Can someone tell me why a touchdown by the offense in the NFL is also counted as a first down? Is it merely because the team has gained 10 yards? Doesn't a first down also mean the team receives a new set of downs?

If a team gets to the line to gain then they get a first down. The goalline is also a line to gain.

I beleive that ruling is consistent in NFHS and NCAA as well.

Section I, Article 1 of the NCAA Official Football Statistics Rules,a first down is recorded whenever the yardsticks are ordered forward and/or a touchdown is scored from scrimmage.

the nfhs statastics mannual states a td is also a first down

We'd better keep quiet or the SEC officials will start signaling a time out AND a first down after giving the touchdown signal.

One of my huge pet peeves. The clock stops on a touchdown signal or an incomplete pass signal. Why oh why do some areas of the country feel the need to add a time out signal to this? It looks silly and must be horribly awkward.

Rich

That's how I was taught, I stopped doing it after one game cause it IS silly and it IS akward.

I was taught that way too, at least on an incomplete pass. One pass of the arms for incomplete pass, then one over the head for timeout. It felt silly to me as well, and as I saw veterans doing it, I stopped.

However, nowadays I watch the clock at lot, as the guys running clock for anything below JV need a lot of help (and occasionally JV guys as well). If I notice them not stopping the clock on incomplete, I go back to signaling for it after signaling incomplete.