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american footbal is a complex game. It took me over a decade of watching to begin to understand most of what goes on. It really is like 5 dimensional chess.
Holding - on Offense, the offensive line cannot actually grab and tackle a defender. Their job is to hit them, get in their way, and push them away from whoever has the ball (QB or RB). If they grab a guy who is turning around to chase the ballcarrier, in order to keep him from going after the guy, that is a Offensive holding penalty. If it was not a penalty the O-line would have a very big advantage on running plays, since whoever they were facing could not give chase.
Pass Interference - This is called when a defender hits or rabs a receiver before the ball gets to the receiver. The receiver must be given a chance to make a play on the ball. a defender can go for the ball too, and that is all good, but if he just hits or grabs a receiver to keep that receiver from getting to the ball, then that is interference. If they time it just right though, and hit the guy at the moment the ball is there, that is perfect.
The line of scrimmage (the imaginary line marking where the ball is placed before each down) is important to this. There is a ten yard "cushion" (I think it is ten yards, maybe 5) from the line of scrimmage where a defender can hit the receiver. Basically, right when the ball is snapped, you can pop a receiver hard, but once he is into his route, past that "cushion" the defender has to use his athletic ability to keep up with him, instead of just hitting or grabing him.
like in basketball, thre is a clock that determines how long a team has before they snap the ball (in BBALL it determines how long they have until they have to shoot the ball). If that clock runs out there is a delay of game penalty on the offense. If there is less time on the game clock than the shot clock, then the team with the ball does not have to snap it, and can just let the clock run out.
any more questions?
I am glad no one got crippled last night. If you watch more games !#$#$ you will see that in nearkly each one someone is crippled and carted off the field. Last year I saw a Vikings guy break his femur. No one breaks the femur!! its the densest and strongest bone in the body!
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