Some questions from Germany

[amorentz]

Really great to have a Skins fan from Germany! I hear American Football is really becoming big over there... To answer your questions (and anyone else please correct or expand on my answers):

1) The ball is placed where the runner stops his forward progress. So, in your example, if Portis runs to the 10 yard line and is pushed back to the 15 the ball would be placed at the 10, as it was the furthest forward that he reached before he stopped moving forward. This is designed to prevent Lavar Arrington from picking up Tiki Barber and carrying him back into his own endzone for a safety!

2) If a player intercepts the ball in the endzone (or fields a kickoff or punt in the endzone for that matter) and breaks the plane of the endzone (any part of his body leaving the endzone) he has left the protection of it. Therefore, if he is tacked in the endzone after leaving it, it will be ruled a safety.

3) As for who is drafted there is a relatively simple rule. Anyone who is three years removed from their high school graduation may declare for the NFL draft. Therefore you might see college juniors, college sophmores who redshirted (did not participate in the active college roster) for a year or guys who drove a beer truck for three years after graduating high school. So it is indeed possible for a player with one or two years left in college to declare for the draft so long as he is three years removed from his high school graduation date.

4) Not a huge soccer fan, but I do watch the DC United on occasion. I was also in Greece during the 2002 World Cup, and that was quite an experience!

Keep rooting for those Skins!

[jgalecpa]

Guten Tag, GFOT!

Welcome to the warpath.

The place where skins fan gather to celebrate the best American Football team on earth!

Where people feel free to question team moves by a Hall of Fame coach, but the courage to admit they were wrong and he was right.

Where we feel free to good naturedly kid each other, "Cause it all just good fun".

I do follow the English Premier league a bit. Favorite team would be Arsenal, but also Man U.

By the way, last I checked Man U was the only sports Franchise in the world more valuable than our Washington Redskins.

One thing I do admire about soccer vs American Football, when you have a World Championship you invite people from other countries.


Welcome, again.

Jim

[TheGuyFromOverThere]

Thanks for the nice welcome

I´m reading this forum for a couple of weeks now and what I like here vs the forums of my favorite soccer club is that even when you critisize players or coaches you don´t insult them, what is a bad thing that happens here often.

About the World Championship, well, I don´t think that any other country then the U.S. would have a chance to win that championship. It would come the same way like your firste Basketball Dream Team dominated the Olympic Games. Maybe in 10 or 15 years other countries will be able to give you real competition. And I see Germany in the first place here, because it seems we like Football most compared to the other European Countries. 5 of 6 teams in the NFL Europe are now German Teams. Even though most players are American, it brings our kids to the sport.

Oh, another question... does anyone of you have some sound files from the crowd at FedEx field? I´d like to compare it to our home stadium crowd, where I always drive home without the ability to talk any more .

Well... I´m off to bed... 00:12 AM here now... will look after your answers when I´m awaken again...

greets,
me