In American and Canadian football, a down refers to a period in which a play transpires. Canadian football is a form of football closely related to American football in which two teams of twelve players each compete for territorial control of a field of play 110 yards (100. ... A football play is the activity of the games of Canadian football and American football during which one team tries to advance the ball or to score, and the other team tries to stop them or take the ball away. ...

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 dead ball in American football is a condition that occurs between football plays. ... In American and Canadian football the line of scrimmage is the imaginary transverse line crossing the football field across its narrower dimension, which passes through the last position of the football, after the end of the most recent play and following the assessment of any penalty yards. ...

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. A snap (colloquially called a hike, snapback, or pass from center) starts each Canadian football and American football play from scrimmage. ... A beginning: the kickoff of the project This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

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. In American and Canadian football, a down refers to a period in which a play transpires. ...

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. In American and Canadian football, a down refers to a period in which a play transpires. ... Todd Sauerbrun, one of the NFLs top punters, punts the ball for the Carolina Panthers. ...

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. The end zone is a term in both Canadian football and American football. ... Kick Off is a one of the most acclaimed football computer game series ever released for home computer and console. ... A fumble in American football and Canadian football occurs when an offensive player such as the quarterback or a running back drops the ball while it is still in play. ... The quarterback is a position in the offensive backfield of American and Canadian football, directly behind players of the line. He is generally the leader of the offensive team when it is on the field, responsible for initiating play by receiving the snap of the ball from the center. ... A snap (colloquially called a hike, snapback, or pass from center) starts each Canadian football and American football play from scrimmage. ...

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. Canadian football is a form of football closely related to American football in which two teams of twelve players each compete for territorial control of a field of play 110 yards (100. ...

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 down (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.

A penalty is a punishment: a legal sentence, e. ...

Derivation

In the early 19th Century in rugby football, the ball became dead in the field of play only by mutual consent of opponents. A player carrying the ball and held by opponents would say, "Held!", and his opponent would say, "Have it down." That is, the ballcarrier would declare himself fairly held, unable to advance, and an opponent would call on him to put the ball down, initiating the scrimmage. Rugby football, as a catch-all term, may refer to two related but separate team sports: rugby league and rugby union. ...

In American football, the concept of the act of having the ball down gave rise to "down" as the condition of the player so obligated, and the ballcarrier could call for a "down" voluntarily. Although NCAA rules have abolished this, other codes for North American football still allow (as one way for the ball to become dead) for the runner to cry "down".

Eventually the rules officially applied the word to include all of the action from the time the ball was put into play (whether by snap or free kick) until it became dead. Unofficially, everybody else knows this interval as a "play".

See also

• Glossary of American football