the longest yard

1. An American sports comedy movie from 1974, The Longest Yard, tells the story of an incarcerated former professional American football player who builds a football team from the motley crew of the other prisoners. This team is supposed to play against the guards, who use their position, dirty tricks, and foul play to hinder the prisoners' team. The movie has had many remakes, most notably a 2005 one starring Adam Sandler.

2. A challenge that is greater than expected or reasonable. It comes from the title of the movie, where the prisoners have to not only get better at football, but also overcome inexperience, low confidence, lack of equipment, officers' cowardly attacks, etc. In gridiron football, a team advances score by walking yards until reaching the endzone. Since the prisoners have to deal with much more problems than the opposing teams, these yards are way harder for them to get, i.e., they are "longer," not in size, but in effort.

1. You like football, prison shows and comedy, you should watch The Longest Yard.

2. To overcome addiction and homelessness was the greatest yard in his life.