NFL novice

MooShop · 06-09-2013 2:51am #1

Hey everyone,

I'm a novice when it comes to NFL, but it's a sport I have become more interested in through the years. I have a basic understanding of the rules and would like to start watching it regularly. I have watched a few games here and there and the last couple of years I've watched the Superbowl.

I guess my question is, where should I start? I don't really have any knowledge as regards to teams or players, and the format is something that I have no clue about. Though, I have never actually looked into it to try to understand it I guess!

How did you start watching NFL, and how did you start following a team?

Any sort of guidance or tips would be great really. I guess if I watched it regularly I would get familiar with players and teams etc.

Arawn · 06-09-2013 2:52am

sky sports 2 now, start there.

Also watch packers. They are beast and are probably playing game of the week tomorrow vs the 49rs

mikemac1 · 06-09-2013 3:18am

Just stay watching and you don't pick the team. The team will pick you

Arawn · 06-09-2013 3:19am

Except the jets, nobody picks them and nobody wants to be

mikemac1 · 06-09-2013 3:19am

Arawn wrote: »

Also watch packers. They are beast and are probably playing game of the week tomorrow vs the 49rs

Packers playing college football now on Saturdays?

Arawn · 06-09-2013 3:22am

mikemac1 wrote: »

Packers playing college football now on Saturdays?

Ah feck off!! it's almost 4:30 am :P

InTheTrees · 06-09-2013 3:24am

I've been in the US for 20 years and still dont fully get the rules.

So I put $30 on the Seahawks to win the superbowl.

If that doesnt cause me to pay more attention I dont know what will...

FastFullBack · 06-09-2013 10:26am

Just start watching. Google novice guides, there's loads of there. I was in the same position last year. I also started listening to podcasts. Easy way to pick up info, players names etc.

MooShop · 06-09-2013 2:53pm

FastFullBack wrote: »

Just start watching. Google novice guides, there's loads of there. I was in the same position last year. I also started listening to podcasts. Easy way to pick up info, players names etc.

Thanks, any pod-casts you'd recommend?

Kylo Ren · 06-09-2013 5:35pm

MooShop wrote: »

Thanks, any pod-casts you'd recommend?

The Ross Tucker Football Podcast.

shamrock55 · 08-09-2013 9:07am

Op if its good exciting running football your after then look no further than the redskins:cool: oh and they are at home to the eagles on eurosport at midnight mon/tue morn

Arawn · 08-09-2013 9:09am

shamrock55 wrote: »

Op if its good exciting running football your after then look no further than the redskins:cool:

To be fair if it's running football you'd want to look at the vikings. He literally carries 52 other men with his running

shamrock55 · 08-09-2013 9:18am

Arawn wrote: »

To be fair if it's running football you'd want to look at the vikings. He literally carries 52 other men with his running

Sorry mate but vikings were 2nd to redskins for rushing yards and tds scored from running last year, close but no cigar;)

Arawn · 08-09-2013 9:45am

shamrock55 wrote: »

Sorry mate but vikings were 2nd to redskins for rushing yards and tds scored from running last year, close but no cigar;)

Yeah the running back who was babied for the first 4 games but still came within 7 yards of the record after getting his knee back together.

MooShop · 09-09-2013 3:04am

Thanks for all your responses guys, albeit most of them are over my head!!!

I have some serious watching and learning to do before choosing a team or, as it was put to me in this thread, a team chooses me!

I tried listening to that podcast, 'The Ross Tucker Show'. Is it just me or does he sound like Al Bundy?!! I couldn't take him seriously!! I think I will stick to video highlights shows, may be better at the start to learn visually...rules, tactics, players etc. A lot of buzz words I need to get my head around.

This should be an interesting journey! I'll keep you informed and try to contribute here from time to time!

Arawn · 09-09-2013 3:35am

MooShop wrote: »

Thanks for all your responses guys, albeit most of them are over my head!!!

I have some serious watching and learning to do before choosing a team or, as it was put to me in this thread, a team chooses me!

I tried listening to that podcast, 'The Ross Tucker Show'. Is it just me or does he sound like Al Bundy?!! I couldn't take him seriously!! I think I will stick to video highlights shows, may be better at the start to learn visually...rules, tactics, players etc. A lot of buzz words I need to get my head around.

