Glossary of American football __NOTOC__ The following terms are used in American football. 0-9 3-4 :a defensive formation with 3 linemen and 4 linebackers (and 4 defensive backs). 4-3 :a defensive formation with 4 linemen and 3 linebackers (and 4 defensive backs). A audible :a play called by the quarterback at the line of scrimmage to change the play that was called in the huddle. automatic :an audible B blitz :a defensive maneuver in which one or more linebackers or defensive backs, who normally remain behind the line of scrimmage, instead charge into the opponents' backfield in an attempt to sack the quarterback. bootleg :an offensive play in which the quarterback carries the ball in the direction of the sideline, away from the offensive line, then attempts to either pass or run with the ball. Contrast with scramble, sneak, and draw C center :a player position on offense. The center snaps the ball to the quarterback. clipping :an illegal block in which the victim is blocked from the back and below the waist; the penalty is 15 yards. Originally, clipping was defined as any block from the back, but is now restricted to blocks below the waist. Other blocks from the back are now punished with 10-yard penalties. coffin corner :the corner of the field of play. A punter, if he is close enough, will often attempt to kick the ball out of bounds close to the receiving team's goal line and pin them back near their own end zone. cornerback :a defensive back who lines up near the line of scrimmage. Their primary job is to disrupt passing routes and to defend against short and medium passes. counter :a running play in which the running back will take a step in the opposite direction of the play, only to get the handoff in the other direction. Weak side linemen will sometimes pull and lead the back downfield (sometimes called a counter trap), but not necessarily. The play is designed to get the defense to flow away from the action for a few steps, allowing more room for the running back. crackback block :an illegal block delivered from the back by an offensive player who had left the area of close line play and then returned to it. The term is also used to describe a legal block (delivered from the front, or from the side with the offensive player's helmet in front of the blocked player) by a wide receiver on a player who lined up inside of him. D dead ball :a ball which is not in play after one play has ended and before the next play begins. defensive back :a cornerback or safety on the defensive team; commonly defends against wide receivers on passing plays. Generally there are 4 defensive backs playing at a time; but see nickel back and dime back. defensive end :a player position on defense defensive tackle :a player position on defense defensive team :the team that begins a play from scrimmage not in possession of the ball. dime back :the second extra, or sixth total, defensive back. Named because a dime has the same value as two nickels. down :one of a series of four plays in which the offensive team must advance at least 10 yards or lose possession. First down is the first of the plays and fourth down is the last. A first down occurs after a change of posession of the ball, after advancing the ball 10 yards following a previous first down or after certain penalties. draw play :a play in which the quarterback drops back as if to pass, then hands off to a running back or runs with the ball himself. Contrast with scramble drop kick :a kick in which the ball is allowed to hit the ground before it is kicked. It was effectively used as a method of kicking field goals in the early history of football, but unheard of today, although it is still legal. E eligible receivers :players who may legally catch a forward pass. At all levels of football, offensive players who line up at the ends of the line of scrimmage, plus backfield players except for the quarterback, are eligible. In the USA, quarterbacks are always eligible receivers at high school and college levels. In the NFL, a quarterback who takes a snap directly from center is NOT an eligible receiver, but a quarterback who takes an indirect snap (e.g. in a shotgun formation) is eligible. All defensive players are eligible receivers and once the ball is touched by an eligible receiver all players become eligible. end :a player position, either on offense or defense end zone :the area between the end line and the goal line bounded by the sidelines. extra point :a single point scored in a conversion attempt by kicking the ball through the uprights. F field of play :the area of the field between the goal lines and bounded by the sidelines. flanker :a player position on offense. A wide reciever who lines up 1 or more yards off the line of scrimmage. The flanker can line up either outside the tight end, outside the split end, or in the slot between the split end and the offensive linemen. flat :an area on the field between the line of scrimmage and 10 yards into the defensive backfield, and within 15 yards of the sideline. Running backs often run pass routes to the flat when they are the safety valve reciever. formation :the arrangement of players on the offensive team just prior to the beginning of a play. forward pass :a pass with a trajectory that takes it closer to the opponent's goal. free kick :Any kickoff; however, the term is usually used only for the kickoff that follows a safety. This kick differs from all other kickoffs in that punts are allowed. Normal kickoffs must be made with the ball on an elevated tee. free safety :a player position on defense. Free safeties have somewhat more pass defense responsibilities than strong safeties. fullback :a player position on offense fumble :a ball that is dropped or mishandled (technically a muff is a loose ball). goal :the end zone. G goal posts :a set of two upright posts extending above a crossbar. The distance between uprights is 18 feet 