So, every time the paper or TV wants a picture of pretentious hipster soccer fans going crazy, they go to that one bar.

 

I'm guessing if they went to a normal sports bar they wouldn't be seeing this type of thing. I could be wrong.

[DC Greg]

I think a big reason you find it so boring is that you grew up in a society where American football is king. You understand and can appreciate the fine points of that game and perhaps even played it at some level. Whereas soccer is the new kid on the block to you and therefore you don't have the same background or history with it. I was the same way until right after college I lived for a year in the UK where i was not only exposed to it, but also got to see it played at a high level consistently. I still enjoy watching quality soccer now, and I do not watch American football at all really except for the Bills. Like you I can and do appreciate the skill it takes to play both games at the professional level.

 

But you do not find the overly anal retentive American football rules ridiculous? I do not think American football is at risk of morphing into football (soccer), the games are simply too different. But I think if American football relaxed it's rules a bit, for example for false starts (which drives me mad particularly early in the season when those flags fly constantly) I think the game would end up flowing better and would be more enjoyable for everyone.

 

The time stoppage rule is a joke as PTR pointed out. Just arbitrarily deciding to extend the game at their discretion? Why not just set the time and that's always how it is. There is no reasonable explanation for that other than it's always been done that way. You're probably right about me liking football better because I've been exposed to it, but I just think I've been exposed to a better sport. Not being able to use your hands in the game seems limited. I think football combines all elements of physical competition, speed, strength, agility, endurance, pain, etc in the most complete (albeit violent) way.

 

To your other point about rules in football... there are a few that bother me. Offensive false starts do not bother me. Don't move until the snap count. You know what it is, the defense does it. Giving them the ability to false start is a horrible disadvantage when they already know the count. If they screw up they deserve the penalty. If they could false start it makes it even more unfairly hard to play defense, which is reacting to a play the offense is in control of.

 

The way the NFL has now made defensive false starts a rule, however, is horrible. If a defender jumps, the onus should be on the O to quickly snap the ball while he's in the neutral zone to get the penalty. That's skill between the center, QB, and a well polished offense. That shouldn't just be a gimme rule for the offense. I hate that change. If o lineman can't stay still until he hears the snapcount, too bad. The O already has all the advantages, they don't need another one.

 

Some of the "hits to the head" in the NFL are a joke. I understand the premise, but it's getting called way too much when QBs get sacked. It's such a game changing call, especially when it happens on like 3rd and long. I understand what the NFL is trying to do, but the real solution for those injuries should be beginning on the lower levels. More flags should be thrown in college, high school, pee wee and coaches should be teaching proper tackling technique AKA never leading with your head but your shoulder. Enforce better safety rules at those levels and you'll be preventing more injuries there and training the future NFL athletes of tomorrow. Believe it or not, you can hit just as hard in high school as you can in the NFL. There are guys that are big and fast and when they hit another guy big and fast running at a high speed the same injuries happen and actually many more. Partly because they also never call the head to head stuff in high school. More calls on the lower level, less calls on the pro level IMO.

 

Those are the rules about today's game that bug me the most!

[BillsCelticsAngelsBama]

Cricket, and Soccer ???? Baseball and Football... American ingenuity @ its finest. "you Americans don't understand he nuances of these sports, blah, blah blah...." What I do understand is what is interesting to ME. College and Pro Football along with Hockey are strategic and exciting. Soccer may have strategy but it's booooooooooooooring. Now, if they would do away with the off-sides rule, u might have a sport worth following

[billsfaningeneseo]

As a referee who does high school, college, and USSF games, I want to mention the clock issue. I think if you talk to the majority of referees, we do not like the count-down clock in the game (which is how High School and College works).

 

The issue is the end of the game can get REALLY ugly. Players get absolutely worked up as time goes down. When do you stop the clock as time gets near the end? Every foul? Every time there is a delay? How do you determine what is a delay vs. just normal time it takes to set up after a foul?

 

Also, just fyi, goal line technology is in use at this World Cup, and awarded a goal in France-Italy that was not given by the referees on the field.

[bbb]

Cricket, and Soccer ???? Baseball and Football... American ingenuity @ its finest. "you Americans don't understand he nuances of these sports, blah, blah blah...." What I do understand is what is interesting to ME. College and Pro Football along with Hockey are strategic and exciting. Soccer may have strategy but it's booooooooooooooring. Now, if they would do away with the off-sides rule, u might have a sport worth following

 

The offsides rule is a killer, as I mentioned before.

 

What you said - yesterday, a friend of mine is telling me how into the this he is. (I've known him for 35 years and I've never heard him mention soccer before)

 

I said soccer is pretty boring, and he said Well, it's interesting with the strategy - like watching a chess match. I said You like watching a chess match?

[CodeMonkey]

Cricket, and Soccer ???? Baseball and Football... American ingenuity @ its finest. "you Americans don't understand he nuances of these sports, blah, blah blah...." What I do understand is what is interesting to ME. College and Pro Football along with Hockey are strategic and exciting. Soccer may have strategy but it's booooooooooooooring. Now, if they would do away with the off-sides rule, u might have a sport worth following

I'm sorry, but American football with it's 100+ commercials for 11 minutes of action is by no means exciting. What it is, is extremely violent and has been modified over the years into a nearly perfect sport for television. Soccer probably has to be about the worst for TV due to no real stoppages except halftime.