This should be an interesting journey! I'll keep you informed and try to contribute here from time to time!

just on a note. Check out the vikings lions game today. Was a fantastic,crazy game

MooShop · 09-09-2013 4:53am

Thanks, I'll have a look for it later after I finish work!

Arawn · 09-09-2013 5:45am

ps,ed o neil is a serious bloke, real life bjj blackbelt

Gweedling · 09-09-2013 3:46pm

Welcome to the forum moo!
I'm relatively new to the game myself, first developed a passion for it about 18 months ago. If you have a games console get yourself a demo or full game of madden, that's what sparked me from a passing interest into a full love of the game. Playing the computer game gives you a great insight into the million different tactical things that are going on every minute.
You'll pick up different rules and fundamentals as you go along, but remember you can be a fan of the game 20 years on and still have a lot to learn. It's definitely worth it. Also, stick around places like here, it's important to have friends/internet nerds that you can talk to about the game. None of my RL friends are NFL fans, so I'm often on here to share opinions.

mikemac1 · 09-09-2013 3:52pm

MooShop wrote: »

I tried listening to that podcast, 'The Ross Tucker Show'. Is it just me or does he sound like Al Bundy?!! I couldn't take him seriously!!

Give the show a few goes

I didn't like him either at first over at ESPN but it is an excellent podcast

Any teams in Week 1 grab your attention and you've taken a fancy to them?

Son Of A Vidic · 09-09-2013 4:52pm

Welcome to the forum Moo and here are some links that you might helpful. Don't be offended by the name of the first link below -'dummies.com'

. It has some really helpful stuff there for you, right down even to a Refs hand signals for offensive, defensive & gameplay penalties during a game.

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/sports-outdoors/football/Football-Basics.html

http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/beginnersguidetofootball

Take your time picking a team, there's no rush. As mikemac1 said earlier, your team will eventaully find you. But for that to happen, you need to make sure you can get as many games under your belt as possible.

MooShop · 10-09-2013 2:31am

Arawn wrote: »

just on a note. Check out the vikings lions game today. Was a fantastic,crazy game

I watched this full game last night....wow, what a game. So exciting and I learned so much, a lot of small technical things that I guess don't happen in every game! I watched this in full mainly because you recommended it, and partially because I haven't come across any highlight show. Is there a highlight/chat show similar to that of Match of the Day for the EPL?

Gweedling wrote: »

Welcome to the forum moo!
I'm relatively new to the game myself, first developed a passion for it about 18 months ago. If you have a games console get yourself a demo or full game of madden, that's what sparked me from a passing interest into a full love of the game. Playing the computer game gives you a great insight into the million different tactical things that are going on every minute.
You'll pick up different rules and fundamentals as you go along, but remember you can be a fan of the game 20 years on and still have a lot to learn. It's definitely worth it. Also, stick around places like here, it's important to have friends/internet nerds that you can talk to about the game. None of my RL friends are NFL fans, so I'm often on here to share opinions.

I don't have a console but it is a good idea, was contemplating investing in one because of the new GTA. Not sure if I will be getting it any time soon though! I will be sticking around here though and probably will end up being annoying, asking too many questions!! It's been great to have all the comments so far and I'm really looking forward to watching a full season and talking about it on here!

mikemac1 wrote: »

Give the show a few goes

I didn't like him either at first over at ESPN but it is an excellent podcast

Any teams in Week 1 grab your attention and you've taken a fancy to them?

I might give him another go so, just found him quiet irritating to be honest. Well I have only watched one game from Week 1 yet, on the lookout for a highlight show!

I loved the Vikings v Lions game. Reggie Bush, really stood out for me in that game. Also, Adrian Petersen looks like a dangerous player, give him any sort of time or space and it looks like he can really punish defences. I really enjoyed that game but would like to watch a bit more and become more familiar with other teams and players.

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Welcome to the forum Moo and here are some links that you might helpful. Don't be offended by the name of the first link below -'dummies.com' . It has some really helpful stuff there for you, right down even to a Refs hand signals for offensive, defensive & gameplay penalties during a game.

