An Introduction to American Football

Thomas Bishop85 said:Wow. Just... wow. Unbelievable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of_oTtyLoec
What a game. Honestly, after halftime, I figured the Philadelphia Eagles would just wrap it up in the third, but the New Orleans Saints caught everyone off guard. Riewolt, Hayes, Del Santa... man, what a ride.
The pub was packed—about 30 of us. Half were local players and half were Australians. It was split down the middle, half cheering for the Saints and half for the Eagles, though the Saints fans definitely had more volume. That energy after Riewolt's mark early in the fourth quarter was something else.

So, what’s next? Another game next week. The pub mentioned they're opening at 6 again, but most of our guys won't be there since we're heading to Milan for the UEFA Euro (http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_p...soc=8112&pID=1). Still, those Australians who were there and are sticking around will show up next week. If anyone wants to hang out and watch the game with the real fans, feel free to drop by...
And if any of you want to come out and train...

I'm no expert, but Goddard was impressive. That mark he made toward the end was easily the best play of the game.

good luck in Milan 👍

Thomas Bishop85 said:Wow... just wow. I’m honestly speechless... absolutely incredible...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of_oTtyLoec
What a game. Seriously, after halftime, I was convinced the Philadelphia Eagles were going to wrap this up in the third quarter, but the New Orleans Saints really threw us a curveball. Between Riewolt, Hayes, and Del Santa... man, what a ride.
We had about 30 people at the pub—split right down the middle between about 15 of us Americans and 15 Australians. It was a total toss-up, half cheering for the Saints and half for the Eagles, though the Saints fans were definitely louder. The energy when Riewolt made that mark early in the fourth quarter? Pure electricity.

You're lying, 😁

Most of them were rooting for the Saints. I showed up wearing my Eagles jersey, so I felt "obligated" to cheer for them, I guess. Honestly, I might just toss this jersey in the trash; next weekend, I'll be rooting for Kilday to absolutely crush them.

Go Knights go!

quietfox38 said:I’m no big-shot expert or anything, but man, Goddard absolutely killed it—that mark he pulled off toward the end of the game was easily the smartest play of the whole match.

Good luck in Milan. 👍

You're probably right—maybe it was Mark who really outplayed Goddard. He’s been killing it in the midfield, just constant handpasses, totally dismantling the Eagles' rhythm. I mean, he basically handed them two goals, including that final one from the Saints.

Good luck in Milan—I'll hit the forum once we're back... And then I'll see you all on October 9th for the Cup final. I'll let you know if it ends up being in a suburb or right in the middle of the city.

I just finished watching the replay of that championship game, and man, I am officially hooked on this sport. It’s fast, high-energy, and the rules are actually pretty easy to wrap your head around once you see them in action. 🙂

Good luck in Milan from my end, too—and seriously, let me know when there's a game happening near Chicago.

BTW, is that ball something special or just a standard rugby ball?

Thomas Bishop85 said:Maybe one of you could show up and coach me...

Can anyone give me some details on the training schedule and membership fees?

Just a heads-up—training sessions are shifting this week. We’re hitting the field Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 5:00 PM at the Youth center near Difa, since we're heading out to New York City this Thursday. Once we get back from NYC, there'll be a few more practices because the US Open Cup final is set for October 9th—still waiting to hear if it's happening in Aurora or Chicago.

Swing by whenever you can. All newcomers are welcome, and don't sweat it—someone will walk you through the basics during your first couple of sessions before you jump straight into the regular rotation.
Membership dues are $167 per year, and that actually covers all our travel. To give you an idea, this year we did a one-day game in Denver, a three-day tournament in Sacramento, a nine-day trip out to Unknown and Seattle (for the championship), and now we're off to New York City (for the UEFA Champions League)—all handled by the dues. If anyone wants to tag along to New York City with us, check the previous page; everything you need to know is already laid out there. Also, there's plenty of info over at www.footycroatia.com

no comment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQewsHQkOY

I’m honestly just surprised nobody’s shouted, "Get Aussie rules into the betting lines NOW!" 😂

restlessscout2 said:I’m honestly just shocked nobody has shouted, "Get American football into the betting lines NOW!"😂

From what I’ve heard, it’s already available at the sportsbook you’re using for your profile pic

Thomas Bishop85 said:From what I heard, he’s actually available at whatever sportsbook you've got in your profile pic

Nah, you're tripping—he was up for a lottery drawing like four years ago... definitely not anymore☕

Anyone down to hit up Old Pharmacy this Saturday at 6:30 to catch the Super Bowl replay (New England Patriots vs. St. Kilda)? If it’s as wild as last week's game, the vibe in there is gonna be insane. Just trying to see if we have enough people to actually make it worth the pub opening its doors.

http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/40463...vi-ce-vitezovi

I've got some connections. I'll talk Dančija into setting things up for me, and then we can link up 😁.

Kickoff is tomorrow at 6:30 AM
👋 New Orleans Saints 👋

Woke up at 6:30, flipped on the TV, and there’s women's tennis on ESPN 2 😳

Then I caught the stream, honestly should've stayed away. The New England Patriots absolutely crushed St. Kilda. In the first quarter, the Saints could barely get past midfield. There was this one moment where Riewoldt was wide open in front of the net, but instead of playing it safe, he tried to hammer it home—then out of nowhere, Maxwell flies in and blocks it for a behind 🤦

By the end of the first quarter, the Saints players were already gasping for air, hands on their knees. They tried to mount a comeback in the second, but you just can't dig yourself out of a hole after starting with seven behinds and zero goals. Once the Patriots pulled off those fast breaks by putting the ball into an empty net, the game was basically over

congrats

Thanks!
Here is a little bit of what the media is saying... more to come soon...

http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/40498...vi-uzeli-zlato
http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_p...ctionID=188341

For everyone who mentioned they’d swing by to watch when we're playing near Chicago or maybe even try to get some training in—heads up. This Saturday, 10/09, from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, we've got the US Open Cup final happening over at FC Dallas's auxiliary field in Aurora...

I've been watching these videos, and I'm still a bit confused about the rules once the ball is kicked. Does play stop immediately after a player catches it, or what? I notice some players pause while others just keep right on going. Can someone clarify how this works?

Ronald Gonzalez31 said:I've been watching these videos and I'm still a bit lost on the rules once the ball gets kicked. Does play stop immediately when a player catches it, or what? I see some guys pause while others just keep charging ahead. Can someone clear this up for me?

From what I gather, it's called a mark. Once he grabs it, the ref blows the whistle and the other team has to back off a certain distance. He can choose to keep running if he thinks he can make headway, or he can just plant his feet, take a breather, and take a free kick.

Looking for an expert to confirm or shut this down.

The rules are pretty straightforward to pick up
And yeah, I can't quite remember the official term for it, but when a player catches a kicked ball, the defender has to stay on an imaginary line where they were positioned at the exact moment of the catch. Then, the player who caught the ball gets about 10 seconds—I think that's the rule, anyway—to either kick it away, pass it to a teammate, or just keep running...

I’ve caught a few games on ESPN 2 here and there, but mostly I just spend my time training for American football... It's all fun and games until they start bringing in the heavy hitters on defense😉