American Football, explained.
The NFL and the college game: scheme, the salary cap, the draft, and the analytics that changed how coaches call fourth down.
50 articlesTacticsGuideEconomicsExplainerAnalysisHistory
- TacticsZone blocking scheme explained: block an area, not a man22 minHow inside and outside zone actually work: the combination block, the climb to the second level, the back's one cut, and how defences beat it.
- TacticsWhat is Cover 2 defense? Two deep halves, five underneath20 minCover 2 defense built from the geometry up: two deep safeties, five underneath defenders, the Tampa 2 carry, and every hole the arithmetic leaves open.
- TacticsWest Coast offense explained: the pass as a running play21 minHow the West Coast offense turned the short pass into a ball-control weapon: timing, quarterback footwork, horizontal stretch, and what survives of it today.
- TacticsThe two-minute drill explained, and what it actually spends19 minHow the two-minute drill works: the clock rules that make it possible, when a spike is wrong, why timeouts are not for stopping the clock, and the counter.
- GuideSuper Bowl format explained, from seeding to the coin toss19 minHow the Super Bowl format works: fourteen clubs, thirteen games, a host city voted on years early, and the handful of rules that change for the final.
- TacticsScreen pass explained: how football punishes a pass rush21 minThe screen pass explained from the rulebook out: the one-yard line that makes it legal, the deliberate loss up front, and the three ways it goes wrong.
- TacticsRun pass option explained: making one defender wrong22 minHow an RPO actually works: choosing the read defender, pre-snap and post-snap reads, the one-yard downfield rule that binds it, and the defensive answers.
- TacticsPlay action pass explained: why the fake still works20 minHow a play action pass attacks a defender's assignment rather than his speed, the routes built behind it, and the disputed evidence that it needs no run game.
- EconomicsNIL deals college sports explained, cap to clearinghouse22 minNIL deals in college sports explained: the three pots of money, the House settlement cap, the 600-dollar review threshold, and what is still unsettled.
- TacticsNickel and dime defense: why the sub package is now base21 minNickel and dime defense from the substitution rule up: what the fifth and sixth defensive back buy, what they cost in the run fit, and how to spot them.
- ExplainerNFL waiver wire explained: who gets claimed and who walks21 minThe NFL waiver wire explained properly: who is subject to waivers, how the claiming order works and the week it flips, and what a club inherits with a claim.
- ExplainerNFL two-point conversion rules, and when to go for two21 minThe NFL two-point conversion rules explained: the 2-yard line, the 33-yard kick, defensive returns, the one-point safety, and the maths of going for two.
- ExplainerNFL trade deadline rules, and why so little actually happens21 minThe NFL trade deadline rules in full: the Tuesday it falls on, what a trade does to the salary cap, why sellers pay to sell, and what changes the next day.
- ExplainerNFL salary cap carryover: the money that does not expire18 minHow NFL salary cap carryover works: the owner's signature, the deadline the day after your last game, the incentive settlement, and why the cash floor bites.
- ExplainerThe NFL roughing the passer rule, and the one-step clock19 minThe NFL roughing the passer rule set out in full: the one-step clock, the body weight clause, the low hit, what a passer loses outside the pocket, and replay.
- EconomicsThe NFL rookie wage scale explained: a fixed price list19 minHow the NFL rookie wage scale works: the two pools, the 25 per cent rule, four-year proration, the fifth-year option tiers and the terms banned outright.
- EconomicsNFL revenue sharing explained: the deal that made the league21 minHow NFL revenue sharing works: which money is pooled, which stays local, how the players' agreement defines revenue, and why the split built the league.
- GuideNFL Pro Bowl explained: the honour that outlived the game19 minWhat the NFL Pro Bowl is now the game has gone: how players are voted in, what the flag football era changed, and what a selection is actually worth.
- AnalysisNFL pressure rate explained: why sacks are the wrong stat20 minHow NFL pressure rate is defined, counted and misread: the tracking models behind it, the three denominators in circulation, and what it actually predicts.
- GuideNFL preseason explained: what those three games are for22 minThe NFL preseason explained: three games, a 90-man camp, one cutdown to 53, joint practices, and what coaching staffs are actually watching for.
- ExplainerNFL practice squad rules, and the sixteen men behind the 5322 minHow NFL practice squad rules work: who qualifies, the sixteen and seventeen-man limits, weekly elevations, what the job pays and who can sign him away.
- AnalysisNFL passer rating explained: what the formula cannot see19 minThe NFL passer rating explained from the constants up: four capped components, where 158.3 comes from, what the formula ignores, and how to read it honestly.
- ExplainerThe NFL pass interference rule: the penalty with no number21 minHow the NFL pass interference rule works: the acts that count, the uncatchable ball, the spot foul argument, and why one flag can move the ball fifty yards.
- ExplainerNFL overtime rules explained, and why the toss still matters21 minHow NFL overtime rules work now: the coin toss, the ten-minute period, the guaranteed possession, ties, playoff overtime, and whether to kick or receive.
