Football Glossary
Astroturf:
an artificial surface used instead of grass on many
football fields.
Audible:
verbal commands shouted by the quarterback to his
teammates at the line of scrimmage to change a play
on short notice.
Backfield:
the area behind the line of scrimmage.
Backs:
the running backs; the halfback and the fullback.
Ball Carrier:
any player who has possession of the ball.
Beat:
when a player gets past an opponent trying to block
or tackle him.
Blackout:
when a regional network TV affiliate is forbidden
from showing a local game because it is not sold out.
Blitz:
a play where the defensive team sends players rushing
towards the line of scrimmage as soon as the ball is
snapped to try to sack the quarterback.
Blocking:
the act of preventing a defensive player from getting
to the ball carrier; blockers use their arms and bodies
but may not hold an opponent.
Bomb:
a long pass thrown to a receiver sprinting down
the field.
Bowl Game:
a college football game played in late-December
or early-January, after the regular season, between
two successful teams.
Bump-and-Run:
a technique used by pass defenders, where they hit
a receiver once within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage
to slow him down, and then follow him to prevent him
from catching a pass.
Call a Play:
instruct players to execute a pre-planned play.
Clipping:
blocking an opponent below the waist from behind;
this illegal block is a personal foul, punishable by
a 15-yard penalty.
Complete Pass:
a forward pass to a teammate who catches it in the
air.
Conferences:
groups into which teams are divided in professional
and college football; the NFL is divided into National
and American Conferences.
Controlling the Game Clock:
the use of tactics by an offensive team to either
save or use up time on the game clock, which often dictates
its choice of plays.
Cover or Coverage:
preventing a player from gaining yards; in pass
coverage, a defender follows a receiver to prevent him
from catching a pass; in kick coverage, members of the
kicking team try to prevent a long kick return.
Cut Back:
a sudden change in direction taken by a to make
it more difficult for defenders to follow and tackle
him.
Dead Ball:
a ball becomes dead when a play is over and becomes
live as soon as it is snapped for the next play.
Division:
in the NFL, sub-groups within conferences, such
as the Eastern, Central and Western Divisions; also,
a grouping of teams in college football, where Division
I contains the most competitive teams and Division III
the least.
Double Coverage:
when 2 defensive players cover one receiver.
Down:
one of 4 chances a team on offense has to gain 10
yards; also, the state of a player who has just been
tackled; also, a ball that a player touches to the ground
in the end zone to get a touchback.
Down the Field:
in the direction of the opponent's goal line.
Draft Choice:
a player chosen by a professional sports team from
a pool of college players in an annual draft.
Drive:
the series of plays a team puts together in an attempt
to score.
Drop Back:
when a quarterback, after taking the snap, takes
a few steps backward into an area called the pocket
to get ready to pass.
Drop Kick:
a type of free kick where a player drops the ball
and kicks it right after it hits the ground; rarely
used today.
Eligible Receiver:
a player allowed by the rules to catch a forward
pass; all offensive players are eligible except linemen
and the quarterback, who must notify the referee if
they wish to become eligible and stand at least one
yard behind the line of scrimmage before the snap.
Encroachment:
if a player (besides the center) is in the neutral
zone and contact occurs prior to the snap; a foul punishable
by a 5-yard penalty.
End Line:
the boundary line that runs the width of the field
along each end.
End Zone:
the area between the end line and goal line bounded
by the sidelines, which a team on offense tries to enter
to score a touchdown.
Extra Point(s):
additional point(s) scored by a team after it has
scored a touchdown, either by a point-after-touchdown
(1 point) or a 2-point conversion (2 points).
Fair Catch:
when a kick returner decides only to catch a punt
or kickoff and not advance it, protecting himself from
being hit by an opponent; he signals for a fair catch
by raising one hand in the air and waving it.
Field Goal:
a place kick that passes above the crossbar and
between the uprights of the goalpost, earning the team
that kicked it 3 points.
Field Position:
the location of a team on the field relative to
the two goal lines; good field position for a team is
near its opponent's goal line, while bad field position
is close to its own goal line.
First Down:
the first chance out of 4 that a team on offense
has to advance 10 yards down the field; as soon as it
gains those yards, it earns a new first down.
Forward Pass:
a pass thrown by a team closer to the opponent's
goal line; a team is allowed to throw only one forward
pass per play, and it must be thrown from behind the
team's line of scrimmage.
Forward Progress:
the location to which a ball carrier has advanced
the ball, even if he was pushed backwards after getting
there.
Foul:
a violation of football's rules by a team or player,
punishable by a penalty.
Franchise:
a team; the legal arrangement that establishes ownership
of a team.
Free Agent:
a player whose contract with his most recent team
has expired, allowing him to sign a new contract with
any team that makes him an offer.
Free Kick:
a type of kick taken to start or restart play after
a team has scored, with no defenders nearer than 10
yards away; includes a kickoff and a kick after a safety.
Fumble:
when a ball carrier loses possession by dropping
the ball or having it knocked away before a play ends;
the first player to regain possession of the loose ball
is said to make the recovery, and his team becomes the
offense.
Goal Line:
a line drawn across the width of the field, 10 yards
inside each end line, which a team must cross with the
ball to score a touchdown.
Goalpost:
a tall metallic structure that stands at the back
of each end zone; consists of a crossbar and two uprights
that extend upward from it, supported directly above
the end line by a base; teams try to kick the ball above
the crossbar and between the uprights to score a field
goal or extra point.
Going for It:
when a team facing a fourth down decides to try
for a new first down instead of punting; if it fails,
it loses possession of the ball.
Hand-Off:
a running play where the quarterback hands the ball
to a back.
Hang Time:
the length of time a punt is in the air.
