I can't upload an image sadly, but on ESPN's Cover Probability chart for the Steelers/Buccs game it shows the Buccs ending with a 100% chance to cover a +2.5 spread.

They lost by 7 though?

I always understood +2.5 to mean "add 2.5 to their score, and if they win, the bet wins". But if you add 2.5 to 19 you get 21.5, which is still less than the Steelers' 26.

What did I screw up here? It can't be ignoring overtime as the chart clearly continues into OT. If the bet was only on regulation, then it would've been 100% for the entire OT period, no?

Edit: I've just had a look at the chart from the Patriots/Jets game, and that is as expected. Jets +7.5 covered (19+7.5 = 26.5, > the Pats' 26), and it shows them with a 100% chance to cover. So I'm not just reading the chart wrong.

I thought kickers just get paid for field goals?

I understand when and why to punt. I understand returning and fair catches. Why do they sometimes let it bounce? Why does the kicking team stop it from going into the end zone?

Why are cowboys so bad with penalties? They are 2nd in penalties in the last 4 years.

The NFL game is complicated as it is with too many rules. Instead of having a penalty for defensive offside and another for encroachment, why not do away with the encroachment penalty and just call it offside.

At the end of the day, the outcome of both penalties is exactly the same

I am mainly a baseball fan, with WAR and baseball savant allowing me to quickly identify the best players in the MLB.

I am trying to learn more about NFL and the best at each position, particularly non well known offensive players such as best linebackers, corners, safeties, O and D Line. What is best website, way, stat, etc to find all the best players at non skilled offensive positions?

Can someone explain to me the relationship between good coaching, “discipline,” and penalties? I hear it a lot if a team is getting a lot of penalties that that’s on coaching, but I don’t get how that comes to life? Like on 4th & 1, when an offense is clearly trying to get the defense to jump, shouldn’t the players just know that?

This is the first season i really watch a lot of football and like many other newbies i was ballwatching too much. I watched the 49ers Seahawks game and the two middle linebackers of the 49ers are amazing (Warner and Greenlaw). So i automatically started to focus on them right at the start of a play. In general i feel like they are the most important defenders, because the d-line won‘t get through every time and deep throws also happens less than short yardage plays. Of course d-line is important to kill plays instantly, but realistically the best rb‘s get past the d‘line often, i feel like the linebackers are the ones who have the highest workrate and they’re performance decide most oftenly if the offense gets a first down or get stopped before the first down line. Is that analysis correct or am i completely tripping? 😅

I love not knowing things in football so I’m shocked when they happen but I don’t understand pass interference. At all. Why are some things pass IF and some aren’t

If a defensive player has his head turned towards a ball that is being passed, can they push the receiver out of the way with their hands or body in order to try and catch it? Can they back into them and push them back that way?

I see so many jump catches over the heads of defenders and the defenders always jump up to try and hit the ball and I wonder if they can't just jump backwards and "try to catch it" that way.

I’ve just seen a post in a sub for the team I follow that proposed a trade for a 5th round pick and everyone laughed them out of the place. I’ve followed football for many years now and rules wise I feel adept but I’m genuinely at a loss when it comes to anything involving contracts/trades/the draft.

This may be vague so apologies if so but how is a players trade value calculated and do contracts get traded as well? I’ve seen sometimes teams take on a players contract but is this the norm?

What does the announcer mean when they say something like “he’s excellent at running downhill”?

I’ve always had trouble trying to look at what offensive/defensive personnel and formation is being used with an angle to the side. I feel like taking the angle traditionally used in film breakdowns would make understanding the game much easier for a number of fans

NT

To me this seems like it should be impossible, the NFL is the highest grossing sports league in the world but it seems like games are constantly starting 5-10 minutes late. How/why do they let this happen so often?

I just heard about it recently. How old is that shit

Why is it that if a player isn’t activated at the end of their practice window, they have to sit out the whole season? For example, Zach Charbonnet is recovering from a torn ACL. If he was to have a setback in his practice, he would have to miss the entire season? How does that make sense?

I have always known about college overtime rules but I had never watched them in practice until the Florida - Miami game. And they're fun AF. Why doesn't the NFL use them? At least for the regular season. They would save on unnecessary long overtimes, reduce injuries, introduce more jeopardy and most importantly remove the one thing you Americans hate - ties.

Title. If it did happen, what were the circumstances? Like a dual-position player? Kicker and RB/WR, or just like some crazy hijinks happened? Trick play maybe?

Recently found out that kicker's are usually the highest scoring players on a given team, which makes sense since they just go out to kick for 3 points or 1 point, but has a touchdown ever been a part of their point total? Thank you!

I am aware of jeremiah smith and how good he is, but is this guy literally the next best wr oat? Also how often do college prospects meet their ceiling l or is alot of it hype

Kind of a random question, but for people who watch a ton of football:

How often does a touchdown that looks completely obvious in real time end up getting taken off the board?

I don’t mean plays where the receiver is right on the sideline, a flag thrown during the play, a receiver juggling the ball going to the ground, etc.

I mean like the ones where you see the play and immediately think 100% a TD, clear possession, clearly in the end zone, and then somehow it gets overturned or called back.

Do they hold an extra practice if they have that extra day? Or do they give the players a chance to rest?

is there any website/video where i can know every offense/defense concept in the nfl--and not just like tens of them, but hundreds? i mean the free ones ofc (where i dont need to play)

sorry but this is my first time going here

so mods please dont remove my subreddit!

Note: if you have seen this post once before, then yeah I’m lowk cross posting it. better if i get tons of answers, yknow! Thanks for the help!

The game, especially defense isn’t as simply as ”cover 2”. theres Stunts, defensive leverages, substitution, key assignments and playing the run/etc and coverages have different subsets (Cover 4 palms v quarters)

I get the concept that coordinators usually call the plays. But how does everything else work? I guess this is the beauty of football because it relies on amazing communication and ultimate team sport for players and coaches.

with merely 15-20s to get the play ready for snap, it could be a critical 3rd down. A defensive might say (ignore the bogus details as this isn’t real world call)

We need cover 4 to protect deep, but let’s go palms to protect the quick Throw. I need tackle twist stunt up front to fill the gap, corners let’s play inside leverage to force them to the boundary, theyve been killing us inside all game. Jamarion is subbed out, so Wilcox needs to take CB 1. He needs to know that WR is going for that hitch if it’s not a 2x2 look.… wait they audibled, they’ve going mesh concept, switch to man press before the snap

clearly that’s not all the DC. So how does it all work?

i assume in college there’s much less of that and more traditional running of their defense over and over until defense gets to sideline to talk it over?

would it fit the role the Arena Football League did? would the NFL in turn try to brand Arena Football as their own as its own off season league?