9 inches, and the top of the crossbar is 10 feet above the ground. gridiron :a football field guard :a player position on offense H halfback :a player position on offense hash marks :lines on the field between which plays from scrimmage begin. holder :a player who holds the ball upright for a place kick. huddle :an on-field gathering of members of a team in order to receive instructions for the upcoming play. I i :A formation that includes a fullback and running back lined up with the full back directly in front of the running back. incomplete pass :a forward pass where no player is able to legally catch the ball. inbound lines :the hash marks. interception :a forward pass where an opposing player legally catches the ball J jumbo :an offensive formation which includes two tight ends, one on either side, plus a full back and running back in an i formation. K kickoff :a place kick which starts each half, or restarts the game following a touchdown or field goal. kick returner :a player on the receiving team who specializes in returning kickoffs L lateral :a pass thrown to the side or backward. line of scrimmage :the yard line at which a down begins. line to gain :a technical term for first-down yardage linebacker :a player position on defense lineman :a defensive or offensive position played on the line of scrimmage live ball :any ball that is in play, whether it is a player's possession or not. The ball is live during plays from scrimmage and free kicks, including kickoffs. long snapper :a center who specializes in the long, accurate snaps required for punts and field goal attempts. Most teams employ a specialist long snapper instead of requiring the normal center to perform this duty. loose ball :any ball that is in play and not in a player's possession. This includes a ball in flight during a lateral or forward pass. M man coverage :same as man-to-man coverage man-to-man coverage :a defense in which all players in pass coverage, typically linebackers and defensive backs, cover a specific player. Pure man coverage is very rare; defenses typically mix man and zone coverage. muff :a loose ball that is dropped or mishandled while the player is attempting to gain posession. N neutral zone :the region between the line of scrimmage and a parallel line, one football length away, that both teams must stay out of before the ball is snapped. The exception to this is the center (or, more accurately in punting or field goal situations, the long snapper) of the offensive team who can place his hands on the ball to snap it and initiate play. The penalty for violation is called offsides and can be called on either side. Defensive players can enter the neutral zone so long as they are out of it before the ball is snapped. Occasionally, the offensive team will line up with the sole intention of trying to draw the defense offsides, usually on fourth down when tension is high. The quarterback can change tone or volume of voice or go to a longer snap count to achieve this result. Perhaps the master of this technique was John Elway. nickel back :an extra, or fifth, defensive back. Named after the coin, worth five cents. no-huddle offense :A type of offensive strategy where the offense quickly gets to the line of scrimmage without huddling before the next play. Also called a hurry up offense. Most teams use this strategy in the last two minutes of the half in order to get the ball down the field fast in a short amount of time, but it can be used throughout the game. One benefit of the hurry up is, if the play can be called quickly enough, to not allow the defense to change players. The most famous use of the hurry up is the Buffalo Bills who used this offense almost exclusively throughout the early 1990's to great success. nose tackle :the single defensive tackle position in a 3-4 defense. The nose tackle usually lines up across from the center. O offensive team :the team with possession of the ball offside :an infraction of the rule that requires both teams to be on their own side of the line of scrimmage before a play starts. Offside is normally called on the defensive team. When the offensive team commits the infraction, it is called a false start. onside kick :a play on a kickoff in which the kicking team tries to field its own kick. Generally, the kicking team tries to kick the ball just over 10 yards (the minimum legal kick). This is rarely successful, and is used near the end of the game when the kicking team must score once to win or tie the game. P pass interference :when a player hinders an eligible receiver's opportunity to catch forward pass. placekicker :a kicker who specializes in kickoffs or field goals (as opposed to punts) play prevent defense :a defensive strategy that utilizes deep zone coverage in order to prevent a big play from happening downfield, usually at the expense of giving up yards at shorter distances. Often used against hail mary plays, or at the end of the game when the outcome has already been decided. pulling :a term used to describe an offensive lineman who, instead of blocking the player in front of him, steps back ("pulls") and moves down the line to block another player, usually in a "trap" or "sweep." punt :a kick in which the ball is dropped and kicked before it reaches the ground. punter :a kicker who specializes in punts as opposed to kickoffs or field goals. Q quarterback :the player who generally hands off or throws the football to the receiver. The center must send the football to him before he can decide what action he must take for the play to go forward. R red dog :a blitz. reverse :an offensive play in which a ballcarrier going toward one side of the field hands off to a teammate who is running in the opposite direction (if the second ballcarrier is an end, it is an "end around"). run and shoot an offensive philosophy designed to force the defense to show its hand prior to the snap of the ball by