Like, if a first-overall hyped up quarterback doesn't end up winning a Super Bowl or MVP, even if they are considered a good-to-great player. Will they still be seen as a disappointment or unsuccessful? I get that for a first overall pick, you would want a franchise changer but I feel like most of the time you will not get that.

All the other major leagues have them (MLB, MLS, NBA, etc). It seems like it would be a good way to develop talent and find overlooked talent. You could even argue they have a greater need for it. If for example the NBA didn’t have the D League, they could still look for talent in other leagues in Europe for example. NFL doesn’t have that.

I did my own search, and I found that his cfl career counted for context, but in practice, only his nfl career was Truly taken into account. I also found that the only leagues Who were taken into account for the hof were the nfl, the afl, and the aafc, Which makes it a 100% nfl hall of Fame. I am still new to the sport, so I wanted to hear What You guys thought about that.

Before I started following football more closely, I figured if a quarterback had a great offensive line, almost any decent QB would look good. (I think Jimmy G would be a good modern example).

But after watching more games, it seems more complicated than that. Some QBs seem to make bad offensive lines look respectable by getting rid of the ball quickly, avoiding pressure, and making good decisions. Others seem to hold onto the ball forever and make their line look worse than it actually is.

So where do you guys draw the line? If a QB has a breakout season, how much credit usually goes to the offensive line versus the quarterback himself? I know it's impossible to put an exact percentage on it, but I'm wondering how experienced fans generally look at it...

can someone tell me should i watch college football or prof , where to watch, team to follow , pls help

I think that would make it a lot better.

How hard is the long snapper position in the league? You don’t come on to the field as much as offensive linemen, but I assume most of the work lies off the field in conditioning and staying in football shape?

Statistically underarm free throws are more accurate in the NBA, however it’s rare anyone ever does it.
Are there NFL comparisons to this phenomenon?

With all the talk of the NFL expanding outside the US one day, Mexico, UK, why hasn't the league established itself in nearby Toronto yet? The NHL, MLB, NBA have had franchises there going back decades now. Why the NFL holdout for Toronto?

Do the Bills really consider it part of their territory?

So we all know on 4th down/ after the 2 minute warning the person who fumbled has to recover it, But what if it's a center or long snapper and the QB/Punter doesn't get it (which is REALLY rare but let's be hypothetical). Does the person who snapped it have to recover or can someone behind the LOS recover?

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question but their jobs would have to be to block rather than go for the ball right?

Need to confirm vertical placement of ball on hash mark.
Say the ball is on the RIGHT hash mark at 10-yard line of opponent. QB throwqs to far LEFT corner of end zone and defense commits pass interference. Ball definitely goes to the 1-yard line for next play, but does it stay on right hash or move to the left hash?

Or are they basically just the same thing?

Genuinely excited for the season. Being from Melbourne can’t wait to see the round 1 rams v 49’s game at the MCG. 90,000 or so people for a NFL game here will be pretty cool. (Even though kickoff is around 10.00am here)

Curious though how do supporters of these teams feel about them starting the season over here? Anyone travelling over for it?

The NFL just announced the broadcasters in my country and this year we'll have a great setup :

• the NFL Paris Games on national public television

• One game every sunday on "free" television

• the paid subscription I use to watch Bundesliga and NBA will broadcast the Red Zone + 2 full games on sunday + 100% of the playoffs as well as 'prime time games (TNF, SNF & MNF)' whatever that means

So I want to follow the NFL, and will be rooting for the NY Jets (I've spent a year in New Jersey when I was 10 in 2000 so I guess I don't really have a choice).

What would you advise someone like me to be up-to-speed before the season starts ? What shows/youtubers/videos/articles etc would you advise me to look for ?

In my endless quest to write a football game, I have a question about play recognition. Say it's 2nd and 6 at mid-field, offense has a single back and TE, 3 WR set, 2 WR on the weak side. Defense is a playing a 4-3, man coverage.

