In American and Canadian football, a down refers to a period in which a play transpires.
Down is also an adjective to describe the condition of the player with possession of the ball after he has been tackled or is otherwise unable to advance the ball further on account of the play having ended (e.g., "He is down at the 34 yard line").
It may also refer to the ball after it is made dead in one manner or another. The line of scrimmage for the next play will be determined by the position of the ball when it is downed.
A down begins with a snap or kickoff or free kick , and ends when the ball or the player in possession of it is declared down by an official, a team scores, or the ball or player in possession of it leaves the field of play.
Each possession begins with first down . The first down line is marked 10 yards downfield from the start of this possession. If the offensive team moves the ball past the first down line, they make a new first down. If they fail to do this after four downs (three in Canadian football), possession of the ball reverts to the opposing team at the spot where the ball was downed at the end of the fourth down. Each play occurs on either first down, second down , third down , or fourth down .
If the offensive team has not yet made a first down after three downs, they face a fourth down situation, which forces them to decide whether to "go for it", i.e., to attempt to pick up the first down , or to punt. Punting is usually safer, while going for it risks handing the ball over to the other team with good field position .
Downing the player with possession of the ball is one way to end a play (other ways include the player with the ball going out of bounds, an incomplete pass, or a score). Usually a player is made down when he is tackled by the defense. If the offensive player is touching the ground with some part of his body other than his hands or feet, then he is down if any defensive player touches him.
If recovering the ball in one's opponent's end zone (following a kick-off ), a player may down the ball by taking a knee. A player in possession of the ball will down the ball if he fumbles it out of bounds. If a quarterback is running with the ball during his initial possession of the same play following the snap, he may down the ball by voluntarily sliding from his feet to a sitting or recumbent position - this is to protect he quarterback from injury; no other play may down the ball this way.
In Canadian football the rules regarding a down are similar. The main difference is that a team gets only three downs to make ten yards.
Terminology
- 1st and 10: First down with 10 yards to go for a new first down. The usual starting point for a possession.
- 2nd and 5: Second down with 5 yards to go. Similarly, 2nd and 10, 3rd and 2, etc.
- 3rd and long: Third down and still not close to the first down line. Usually a passing situation. Used as a metaphor for a desperate situation that demands a risky action.
- 4th and inches: Fourth down with less than a yard to go. Often a tense situation when the offense is tempted to go for it. 3rd and inches and 2nd and inches, which are less tense, since you obviously go for it on 2nd or 3rd down.
- 1st and goal: First down, where the distance to the first down line is greater than the distance to the goal line , for example, 1st and goal on the 8 yard line. A team cannot make another first goal (barring a defensive penalty) without actually scoring. Similarly, "2nd and goal", etc.
- down by contact: Describes when a player with possession of the ball is made to touch the ground by a defensive player; for example, if the ball-carrier slips and falls, he can get up and continue, but if he was pushed by a defensive player, he is said to be down by contact and the play is dead.
See also
Last updated: 05-25-2005 14:22:35
