Saying there’s only 11 minutes of game-action in an NFL game implies that player substitutions and audibles to new formations/plays don’t count as game-action because the ball isn’t snapped. If you understand football, even before the ball is snapped, there’s plenty to see – what personnel does the offense have on the field: 2-TE? 4-WR? Goal-line?

What personnel does the defense have on the field : Base defense? Nickel-package? Dime?
What formation is the offense lined up in: Shotgun? I-formation? Pistol?
What formation is the defense lined up in: Cover-2? Cover-1? If you see blitz, is it a double-A gap blitz? Overload to the left/right side? How about an all-out blitz?

That’s all part of the “game-action” even though the ball isn’t snapped yet.

Saying there’s only 11 minutes of game-action in the NFL because that’s the time between the snap and the whistle that ends the play is like saying everything in a basketball game leading up to a shot attempt (setting screens, multiple passes, etc.) doesn’t count as game action – only the shot attempt does. It demonstrates a lack of understanding of the game.

The key is the 40 second play-clock that begins counting down after the previous play ends.
If the previous play was an incomplete pass or a play that ends with the ball-carrier going out of bounds, the game-clock stops, but the players have 40 seconds until they have to run the next play. So almost a full minute goes by before the next play starts, yet there’s no time deducted from the game-clock.

It’s more noticeable nowadays as teams have gone from running the ball 60% of the time to passing the ball 60% of the time, meaning there’s more situations where the game-clock is stopped in-between plays.

Holy moly, can you have at least one person read this before posting?