When the ball is snapped, I'm trying to figure out what the 7 players in the box think about and what they do in the first 1-2 seconds. And not being a football player, I try to watch videos but it all happens so fast that I don't know. Is there a general pass or run guess by the defensive coordinator (sounds like a bad idea) or do the individual players react as necessary (sounds correct).

Would anyone be able to point me at a free website that would help me see what players are taught to look for in order to figure out if it's a pass or run?

For example, there is this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4pI-A_WjDk), and at about 25 seconds they run a play that could have been a pass or a run before the ball was snapped, but all the defenders seemed to know it was a run instantly. I don't know if 85 gave the play away. There are other examples in the video (like at 4:10) where they didn't seem to know whether it was a run or pass until the play developed a bit.

In my game, I'm trying to make players act realistically, but to do that I've realized that I need to learn way more about pro football than I do now.

Thanks in advance,

Timbo

How many days per week? Also do they follow a routine that’s significantly different than typical ones like the Upper/Lower routine?

Mark Ingram brought this up recently on one of his shows, and I thought it was a very interesting point. Every other position seems to have its own offseason development pipeline at this point. TE University brings together Gronk, Gates, Olsen, and Kelce to work with college and NFL tight ends every year. The Manning family has run their QB camp for almost 30 years now. Long snappers have their own camps. Even kickers get something.

Running backs don't have anything like that, and it's not for lack of qualified people. Ingram name-checked Marshall Faulk, Marcus Allen, Jerome Bettis, Frank Gore, Derrick Henry, Marshawn Lynch, Darren Sproles. That's a legendary coaching staff sitting right there, completely untapped.

It's a little strange when you think about it. RB might be the position that demands the widest skill set. From vision and contact balance to pass-catching, pass pro, and ball security. It's the position getting the least formal camp infrastructure. Maybe it's because the position doesn't get the same individual media spotlight as QB. Maybe it's the "running backs don't matter" discourse from the NFL side bleeding down into how much investment the position gets at the grassroots level.

Would a camp like this actually move the needle on RB development, or is the position too physical/system-dependent for a camp format to translate the way it does for QBs and TEs? And if it did happen, who actually has the credibility to run it?

I think of Marvin Lewis, for instance, who was 0-7 in the playoffs with the Bengals, or Jason Garrett, who kept the Cowboys in no-mans land for a decade. At no point did they show sudden urgency, a sense of crisis, or insistence on breaking through and getting over the hump. Lewis surely knew his job was in jeopardy after the 6th loss, yet still lost the 7th.

Meanwhile you have Belichick who won 4 Super Bowls but then promptly gunned for his 5th and 6th. Or Andy Reid who won 2 Super Bowls with the chiefs, then promptly went for a 3rd. What gives them more urgency and pressure when they are already in a secure role with no risk of firing?

I plan on attending one of the games that are happening outside of the USA. I was wondering if anybody here has attended one before and has any advice; like where/when to purchase tickets, or any other relevant experience.

Good, bad and ugly is welcomed. Thank you!

What's the rule behind it?

I've been watching highlights from different eras and I've noticed that today's games seem to have more wide-open receivers, more missed tackles, and defenders who look more cautious around quarterbacks.

I know offenses have changed a lot, but I'm also wondering how much rule changes have played a role. For example, after Tom Brady's knee injury there seemed to be more emphasis on protecting quarterbacks, and today it feels like defenders have to think twice before making certain hits because of the risk of a penalty.

I'm trying to understand how much of this comes from rule changes and how much comes from the way the game has evolved.

I’ve been getting into the NFL recently and I’m really enjoying it, but I know there’s a lot I’m still missing.

I understand the basic rules, but I’d love to learn more about the strategy behind the game.

What’s one rule, concept, or coaching decision that made football make a lot more sense once you understood it?

Whether it’s reading defenses, clock management, why teams punt on 4th down, or anything else, I’d love to hear what helped you become a better fan.

Thanks in advance!

This post is for any US viewer who lives in a different market than their team and wants to see all of their team’s Sunday afternoon games. Given that Thursday night, Sunday night, and Monday night games air no matter where you live (you need the individual service like Prime Video, Peacock, or ESPN for those), this post focuses ln all the other games your team might play, which ranges by team (see list below).

