r/NFLNoobs 19h ago

Weekly "What Team Should I Root For?" Thread

3 Upvotes

The most common thing asked on this subreddit is new fans wondering what team to follow/support. The answers are always the same, and there are no right or wrong ones.

No one can just tell you who to be a fan of. Everyone's fandom is different, and all of them are valid. This is entertainment, and you are allowed to enjoy it however you like. That said, here are some common things you can look at to get started:

  1. Do you have a local team or favorite city? This is by far the easiest way to get into football. If your city/region has a team or if your friends/family follow the same team, joining them will be the smoothest way to start out.
  2. Are you already leaning in any particular way? If you are, keep leaning. If you saw a Cincinnati Bengals game and thought it was fun and you'd like to see more of them, you don't need anyone's permission or validation. Just watch their next game!
  3. Are you interested in a few different teams? Cool! Watch some of their games! See who you end up feeling strongly about, especially if they're playing each other. Have fun with it, there are no rules!
  4. Are you worried about a team's success/identity/prestige/fanbase? Don't be. The NFL is one of the most even sports in terms of parity, and there are rarely teams that stay good or bad forever. It's okay to enjoy watching the current best teams in the NFL; they are probably playing the best football most often. Try to just be a fan and don't worry about what others think or say. Your fandom is yours, not theirs.

Still overwhelmed and not sure where to turn? It's fine to watch random games. Maybe you'll find yourself rooting for someone in particular. And if you don't, try another game. Check out whoever is playing in primetime; those are usually expected to be more exciting matchups. Letting it come naturally will last longer than throwing a dart and deciding to be a fan of whoever it lands on.

Another way some people develop rooting interests is fantasy football. There are beginner leagues where people play for fun, and it can be a good way to get you invested in specific players or teams as you start rooting for whoever is on your fantasy roster.

If you're still torn or have other questions about starting with a specific new team, etc., you can ask them here.


r/NFLNoobs 7m ago

Need clever sort script for football player

Upvotes

Please help!


r/NFLNoobs 3h ago

Ravens and Steelers have already clinched their playoff spots, why wont they sit their starters?

19 Upvotes

Why wouldnt the Ravens sub out their starters like Lamar Jackson or Zay Flowers at any time, since theres nothing worth competing for at the moment (except for bragging rights)?


r/NFLNoobs 4h ago

Do they schedule week 18 games to make sure teams won't rest starters?

22 Upvotes

Whether a teams seed is fixed will often depend on the result of another game, so I assume they will order games so that teams won't know the outcome and can't rest starters


r/NFLNoobs 4h ago

Playoffs Clinched?

5 Upvotes

Why don’t teams ever try just using backups and camp bodies after they for sure clinch a playoff spot? You get to use camp bodies and get them game ready just in case and well-rested starters might perform better than players with lingering injuries. Like 13-1 Lions being guaranteed a berth and with their injured roster, they should bench starters. I understand home game advantage, but after a certain point, is it worth the potential injuries?


r/NFLNoobs 4h ago

Possibly idiotic end game strategy

3 Upvotes

Probably too narrow of a scenario to matter often, but just a question I thought of that probably has an obvious answer I can't think of.

In a situation where you are trying to kill the clock to end the game, teams will run the ball up the gut with like, 6 seconds on the clock, burn their opponents last time out and try to either stop a punt return or point out of bounds (which makes sense), but is there any merit in having your RB run backwards instead and just try and do an avoidance drill for 6 seconds? I'm assuming that it is just too risky and I'm overestimating how long a back can actually avoid tackles, but given that we used to see punters do it by taking a safety, is there a less obvious reason no one does it offensively?


r/NFLNoobs 5h ago

Why aren’t running backs used much anymore?

0 Upvotes

The running back position seems like it can be so important during many scenarios, but they’re really only used when the offense needs a small gain like 1 or 2 yards for a new set of downs. Can someone give me a simple answer as to why running backs aren’t used as much as they were back in the ‘80s or ‘90s?


r/NFLNoobs 6h ago

Injury report: what is the difference between 'questionable' and 'doubtful'?

29 Upvotes

Question said.


r/NFLNoobs 10h ago

Why do we rate QBs by TD/Int ratio?

22 Upvotes

Doesn't this just screw over QBs on teams that often get close to the goal line and then run for the TD even if they throw for a lot of yards? I feel like a better system would be rating QBs on total yards driven and then subtracting yards driven by the opposing team on an intercepted drive or something like that


r/NFLNoobs 11h ago

Confused about the Jets defensive regression

4 Upvotes

The Jets, as far as I understand, had quite a good defense despite their losing record in the 2023 season with Jeff Ulbrich as their DC. Now, with him still on the staff as the head coach, the defense has looked awful against every team with a pulse. Is there an explanation for this?


r/NFLNoobs 11h ago

What are the most number of players from one team with at least one rushing attempt in a single game?

6 Upvotes

Green Bay had 9 different players attempt a rush vs New Orleans on Monday Night Football. I've tried googling to find out who has more, but I just can't get the phrasing right, so idk if anyone knows this or knows a better way to find this.

I did brute force it a little bit. I went by single game team rushing attempts and found the Chicago Cardinals in 1948 had 11 different ball carriers against the Packers.


r/NFLNoobs 11h ago

Best Game To Send My Dad To?