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/sports-outdoors/football/Football-Basics.html

http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/beginnersguidetofootball

Take your time picking a team, there's no rush. As mikemac1 said earlier, your team will eventaully find you. But for that to happen, you need to make sure you can get as many games under your belt as possible.

Haha, thanks Corvus, and no offence taken. I will definitely have a look at those links later when I have a bit of time. Thanks for the recommendations!

madalig12 · 10-09-2013 11:32am

Channel 4 have a Saturday morning highlights show starts on Saturday coming, don't know if they will show much or not. They are also going to screen Hard Knocks which is worth a watch.

Al_Coholic · 11-09-2013 8:30pm

I learned the rules by playing the video game,at the beginning i was so confused but now know a lot of the rules,that was 15 years ago and i have loved the sport since then.

Paully D · 11-09-2013 9:44pm

Plenty of highlights on the NFL.com website if you want them, MooShop. Hover over the video tap, then select NFL Gameday under that heading and the scroll down to where you see, for example, GameDay: Giants vs Cowboys highlights (they will have other games too). Direct link below:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday#all

Welcome to the forum by the way

Chucky the tree · 11-09-2013 10:35pm

Buy/download one of the NFL madden games. You'll pick up player names, positions etc far quicker doing it that way than watching videos imo.

MooShop · 12-09-2013 9:41am

Thanks for all the welcoming posts.

I have sifted my way through most of the Week 1 game highlights now, just wish they were a bit longer and more in-depth!!

As for playing NFL Madden games, that's a great idea, however, I don't have a console. Is there a PC version of the game?

Chucky the tree · 12-09-2013 10:52am

Yea there is. All releases of the game are on PC.

McG · 12-09-2013 11:00am

Chucky the tree wrote: »

Yea there is. All releases of the game are on PC.

I don't think that's been the case for years now.

MooShop · 12-09-2013 11:15am

McG wrote: »

I don't think that's been the case for years now.

Yeah a quick search and it looks like the last PC release was '08.

Chucky the tree · 12-09-2013 11:57am

McG wrote: »

I don't think that's been the case for years now.

MooShop wrote: »

Yeah a quick search and it looks like the last PC release was '08.

Ah right, came up on amazon when I checked quickly but seems it's a dud.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Madden-NFL-13-PC-DVD/dp/B00844SNH6

MooShop · 12-09-2013 12:19pm

It's a pity there's no management version of Madden or an NFL manager of any kind, kind of surprising!

mikemac1 · 12-09-2013 12:30pm

Fantasy football will let you wheel and deal

There is a forum at the top of the page and there is a league for late starters in there.

When I wanted to learn about baseball I joined the boards.ie fantasy league. A-Rod and Derkek Jeter were the only players I'd heard of!
Fantasy will give you an interest in all the games and you'll be looking up who the backups are, injury news and how good the defences are

give it a go

BKWDR · 12-09-2013 8:12pm

MooShop wrote: »

It's a pity there's no management version of Madden or an NFL manager of any kind, kind of surprising!

Hi Moo! Newbie here too...the rules you will pick up as you watch games, handy if its with others who can explain plays / penalties etc.

Look up NFL Game pass, is quality way to watch the games of a Sunday, there are other threads on the forum about it. Also they offer games condensed to 30 mins and the big plays which make it easy to watch if stuck for time

NFL Fantasy leagues, great management game, and addictive!

Channel4 have the late game on Sunday, sky now has a few games and you will pick up streams online for other games. Lads are friendly on here too...unless you're a Jets fan ;-)

ColmH81 · 15-09-2013 8:53pm

Naive question... But what's wrong with the Jets??

UnitedIrishman · 16-09-2013 1:18am

ColmH81 wrote: »

Naive question... But what's wrong with the Jets??

It's nearly easier to list what's right with them!

What's wrong is they've invested too much in Mark Sanchez who never fulfilled the early promise he showed, Rex Ryan while a competent coach is too much of an ego to have as head coach (and then throw in egos like Santonio Holmes into the mix), the NY public/press are among the most demanding and cynical in the league and they've just made a lot of bad choices from board level to the pitch.

NFL novice

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