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We all know that it’s football season. As a Green Bay Packer fan myself, I have known the rules and regulations of football since toddler status. But for those of you who don’t know much about football, and who want to know more about the greatest sport in the world, then keep reading. Here are some of the basic official NFL rules.

1. The Coin Toss: This will take place three minutes before kickoff in the center of the field. The visiting team captain will call the toss before the coin flips and the winner chooses one of three options. 1. Receive or kick 2. Goal his team will defend or 3. Defer the choice to start off the second half. Immediately before the second half begins, each captain must inform the officials of their respected choices. Of course the loser of the original toss gets first dibs, that is unless the winner elected to defer.
2. Opponents within Division: Beginning in 2001, the league formed a more suitable scheduling rotation. Each team within a division will play 14 common opponents during one full season. Each NFL team will play home and away against its three division opponents, that’s six games. Likewise, each team plays four teams from a different division within its conference on a rotating three-year cycle, which is four games. Each team also plays four other teams from a division outside of their conference on a rotating four-year cycle. Along with this, each team plays two intraconference games which is based on the previous year’s standings. That means if a team places first in a division it will play against the opposing division’s first place team within the same conference for two games.
3. Compensatory System: A team that loses more or better compensatory free agents than it obtains in a year is eligible to receive compensatory draft picks under the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement. With a maximum of four, the number of picks a team can receive equals the net loss of compensatory free agents for that team. A compensatory free agent is measured by salary, playing time as well as post season honors. This formula was developed by the NFL Management Council. Accordingly, the 32 compensatory choices that are announced each March supplement the original choices that were determined in the seven round draft. Contrary to prior years, teams are no longer allowed to trade compensatories.
4. Goal Posts: This is directly from the NFL rule book: “In the plane of each end line, there shall be a centrally placed horizontal crossbar 18 feet 6 inches in length, the top face of which is 10 feet above the ground. The goal is the vertical plane extending indefinitely above the crossbar and between the lines indicated by the outer edges of the goal posts. All goal posts will be the single-standard type, offset from the end line and bright gold in color. The uprights will extend 30 feet above the crossbar and will be no less than 3 inches and no more than 4 inches in diameter. An orange-colored ribbon 4 inches by 42 inches is to be attached to the top of each post.”
   Fun Fact: Because of a controversial field goal attempt by Don Chandler in a Packers-Colts game back in 1966, the NFL moved its goal post from the goal line to the end line at the start of the 1974 season. After this kick the league also raised the height of the goal posts to reach “a minimum 20 feet above the crossbar.”
5. The Kickoff: First of all, a kick off is one type of free kick. Before the start of each half and after a field goal and try, a team kicks off from the 30-yeard line. The ball is put into play with a placekick. It may not serve to score a field goal. Unless it travels 10 yards or is touched by the receiving team, a kickoff is illegal. One this happens it is a free ball. The receivers will attempt to recover and advance. The kicking team may not advance unless the receiving end has possession and loses the ball. The ball will belong to the receivers 30 yards from the spot of the kick when a kickoff goes out of bounds between the goal lines without being touched by the receiving end. It can also commence where the ball went out of bounds unless it did this on the first onside kick attempt. When this happens, the kicking team must kick again and they are penalized five yards. The receivers get the ball at the out of bounds spot if they are the last ones who touched it. In the event that the kicking team illegally kicks off the out of bounds or makes a short free kick on two or more onside kicks, the receivers take position of the ball at the dead spot, the out of bounds spot, or the location of the illegal touch.

So those are the basics. When it comes to the sack, the NFL made a new rule in 1982. Individual sacks were to be counted as an official number. The new rules stated that only two players can share in a sack. Start watching the games and learn more about the greatest sport of all time. Catch the game this week and watch live tv online to download the latest and greatest football moments of all time.

Who do you think will make it to the Superbowl this year?

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