The Kickoff Rules of a Football Game
Like virtually everything else in football, kickoffs are strictly governed by a set of rules. In the kickoff, one team attempts to block the other and the kicking team wants to stop the returner inside his own 20-yard line. Both sides must abide by these rules:
The receiving team must line up a minimum of 10 yards from where the ball is kicked.
Members of the kicking team can recover the ball after the kick travels 10 yards or the ball touches an opponent.
If the kicked ball goes out of bounds before traveling 10 yards, the kicking team is penalized 5 yards and must rekick. If a member of the kicking team touches the ball before it travels 10 yards, the kicking team must rekick and is again penalized 5 yards.
A member of the kicking team can recover the ball in the end zone and be awarded a touchdown.
Members of the kicking team must give the receiving team’s returner the opportunity for a fair catch. If he signals for a fair catch, the players can’t touch him and can’t come within 3 feet of him until he touches the ball.
The receiving team gets the ball on its own 35-yard line if the kickoff goes out of bounds before reaching the end zone. If it bounces out before the 35-yard line, the receiving team receives the ball where it went out of bounds.
Football Glossary
ACC
The Atlantic Coast Conference of college football teams.
Football Glossary
AFC
An acronym for the American Football Conference.
Football Glossary
AFL
An acronym for the American Football League.
Football Glossary
BCS
An acronym for the Bowl Championship Series.
Football Glossary
Big Ten
A college athletic conference whose eleven-member institutions are located mainly in the Midwestern United States.
Football Glossary
bye week
A week during which an NFL team doesn’t play; every NFL team has one week of the season off.
Football Glossary
center
The player who snaps the ball to the quarterback. A center handles the ball on every play.
Football Glossary
DEF
An acronym for Team Defense.
Football Glossary
fullback
A player who’s responsible for blocking for the running back and also for pass-blocking to protect the quarterback. Fullbacks, who are generally bigger than running backs, are short-yardage runners.
Football Glossary
kicker; placekicker
The member of the special team who is responsible for field goal and extra point attempts.
Football Glossary
NCAA
An acronym for the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Football Glossary
NFC
An acronym for the National Football Conference.
Football Glossary
NFL
An acronym for the National Football League.
Football Glossary
Pac-10
The Pacific-10 Conference is a college athletic conference that operates in the western United States.
Football Glossary
Punt
A kick to the opponent without the use of a tee.
Football Glossary
quarterback
The leader of the team. The quarterback calls the plays in the huddle, yells the signals at the line of scrimmage, and then receives the ball from the center. Then he hands off the ball to a running back, throws it to a receiver, or runs with it.
Football Glossary
running back; tailback; halfback; wingback
A player who runs with the football.
Football Glossary
SEC
The Southeastern Conference of college football teams.
Football Glossary
snake draft
A draft in which each fantasy coach has one pick in each round. Each team makes its first-round pick based on a predetermined order.
Football Glossary
ST
An acronym for Special Teams.
Football Glossary
stud
A top-rated fantasy football starter.
Football Glossary
tight end
A player who serves as a receiver and also as a blocker. The tight end lines up beside the offensive tackle to the right or the left of the quarterback.
Football Glossary
waivers
A situation where a player is dropped from a team roster; the player goes on waivers for a limited time before becoming a free agent. All coaches then have a set amount of time (usually two days) to decide whether to add him to their teams.
Football Glossary
wide receiver
A player who uses his speed to elude defenders and catch the football. Teams use as many as two to four wide receivers on every play.