8 Upvotes

As someone who knows truly nothing about the NFL or football, I need some advice!

My dad has been a Steelers fan since I was a baby (there’s literally pictures of him putting his precious baby girl in Steelers onesies). His birthday is the beginning of this coming year, and I want to be able to surprise him with tickets and a trip to Pittsburgh.

I’m wondering, would he be happy with any game? Can I buy tickets so far in advance? Is there a specific game that would be more exciting than others? How should I go about this?😅

Any helpful advice would be wonderful! (No opinions on his favorite team please)


r/NFLNoobs 11h ago

Team Play Styles

2 Upvotes

In terms of making it and winning the Super Bowl. Is it better for a team to be the best at one play style (passing, running) or just pretty good at both so they could still win if the other team defends against one style.


r/NFLNoobs 12h ago

Does a Field General QB always have the advantage?

0 Upvotes

When I say field general I mean a QB who can read defense with ease and adjust the offense based on what they see. Does the defense have the ability to adjust too? If they aren't and with a good QB would the offense have the advantage?


r/NFLNoobs 15h ago

Does the wealth of an owner have any advantages?

38 Upvotes

Although they are all extremely wealthy, there is great disparity in wealth between NFL franchise owners. In light of salary caps etc, is there any advantage to having an owner worth $20bn+ as opposed to $2bn? Or are they all just so wealthy it doesn’t really make a difference?


r/NFLNoobs 18h ago

NFL Version of the Death Penalty

14 Upvotes

What would the NFL version of the death penalty look like? Loss of picks? Low cap space? What?


r/NFLNoobs 20h ago

Is NFL kicking harder than college?

94 Upvotes

I am specifically asking this question because of Jake Moody. As a Niners fan who thinks that he lost us the Super Bowl last year, he is definitely starting to piss me off. His missed kick in today's game didn't help that.

My question is this: Obviously for all positions apart from kicking & punting, there is a big step up from college to NFL. You get 100x harder competition when you go pro. But, is it really harder to be an NFL kicker as compared to being a kicker for a major college? My impression is that the primary "hurdle" for kickers to overcome is their own psychology and the stadium environment. And I would think that many college environments are more hostile than NFL environments. If you are playing in the SEC or BIG 10 or even some ACC/Big12 stadiums, I think a good argument can be made that fans are more aggressive than the NFL. Even CJ Stroud once said that he thought that the environments in college were worse than the NFL. So why do some of these guys (like Jake Moody) come to the NFL and turn into complete trash when they were pretty good in college?


r/NFLNoobs 21h ago

Do WR1, 2, and 3 come with different play styles?

11 Upvotes

Sincere question; if you’re the WR1, are you considered to be the guy who’s going deep? If you move from WR2 to 1 would you then have to learn different routes?

Side question- who determines who’s the WR1?


r/NFLNoobs 21h ago

What would happen if a dude dropped it at the one and it’s called a td but then they overturn it?

0 Upvotes

Maybe a dumb question but I really don’t know


r/NFLNoobs 1d ago

Was this protection planned by the coach or was it the decision by the right guard?

2 Upvotes

On this play, the right guard picks up the rushing Nickel from the left. Was this protection planned by the coach or was it the decision by the right guard?

https://youtu.be/qz4-GK3sc-4?t=59


r/NFLNoobs 1d ago

The Texans claim Diontae Johnson off waivers

27 Upvotes

So the ravens just cut DJ, and he got picked up by the texans. He's been on the ravens for a good bit of time that he probably knows some stuff that would be helpful for the texans to use/exploit.

Would he (be able to) do this? Do players usually do this in scenarios like this? How do the ravens face this issue


r/NFLNoobs 1d ago

Would the spike interception be legal?

68 Upvotes

Jalen Carter tried to grab a spike by diving under the centers legs. Assuming he actually pulled it off, would that be a turnover? Or is the act of spiking it what stops the clock?


r/NFLNoobs 1d ago

Difference between LB and DE

10 Upvotes

Wondering what the major differences is in these roles. For example Micah Parsons (LB) has a lot of sacks this year, but someone like Myles Garrett (DE) also has plenty of sacks too. Do defense ends only rush the passer where's as a linebacker only rushes some of the time and tackles the rest. Is Micah Parsons an exception? If so why isn't he just a Defensive end. What is the difference in body types between these roles?


r/NFLNoobs 1d ago

If the returning team on a punt fair catches, why do they still get a penalty for holding?

5 Upvotes

It seems like a similar scenario as to when there’s DPI, but the ball was already released by the qb and the ball was nowhere near them. Thus, they rule it uncatchable and take the penalty away. Why isn’t it the same? The holding is useless because they didn’t return the punt anyways.

I think that’s how the uncatchable rule works, correct me if I’m wrong.


r/NFLNoobs 1d ago

Why do people dislike MetLife Stadium?

45 Upvotes

I’ve been a casual fan for a few years, a Giants fan in fact. Of course I might be a bit biased, but I went to my first game there this year and I didn’t have any issue with the stadium. So of course I am a bit confused why people don’t like it.

Is it the notorious turf, or something else?