The point of the game is to get the ball into the opposing team’s end zone, or to prevent the opposing team from getting the ball into your team’s end zone. You can throw it to someone and have them try and catch it there, or catch it and run it there. Or, you can hand it off and have someone just run it there without a pass being involved at all. If you feel as though you’re not going to make it there, then you can attempt to kick it there for less points.
There are linemen, offensive ones who protect the quarterback, (the guy who throws the ball), from being tackled before he has a chance to throw it, and who make blocks and create lanes for a running back, (the guy who takes the hand-off and attempts to just run the ball). And there are defensive linemen who attempt to sack the quarterback and attempt to tackle the running back to prevent him from getting downfield with the ball. There are also defensive players in the backfield who can lay down massive hits to stop a running back who has made it past the linemen, and who can do the same to a receiver who has caught a pass and is now trying to get to the end zone and score.
So you don’t know whether the other team is going to try and run or pass, and so you have to account for both. And if you’re the offensive team, you don’t know whether they are going to all rush the quarterback at once or if they’re going to spread out and try and cover the receivers thus creating more time for the quarterback to decide what to do with the ball.
It’s a substantially more physical sport than soccer, and requires as much, or more strategy to formulate an effective game plan. Not to mention that you get significantly more explosive plays where shit is actually happening on the field that’s interesting to watch.
I mean, in soccer almost no one scores ever. In basketball everyone scores all the time. If football, you get some scores that you expect, and some you don’t expect, and sometimes a team has to suddenly be on their toes and take risks to catch up. It’s just an overall more interesting game.
Here’s what happens when the offensive line fails to protect the quarterback.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVw50e_udg8[/youtube]
Here’s what happens when the defense tries to blitz the QB and fails, and the guys who should have been downfield fail to cover the receiver.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0azywbCNoA[/youtube]
Here’s what happens when you have an 18 year old kid who’s 6 foot 4, weights 240lbs and can run 100 yards in 4.6 seconds. No one can stop him.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY6bKadSW0o[/youtube]
Here’s what happens when you’re in open space and fail to identify the defensive player who’s about to knock the teeth out of your head if you keep moving the ball toward his end zone.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ki6Fz-W_fY[/youtube]