- ExplainerNFL kickoff rule changes, and what each one was fixing22 minHow the NFL kickoff rule changes work: the dynamic kickoff alignment, the landing zone, every touchback spot, onside kicks and the safety trade-off.
- ExplainerNFL injured reserve rules: who can return, and how many22 minHow NFL injured reserve rules work: the four-game minimum, the eight return slots, the cut-down trap, PUP and NFI, and what a season on IR costs.
- ExplainerThe NFL holding penalty explained: it is not about hands21 minHow the NFL holding penalty works: the material restriction test, the nine situations where holding is never called, and where the ten yards come from.
- EconomicsNFL guaranteed money explained: what is actually locked in22 minHow NFL guaranteed money works: the three protections, vesting dates, the escrow funding rule, offset language, and why the headline figure is not cash.
- EconomicsThe NFL franchise tag explained: a price, not a contract19 minHow the NFL franchise tag is priced, why the non-exclusive version is exclusive in practice, what the July deadline does, and how a tag hits the cap.
- AnalysisNFL fourth down analytics: why coaches punted anyway17 minHow expected points, win probability and break-even conversion rates value a fourth down, why coaches ignored the answer for two decades, and where it breaks.
- AnalysisThe NFL draft value chart explained, and where it lies19 minThe NFL draft value chart explained: where the Jimmy Johnson points came from, what the newer charts measure instead, and why price and value diverge.
- EconomicsNFL contract restructure explained: what it really costs19 minAn NFL contract restructure explained from the agreement itself: how a conversion works, what void years cost, and when the bill actually lands.
- GuideThe NFL combine explained: what actually gets measured18 minThe NFL combine explained in full: who runs it, how invites are decided, what the medicals settle, how the 40 is timed, and why interviews matter most.
- ExplainerNFL challenge and replay rules: what New York can fix22 minNFL challenge and replay rules from the rulebook: the two challenges, how a third is earned, what the booth reviews alone, and what replay assist may fix.
- ExplainerThe NFL catch rule explained: what a catch now requires21 minThe NFL catch rule explained from the current rulebook: the three things a receiver must do, what the 2018 rewrite deleted, and where arguments still live.
- TacticsMan coverage vs zone coverage: the trade every snap makes21 minMan coverage vs zone coverage explained from the rulebook up: what each defender is assigned, what the rules charge for it, and how to spot both live.
- EconomicsHow the NFL salary cap works, and why cap hell is a myth17 minThe NFL salary cap explained properly: where the number comes from, why cash is not cap, how signing bonus proration works, and what dead money really costs.
- GuideHow the NFL draft works, and why April grades are useless19 minHow the NFL draft works in full: eligibility, the order and its tiebreakers, compensatory picks, the clock, trading picks, and how to judge a class.
- ExplainerNFL playoff seeding explained, and what the tiebreakers test20 minHow NFL playoff seeding works: why division winners take the top four seeds, what the bye is worth, and the whole tiebreaker cascade down to the coin toss.
- ExplainerHow is the NFL schedule made? The formula, then the dates21 minYour club's 17 opponents were fixed by formula the moment last season ended. Only the weeks, days and kickoff times are chosen, and here is how.
- AnalysisExpected points added in football, and why yards lie21 minWhat expected points added measures in football: how an expected points model is trained on next scores, how EPA is computed, and how to read the figure.
- AnalysisDVOA explained: the football metric hidden in its name21 minDVOA in football, one word at a time: the success baseline, the circular opponent adjustment, the sign convention and what the model will not show you.
- TacticsCover 3 defense explained: three deep, four under, eight up21 minWhy Cover 3 is a run-defence decision that happens to leave three men deep, how the rotation works, where the seams sit, and how pattern matching rescued it.
- AnalysisCompletion percentage over expected, and the model beneath it19 minCPOE explained from the arithmetic up: how a completion probability is built, why a better model makes a worse quarterback metric, and its blind spots.
- ExplainerThe college football transfer portal explained, window by window19 minWhat the college football transfer portal really is, why there is one January window now, how the settlement money moves through it, and what entering costs.
- ExplainerThe college football playoff format, and how it got here21 minHow the college football playoff format works: the selection committee, automatic bids for conference champions, seeding, byes, and where games are played.
- GuideCollege football conferences explained: money, not maps20 minCollege football conferences explained as what they are: contracts. Grant of rights, revenue splits, championship game rules, and the 2026 alignment in full.
- TacticsBlitz packages explained: the arithmetic of extra rushers20 minBlitz packages explained from the protection rules up: how a free rusher is manufactured, what every extra rusher costs in coverage, and the limits.
- TacticsAir raid offense explained: fewer plays, far more reps21 minHow the air raid offense works: a handful of concepts run at huge volume, options built inside routes, three-step reads, and tempo that pins the defence.
- HistoryAFL NFL merger history: the deal that built the modern NFL19 minThe AFL NFL merger history in full: the bidding war that forced it, the terms agreed in June 1966, the antitrust statute Congress passed, and what it cost.