 

It's your favorite sport and that's cool. I enjoy Bills games (minus commercials) as well. Strategic I can buy (but so is chess), but in general is not very exciting.

[BillsCelticsAngelsBama]

It's up to the individual of course. But I truly believe that the USA could win the World Cup this year and in 4 years and the increase in popularity would be marginal here. BUT IMO there is nothing more exciting than college football on a Saturday.. heaven on earth.. every fall But to each his own... not wanting to hurt or change anyone's feelings

[PromoTheRobot]

 

Putting time back on the clock is clearly in the refs' heads.

 

Personally, I find the way soccer handles the timeclock to be silly, but I follow the game (at least for the WC) well enough to know pretty much how much time will get added and when it's going to end.

 

And when you get right down to it, in either sport you pretty much know when the last play is going to be. Even though the watch may read 0:00 (or 45:00, as the case may be) once that 'last' play starts they both let it run to completion.

And when the time is put on the clock everyone knows and sees it. And when the clock strikes 00:00 it's still game over. Stop trying to rationalize it. You can't win.

[Jauronimo]

And when the time is put on the clock everyone knows and sees it. And when the clock strikes 00:00 it's still game over. Stop trying to rationalize it. You can't win.

Its about as arbitrary as the spot on the field, or when a player was down, or when the timeout was called, or half the fumbles, except soccer doesn't pretend to suddenly get it right in the last two minutes of play. Its hardly perfect, but the game the only people who seem to care are the people who don't watch.

 

There's nothing to be won.

[Taro T]

And when the time is put on the clock everyone knows and sees it. And when the clock strikes 00:00 it's still game over. Stop trying to rationalize it. You can't win.

Not necessarily, as you have already conceded above.

[Cynical]

Yeah I imagine there would be more goals scored and fewer icings, but if you enjoy the game of hockey at all how could you want no blue lines or some form of offsides??

 

Trying not to derail this thread:

You just proved Webster's point. In regards to the part in bold, Why do you have to have some form of offsides?

[PromoTheRobot]

 

Not necessarily, as you have already conceded above.

Except when that happens it's by a rule that everyone understands. It's not due to the whim of an official to extend the game arbitrarily.

[ExiledInIllinois]

 

 

The bolded part is the one that I never could understand. Why don't they just stop the clock during play, then start up again instead of adding the extra minutes?

 

I am guessing that the game never caught up with technology. In most dirt poor countries only one person has a fancy stop watch and they are not that advanced to display for all to see.

 

Just trust the ref to hold the watch.

 

;-P

 

 

 

Trying not to derail this thread:

You just proved Webster's point. In regards to the part in bold, Why do you have to have some form of offsides?

 

So there is no "cherry picking?"

 

 

[Pete]

I wish the NFL was like soccer and let the game flow without any commercials during game time. Commercials killed the NFL and I find it unwatchable. Soccer is a joy to watch

[Taro T]

Except when that happens it's by a rule that everyone understands. It's not due to the whim of an official to extend the game arbitrarily.

You taking about football or soccer now?

[Mr. WEO]

Yes, it sucks so bad that it is the most popular game in the world. No other sport is even a close second. And American football? Please. The rest of the world laughs at our game. The worst offense of all is calling it football. It isn't football. I love both the NFL as well as college "football", but there really is no comparison. They are two unique and completely different games. I for one respect the athletes that play both games at such a high level. Amen and allelujah.

.

 

When there is only one sport played in your country, it's hard for that sport to come in second...

[CodeMonkey]

Except when that happens it's by a rule that everyone understands. It's not due to the whim of an official to extend the game arbitrarily.

Just to make sure I understand, it is a huge problem that the stadium clock is not used in soccer to count down the game time like in American football because it is arbitrary in its current form. Yet the fact that almost every spot of the ball is arbitrary in American football as they can't possibly see, for example, exactly where the ball is when the players knee touches the ground on a run up the middle in a pile. Including but not limited to the laughable case when they do a measurement for first down that makes or misses by less than an inch after said arbitrary placement of the ball is no problem. Right?

 

As long as humans are involved there are going to be inaccuracies and mistakes. For me anyway, there is far less of this in a soccer game than a American football game. People who understand and follow soccer all over the world don't seem to have a problem with how the time is kept. Mainly just some Americans do I think. YMMV

 

Wasn't there a 0-0 game yesterday?

Yes there was, and another one today as well. And today's (Brazil-Mexico) was actually a good game to watch (not normally the case in scoreless draws). And by the way I like the way they handle draws. A win gives a team 3 points whereas a draw gives each team 1 point. In hockey you can see teams playing for the tie at the end of regulation to make sure of 1 point knowing if they win the game in OT or shootout they still get the max of 2 points.

Edited June 17, 2014 by CodeMonkey