Down (sport)

Referee with "down marker" showing the 1st down

A down is a segment of the game in American and Canadian football that extends over one turn . A true German translation is an attempt . This is not the Try (German also: attempt ) in Rugby are confused.

Origin of the term

At the end of the 19th century it was the rule in rugby that a player in possession of the ball , when he was tackled and thus could no longer move the ball forward, shouted “Held!” (German: held! ). Thereupon the tackling player replied “Have it Down!” (German: Have it down! ). So the tackled player was down . A scrum began at the point where the tackle took place .

In American football, the concept that a play is over when the player in possession is down has also been adopted. One player had the opportunity to voluntarily shout "Down!" To end the turn. This practice has been practically abolished in college football (under NCAA rules), since, unlike in the NFL, a play is ended immediately when a player in contact with the ball touches the ground, except for hands and feet. However, it is still possible today in the National Football League (NFL) to shout "Down!" To end a play. However, this rule does not apply in practice. Instead, a player can end the down by kneeling or sliding on the ground feet first.

For a precise understanding it is important to say that a down , which literally translated from English means down , does not mean in this context that a player has to be on the ground. It is enough that the player can no longer gain space. Examples of this would be that he is being held by several players while standing, he is not lying on the floor but on another player or he is in such a tight crowd that he has no opportunity to go down.

American football

General

Referees at a college football game measure whether the space gained is sufficient for a new "first down"

Every attack series of an offense begins with a first down (first attempt). With four downs, the offense must try to gain ten yards of space to get a new first down. Each down begins with a snap on the line of scrimmage and ends when the player in possession is tackled to the ground . A Down is also over when the player or the ball goes out of play after a fumble, a pass is not caught (English: Incomplete pass ) or dots is. These possibilities for the end of a down also apply to defense players who may have come into possession of the ball through a turnover . The new line of scrimmage is created at the point where the move ends. If ten yards of space are not gained after four attempts, possession of the ball changes to the defending team.

terminology

In parlance, the number of attempts is usually combined with the distance to the next first down. This results in some game situations that occur more frequently than others. Examples of these situations are:

1st & 10 : This describes the classic initial situation for the start of a series of attacks. It is the first (English: first ) trial and it must be bridged ten yards to get a new first attempt.

2nd & 5 : This describes a second attempt in which five yards of space must be gained in order to achieve a new first attempt.

2nd & 17 : This describes a second attempt in which 17 yards of space must be gained. This can happen through loss of space on the first-down play, such as a sack , or through penalties.

1st & Goal : This describes a situation in which the first attempt is closer to the opposing end zone than 10 yards. In this situation it is not possible for the offense to make a new first attempt, but only a touchdown . If no touchdown is scored with the first attempt, 2nd & Goal follows.

3rd & Inches : In this case, the distance to the new first attempt, for a third attempt, is less than one yard. If the distance is too short to determine whether a new first attempt has already been achieved, which is chain crew summoned onto the field to measure with a chain.

However, journalists and fans not only use the exact distances as a classification, but also approximate distances.

3rd & long : This describes a third attempt and a long distance to the first down. Here the definition of "wide" is relative. Usually this is more than seven or eight yards to the new first try.

Such a classification is made to summarize similar game situations. So "3rd & long" is a situation in which the offense tries with a high probability a pass play , since a gain of space by running plays of more than seven yards is less common than by passes, which are riskier, but if successful, usually one achieve greater space savings. Another summary would be, for example, " 2nd & short ", with "short" (German: short ) here is about to three yards.

Further terms are:

Turnover on Downs : This describes the situation in which a team fails to gain ten yards in four attempts. The possession of the ball then changes to the opposing team. So there is a turnover.

Three-and-out: This describes a situation in which a team failed to make a new first attempt during a series of attacks. After three moves they leave the field again, as the fourth attempt is usually not played by the offense (see 4th Down ).
Money Down: As described under Three-and-Out, the third attempt decides whether the offense remains on the field or not. This importance, both for offense and defense, is reflected in the term money down.

In addition, there are other slang expressions such as:

4th & Game : This is a situation in which a first down or touchdown is mandatory to keep the game going. This is mostly the case in situations where the attacking team has to score because there is not enough time to get the ball back if the attempt fails and the opposing team receives the ball.

4th Down

Matt Turk (1), Punter of the Houston Texans , shortly after a punt against the Dallas Cowboys

In American football, the fourth attempt differs significantly from the three preceding ones. If no new first attempt is made after the fourth attempt, possession changes. For this reason, in most cases the ball is punctured or, if you are close enough to the opponent's end zone, a field goal is attempted. Puncturing is used to give the opponent a worse field position, i.e. starting position, for his offense. There are only a few cases in which a team will try to play out the fourth attempt ( Fourth Down Conversion Attempt ). Possible reasons for this are:

The attacking team is behind and there is not enough playing time to regain possession if you puncture.
The attacking team tries to surprise the defending team, usually with a fake punt.
There are only inches to the first down and you have a very strong offensive line . This gives a quarterback sneak a good chance of success.
It's five yards or less and you want to sideline the defense to get a first down with the penalty. There is no snap.

The closer you are to your own end zone, the greater the loss of space will be in contrast to a good punt if you do not reach the first down. Therefore, the fourth down, if time is not of the essence, is only played if the line of scrimmage is already in the area of the center line or in the opposing half, but the distance is still too great for a field goal.

Canadian football

In Canadian Football there are only three downs per attack series.