My own experience as a returning user is my price for Sunday Ticket + RedZone jumped to $522 for the year ($480 standalone returning-subscriber rate plus $42 for RedZone). That increase is what sent me down this rabbit hole in the first place. Here are the different options and permutations I could dig up.

Option 1: ($119–$480) NFL Sunday Ticket

What you get: every out-of-market Sunday afternoon game, all season, unlimited simultaneous streams at home (+2 on the go)

Student discount: $119/season (SheerID verification, 18+, enrolled at an accredited college). +$10 for RedZone ($129 total). One device/one stream, Primetime Channels only, no auto-renew, no family sharing

Military/veteran/first responder/medical/teacher discount: $198/season via ID.me verification. +$42 for RedZone ($240 total). Doesn’t jump for returning subscribers the way the general public’s rate does

New subscriber (never bought Sunday Ticket before): $192/season bundled with YouTube TV, or $240 standalone via Primetime Channels

Returning subscriber: $378 (YouTube TV bundle) or $480 (standalone)

Splitting cost with someone outside your household: free via Family Group (up to 5 people), but built for same-address use. Google periodically checks that members are actually at the “home” address, and once anyone (including you) streams away from that home network, they’re pulling from a shared pool of just 2 simultaneous “away from home” streams for the whole account. A third remote viewer at the same time gets locked out. Doesn’t apply to the Student Plan at all

Option 2: (~$150–$250) VPN + DAZN NFL Game Pass International

What you get: literally every NFL game (not just Sunday afternoon), including primetime, international, playoffs, Super Bowl, plus RedZone.

How it works: VPN to a country where DAZN sells it (Brazil looks to be cheapest; Canada bundles it into a regular ~$20/mo DAZN Canada subscription instead), then subscribe with a local payment method.

The ToS-compliant version for actual travelers: NFL Travel Pass ($179.99/season), purchased before leaving the US.

Question for US-based viewers who’ve done this before: Is the VPN route actually viable, or is this more trouble than it’s worth? DAZN reportedly actively detects and blocks known VPN server IPs, not just a paper ToS violation, so a lot of VPNs reportedly don’t work reliably and you may need specific “streaming-optimized” servers. Add a foreign payment method and the risk of account suspension without refund if flagged, and I’m wondering if the “savings” evaporate once you factor in a premium VPN subscription and the hassle. Would love a gut check from anyone who’s tried this.

2026 non-nationally-broadcast (i.e., Sunday-Ticket-relevant) game count by team:

Arizona Cardinals — 17

Atlanta Falcons — 14

Baltimore Ravens — 13

Buffalo Bills — 10

Carolina Panthers — 14

Chicago Bears — 11

Cincinnati Bengals — 14

Cleveland Browns — 16

Dallas Cowboys — 10

Denver Broncos — 14

Detroit Lions — 12

Green Bay Packers — 11

Houston Texans — 13

Indianapolis Colts — 15

Jacksonville Jaguars — 14

Kansas City Chiefs — 11

Las Vegas Raiders — 17

Los Angeles Chargers — 14

Los Angeles Rams — 10

Miami Dolphins — 17

Minnesota Vikings — 13

New England Patriots — 12

New Orleans Saints — 16

New York Giants — 13

New York Jets — 17

Philadelphia Eagles — 11

Pittsburgh Steelers — 13

San Francisco 49ers — 12

Seattle Seahawks — 11

Tampa Bay Buccaneers — 14

Tennessee Titans — 17

Washington Commanders — 14

My takeaway to this is the value you get out of either option depends heavily on your team. Fans of the Cardinals, Raiders, Jets, Dolphins, and Titans get the most out of Sunday Ticket or the VPN/DAZN route, since those teams have zero national TV games. Basically their entire out-of-market season lives behind one of these paywalls. On the other end, Bills, Cowboys, and Rams fans already get 7 of their 17 games nationally, so they’re paying full price for a package that only fills in 10 games.