Re: Super Bowl XXXIX
 

Isnt american football just a watered down version of rugby with more padding anyway?

Re: Super Bowl XXXIX
 

It has its roots in Rugby. As for the padding, its required, as in american football there are legal hits that would get you sent off the rugby field.

Re: Super Bowl XXXIX
 

I'd be very surprised if there wasn't collusion between the coaches & the TV company as to when the time outs are called - and even with natural breaks in play, they don't start again until the commercial has finished.

Like I said, the game itself can be very dynamic, it is the constant pauses I, personally, find irritating - just my opinion, of course ;)

Re: Super Bowl XXXIX
 

I wouldn't think so. Timeouts are very important to a coach. they only have 3 per half. They don't use them needlessly as they have to have a timeout to be able to challange a play (video ref - if they lose a challange then they lose a timeout.), they are very important in the final two minutes of a half in order to stop the clock to give you time to score.

Re: Super Bowl XXXIX
 

looks like I am being over cynical, then ;) - and I didn't know that about the video ref - thanks :)

Re: Super Bowl XXXIX
 

No, you're not, although it's not from the coaches.

If you watch the main referee in a big game, he will make the "Time out" sign (waving crossed arms above his head) and then pat his head.

This means it's an "administrative" time out, ie one arranged with the media companies so they can put their commercial breaks in!

Re: Super Bowl XXXIX
 

thanks for that :tu:

Re: Super Bowl XXXIX
 

The waving arms signal is to let the time keeper know to stop the clock i.e if a player steps out of bounds or incompleted pass etc.

Yes the refs can call time outs but these are only used if they need to review the position of the ball or if a player is injured.

Refs do not call timeouts for ad breaks - they take place in the natural breaks of the game not during a drive (unless a time out is called).


Why would they even need this?? There is enough "natural" breaks in the games for ads as it is.
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Ok - I just asked a friend of mine on MSN, who lives in North America, about this.

In the NFL there are whats know as TV timeouts. A commercial break is called during a break in play and as the commercial breaks may last 3 minutes but the game is ready to be restarted earlier a TV timeout is called.

So as I was saying the coaches or refs have nothing to do with the timing of ad breaks its done by the TV stations in the natural breaks of play, but when they go to commercials a TV timeout is called and they wait till the TV station returns.

Re: Super Bowl XXXIX
 

I think that was my point :)

Re: Super Bowl XXXIX
 

that sounds right - thanks for taking the trouble to clarify it :)

Re: Super Bowl XXXIX
 

Not a problem.

When I was younger I would never have watched an american football game, but about 5 years ago I was in canada during playoff time and watched the games with people who understood the rules and explained what was happening to me. I've been hooked ever since!

If you don't like american football then you don't like it, but if you've never watched a game before, give the superbowl a shot on sunday night, you never know you might be surprised.
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Sorry if I misread you, I thought you mean the refs called a TV timeout during play rather that calling it at a suitable break in play. :)

Re: Super Bowl XXXIX
 

it's here SuperBowl :D oh can't wait for the game to start.(only 10 hours to go)
and with Paul McCartney doing the half time show what can go wrong.


note
you are better off watching the game on sky sports as there team actually.know the NFL but if you watch on itv all you will get. is Gabby Logan talking like a parrot
for 3 hours.

Re: Super Bowl XXXIX
 

was thinking about this over the weekend.. during superbowl weekend we get items about this on ITV and BBC news.. on their web sites.. ITV and Sky show it and it gets repeated today as well.

What do the US do during FA Cup Final Weekend ?

Do they even show it. If they want other countries to watch their sports shouldn't they take an interest in the sports of other nations.

Re: Super Bowl XXXIX
 

Virtually all Sky Sports games are shown on Fox Sports World. Sometimes live, sometimes with a delay (sometimes as much as a week)... They show some of the BBC1 ones too... With the PremiershipPlus, sometimes they show it live for free, sometimes it is PPV. Somestimes some of the free matches on SkySports are shown PPV
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What did everyone think of the game? I thought it was OK, but some of my yank friends thought it wen't that good.

Re: Super Bowl XXXIX
 

Ok so they show some of the games but does it get reported on any of the national news channels like we get with Superbowl being mentioned on BBC and ITV