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With Hayne mania in full swing, it’s brought many new Aussie fans flocking to America’s game.
For NFL newbies the game can be a little tricky to pick up at first, but once the basics are understood it’s great entertainment.
Once you get past the fact they wear helmets and pads – trust me it’s a tough game, have you seen the size of those dudes? – and immerse yourself into this unique game of football, you’ll be hooked!
Here’s a quick guide for NFL rookies, which will hopefully make your journey into the new sport a little easier.
Rule 1 – Pick and stick
Just like any sporting code, you pick a team and you stick with them through thick and thin. For example I’ve been a Dolphins ever since I watched Dan Marino play himself in Ace Ventura Pet Detective.
Not sure which part of that sentence I should be more embarrassed about – being a Dolphin fan or watching Ace Ventura – the point is I’ve stuck with my team, even though they’ve only reached the playoffs once in the past 13 seasons.
Rule 2 – It’s okay to follow other teams
Rule 1 must be obeyed, if I have to continue to put my heart and soul into the pathetic Dolphins, you have to do the same with whichever team you decide to follow.
Chances are your team will suck at some point, unless of course you choose the New England Patriots as your team – they’ll always be good, even if they have to resort to cheating.
Rooting for a bad team won’t ruin your NFL experience though. There are 31 other teams in the league you can vest some sort of interest in.
Usually you’ll pick a quarterback you like from an opposing team and follow their progress. It’s a quarterback-driven league after all and if your team doesn’t have a great quarterback, they probably can’t win the Super Bowl. Joe Flacco and Eli Manning the exceptions.
I love watching Aaron Rodgers play. When the Green Bay Packers aren’t playing my Dolphins, I’ll cheer for them as loud as I would for the men from Miami. However, when Rodgers retires or leaves the Packers, I’ll probably go back to hating the cheese heads like I did when Brett Favre was their starting quarterback.
Rule 3 – Learn the nuances of the game
If you want to be taken seriously as an NFL fan you need to step up your game.
Learn the difference between 4-3 and 3-4 defence. How does a spread offense differ from a pro-style offense? Or why doesn’t someone give Tim Tebow a serious chance, the man’s a winner for crying out loud.
Find the answers to these questions and your NFL experience will be all the more enjoyable.
Rule 4. Consume it: Read the articles, watch the shows
Bill Barnwell and Robert Mays from Grantland are a must to read each and every week. It’s impossible to watch every game, these guys will keep you informed of what’s happening around the league. The writers at Deadspin are pretty cool too, but of course the best coverage can be found right here at The Roar.
If you have Foxtel make sure you tune into at least one of the many NFL-related shows ESPN provide. Watch Sportcenter on a Monday, after you get home from work, for a full recap on all the games.
Rule 5 – Don’t compare it to the AFL or NRL
As Australians we view ourselves as one of the best, if not the best, pound-for-pound sporting nation in the world. For a country of our size we do alright. But let’s not get cocky. To think our boys in the AFL and NRL are much tougher than the ones in the NFL because they don’t wear helmets and pads is just ridiculous.
It’s a sentiment I’ve heard countless times, generally from people who don’t actually watch the sport.
One look at a retired NFL players brain scan will show you just how dangerous, or you might call it stupid, it really is. The concussion rates in the NFL are outrageously high compared to other codes.
The helmets they wear are a false security, I’d argue they’d be safer if they didn’t wear them. Too often you’ll see a player lead with his head, instead of using a proper tackling technique we are taught in the NRL and AFL.
And let’s not forget the sheer size of these guys. The biggest players in the NRL are around 120kg – that’s the average weight of an NFL defensive end – and they’re not even the biggest dudes on the field.
In a nutshell all three sports are just as tough as each other, so get over you pre-conceived ideas and just watch the damn game.
Rule 6 – Watch and enjoy
At the very least, as an Australian sports fan you should be following Jarryd Hayne’s journey. It’s not everyday you see a player switch from one professional code to the other and actually make a good fist of it.
While he still has a long way to go, it couldn’t have started any better for the former Parramatta man. Let’s all get on board the Hayne Plane and see where it takes us.
Follow these simple rules and you’ll be an NFL expert in no time.
Enjoy!
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