Wikipedia:Peer review/American football/archive1

American football

Long-term editors have tried to maintain a balance between keeping the article simple for those unfamiliar with the sport and accomodating people who add more detail here and there. I'm especially interested in hearing from non-Americans who don't know anything about the game, as they can say whether the article makes sense to them. -- Mwalcoff 02:25, 28 December 2005 (UTC)

(Full disclosure: I'm a member of WikiProject Football, and edit articles about a very different type of football). I'm non-American and have never been able to fathom why gridiron stops all the time. Maybe now I can work it out.

Overall the article seems to do a decent job. A look at Cricket (which is featured IIRC) may help with ideas on how to explain a seemingly complex game to newcomers.

Some issues, none of them overwhelming, with two main points:

• The article lacks a description or link to a description of what a tackle is and what forms of contact are permitted.
• A description of the equipment necessary for teams to play a game is not included

Minor things:

• The Objective sentence could do with rewording, though I'm not sure how. Rugby and Aussie rules score points for reaching the other end of the field, but association football and gaelic football do not.
• Why does an NFL team have 53 players? It seems an odd number to someone like me who is unfamiliar with the game.
• Is a snap always thrown between the legs? (my confusion is more due to lack of readability in the article Snap (American football) than the American football article)
• Is punting the ball to a member of your own team allowed?
• Does conceding a penalty result in any disciplinary action against the player who broke the rules? Oldelpaso 17:15, 28 December 2005 (UTC)

Thank you for your comments. This is sort of like when missionaries landed on remote Pacific islands and had to translate Bible verses about shepherds to people who had never seen animals other than fish and birds. How do you explain a tackle? This is something I'll have to think about.

Regarding some of your other questions:

• The 53-man roster is a result of negotiations between NFL owners and the players' union. Obviously, the players want big rosters.
• Yes, the snap must always go through the center's legs, although whether the center hands it directly to the quarterback or throws it behind him to the quarterback (or another player) depends on the offensive formation being used. I agree that snap (American football) is poorly written and needs improvement.
• No, you cannot kick the ball to a teammate. As mentioned in punt (football), you can't recover a punt kicked by your own team unless the other team has touched it first. If a member of the kicking team grabbes a punted ball, the other team gets the ball at that spot. The goal is to do this really close to the other team's end zone so they have to start with really bad field position.
• Very flagrant personal fouls, such as shoving the referee, can result in the player's ejection from the game in addition to the standard 15 yards. In other cases, only the team is penalized... although the coach might make sure the offending player gets a good chewing-out. -- Mwalcoff 23:53, 28 December 2005 (UTC)

OK, I've added a section called "A violent game" that may answer some of your concerns. -- Mwalcoff 00:34, 29 December 2005 (UTC)

Yes, that makes things clearer. Oldelpaso 10:46, 29 December 2005 (UTC)

I've just noticed that the Popularity section doesn't mention that the vast majority of American football is played in the US compared to that played elsewhere. The list of leagues mentions a Womens League, so maybe the statement in the Popularity section which says "Organized football is played almost exclusively by men and boys" needs changing. Also, if you intend to go through FAC, more references/footnotes may be needed.

I changed the word "abroad" to "elsewhere" in the list of leagues. Oldelpaso 11:15, 29 December 2005 (UTC)

Done. Thanks for your input -- Mwalcoff 00:12, 30 December 2005 (UTC)