splitting up receivers and sending them in motion. running back a player position on offense rush :trying to tackle or hurry a quarterback before he can throw a pass. S sack :tackling the quarterback before he can get off a pass. safety a player position on defense a method of scoring (worth two points) by downing an opposing ballcarrier in his own end zone, forcing the opposing ballcarrier out of his own end zone AND out of bounds, or forcing the offensive team to fumble the ball so that it exits the end zone. A safety is also awarded if the offensive team commits a penalty within its own end zone. After a safety, the team that was scored upon must kick the ball to the scoring team from its own 20-yard line. In college and high school football, a safety is also awarded if the team defending a conversion attempt gains possession of the ball (via a fumble, interception, or blocked kick) and runs it back into the scoring team's end zone. The defending team will earn two points. However, this type of safety will be followed by the regular kickoff that follows a touchdown. safety valve :a receiver who gets a short pass because all other receivers are covered. scramble :on a called passing play, when the quarterback runs from the pocket in an attempt to avoid being sacked, giving the receivers more time to get open or attempting to gain positive yards by running himself. screen pass :a short forward pass to a receiver who has blockers in front of him. The receiver in this play is usually a running back or fullback, although wide receiver and tight end screens are sometimes employed. scrimmage :see: play from scrimmage shotgun formation :formation in which offensive team may line up at the start of a play. In this formation, the quarterback receives the snap from about 5 yards behind the center. slot :The area between a split end and the offensive line. If a wide reciever (flanker) is lined up in the slot at the snap of the ball, he may be called the slot reciever snap :the handoff or pass from the center that begins a play from scrimmage. sneak :an offensive play in which the quarterback, after recieving the snap, immediatly dives forward with the ball. The play is used when a team needs a very short gain, typically less than a foot, for either a first down or a touchdown. special teams :the units that handle kickoffs, punts, free kicks and field goal attempts. split end :a player position on offence. A wide reciever who lines up on the line of scrimmage, several yards ouside the offensive linemen. stiff-arm or straight-arm :a ballcarrier warding off a would-be tackler by pushing them away with a straight arm. strong safety :a player position on defense. This is a central defensive back; originally, the term indicated that he lined up on the strong side of the field. However, the modern usage of the term now indicates a central defensive back with responsibility for run and pass support, slightly favoring run support. strong side :definition depends on the offensive formation. When a team uses one tight end, the strong side is the side of the field where the tight end lines up. If the offensive package uses no tight end, or more than one tight end, the strong side is the side of the field with the most offensive players on or just behind the line of scrimmage. stunt :a tactic used by defensive linemen in which they switch sides in an attempt to get past the blockers. T T-formation :a classic offensive formation with the quarterback directly behind the center and two or three running backs behind the quarterback, forming a 'T'. tackle the act of forcing a ball carrier the ground a player position on the line, either an offensive tackle or a defensive tackle tight end :a player position on offense touchback :the act of downing the ball behind one's own goal line after the ball had been propelled over the goal by the opposing team. After a touchback, the team that downed it gets the ball at their own 20-yard line. touchdown :a play worth six points, accomplished by gaining legal possession of the ball in the opponent's end zone. trap :a basic blocking pattern in which a defensive lineman easily gets past the line of scrimmage, only to be blocked by a "pulling" lineman. two-point conversion :a play worth two points accomplished by gaining legal possession of the ball in the opponent's end zone after a touchdown has been made U V W weak side :when one tight end is used, the side of the field opposite the tight end. In other offensive packages, the side of the field with the fewest offensive players on or just behind the line of scrimmage. west coast offense an offensive philosophy that uses short, high-percentage passes as the core of a ball-control offense. wide receiver :a player position on offense wing back :a player position in some offensive formations X X-receiver :Term used in play calling that usually refers to the split end, or the wide receiver that lines up on the line of scrimmage. For example, "Split Right Jet 529 X Post" tells the X-receiver to run a post route. Y Y-receiver :Term usually used in offensive play calling to refer to the tight end. For example, "Buffalo Right 534 Boot Y Corner" tells the Y-receiver to run a corner route. Z Z-receiver :a term used in offensive play calling that usually refers to the flanker, or the wide receiver that lines up off the line of scrimmage. For example, "Panther Gun 85 Slant Z Go" tells the Z-receiver to run a go (also called a fly or streak) route. zone defense :a defense in which players who are in pass coverage cover zones of the field, instead of individual players. Pure zone packages are seldom used; most defenses employ some combination of zone and man coverage. One recent variant, the zone blitz, combines a blitz with a zone package; in some situations, a linebacker will blitz and a lineman will drop into pass coverage. 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