Heisman Trophy:
an award presented annually by the Downtown Athletic
Club of New York to the best college football player
in the country.
Holding:
a foul where a player impedes the movement of an
opponent by grasping or hooking any part of his body
or uniform; punishable by a penalty - 10 yards if against
the offense, 5 yards + first down if against the defense.
Home Field Advantage:
the benefit a team gets by playing games in the
area where it is based, due to fan support, familiarity
with its surroundings and the lack of required travel.
Home Game:
a game played in a team's own stadium.
In Bounds:
the region of the field inside the sidelines and
end lines.
Incomplete Pass:
a forward pass that touches the ground before being
caught.
Intentional Grounding:
a foul called against a quarterback who purposely
throws an incomplete forward pass solely to avoid a
sack; cannot be called if the pass lands at or beyond
the line of scrimmage.
Interception:
a pass caught in the air (picked off) by a defender
whose team immediately gains possession of the ball
and becomes the offense.
Kickoff:
when a player kicks a ball from a tee at his own
30-yard line (35 in college) to the opposing team, whose
player tries to advance it the other way; used to start
the game, the second half and overtime, and to restart
play after each score.
Lateral:
a pass thrown to a teammate backwards from the team's
line of scrimmage or parallel to it; unlike a forward
pass (which can be thrown only once per play), players
may lateral the ball as often as they want.
Line of Scrimmage:
an imaginary line which no player may cross before
the snap; each team has its own line of scrimmage, separated
by the neutral zone.
Lineman:
a player who starts each play within 1 yard of his
line of scrimmage.
Live Ball:
a ball becomes live as soon as it is snapped or
free kicked (as in a kickoff); opposite of a dead ball.
Loose Ball:
a ball that is not in possession of either team,
such as after a fumble or a kickoff; it can be recovered
by either team.
Man-in-Motion:
a single player on the offense who is permitted
to move prior to the snap; he may only run parallel
to the line of scrimmage or away from it.
Midfield:
the 50-yard line, which divides the length of the
field in half.
Necessary Line:
the imaginary line the offense must cross to achieve
a new first down.
Neutral Zone:
the region that contains the ball as it sits on
the ground before each play; the area between the two
lines of scrimmage.
NFL (National Football League):
the major professional football league in the U.S.
with 28 teams; its headquarters are in New York.
NFL Championship:
the game held from 1933 through 1965 to decide the
champion of professional football; renamed the Super
Bowl in 1966.
Nickel Defense:
when a defense brings in a 5th defensive back to
replace a linebacker on the field, increasing its pass
coverage.
Offending Team:
the team that committed a foul.
Offside:
when any part of a player's body is beyond his line
of scrimmage when the ball is snapped; a foul punishable
by a 5-yard penalty.
On Downs:
the term used to describe a team's loss of possession
if it fails to reach the necessary line on a fourth
down play.
Open Receiver:
a player who has no defender closely covering him.
Out of Bounds:
the region of the field touching or outside the
sidelines and end lines; as soon as a ball carrier or
the ball itself touches out of bounds, the play is over.
Pass Defender:
a defensive player who covers an opposing receiver.
Pass Patterns or Pass Routes:
pre-determined paths receivers follow to help the
passer quickly locate them so he can more easily get
them the ball.
Pass Protection:
blocking by offensive players to keep defenders
away from the quarterback on passing plays.
Pass Rush:
a surge by defenders to get past blockers and sack
the quarterback.
Personal Foul:
a foul that might cause injury; punishable by a
15-yard penalty.
Picked Off:
intercepted.
Pitch-Out:
a lateral tossed from a quarterback to a running
back.
Place Kick:
a kick towards the goalpost for a field goal or
extra point; held between the ground and another player's
finger.
Play:
a spurt of action that begins with a snap and ends
with a dead ball.
Play Clock:
a clock displayed above each end zone that limits
the time teams may take between plays to 40 seconds
(30 in college); the ball must be snapped before the
clock runs down to 0.
Play-Action Pass:
a passing play after the quarterback has faked a
hand-off.
Playoffs:
the post-season tournament that determines the NFL
champion.
Pocket:
the area behind the offensive line, where the quarterback
is protected by his blockers.
Point-After-Touchdown (PAT):
a place kick taken from the opponent's 2-yard line;
awarded to a team that has scored a touchdown, it is
worth 1 point if it goes through the goalpost.
Possession:
to be holding or in control of the football.
Previous Spot:
where the ball was snapped to begin the last play.
Punt:
when a player 10 yards behind the center catches
a snap, drops it and kicks it before it hits the ground;
an opponent tries to catch and advance it the other
way.
Pylon:
a short orange marker at each of the end zone's
4 corners.
Quarterback:
the leader of a team's offense, he takes the snap
from the center and either hands the ball to a running
back to run with, passes it to a receiver or runs with
it himself; he also communicates each play to his teammates.
Reading the Defense:
recognition by the quarterback of the defensive
formation; he may then call an audible to adjust the
offense.
Receiver:
an offensive player who catches or attempts to catch
a forward pass.
Recovery:
to gain or regain possession of a fumble.
Return:
an attempt by a player who has just caught an interception,
punt, or kickoff to advance the ball the other way.
Roll Out:
when a quarterback runs parallel to the line, looking
for a receiver.
Rookie:
a first-year player in the NFL.
Rush:
a running play; also, a pass rush.
Sack:
a tackle of the quarterback behind his line of scrimmage.
Safety:
when a ball carrier is tackled in his own end zone
after bringing the ball there under his own power; the
defense earns 2 points and receives a free kick from
the offense's own 20-yard line.
Scrambling:
evasive movements by a quarterback to avoid being
sacked.
Series:
the group of 4 downs a team has to advance 10 yards.
Sideline:
the boundary line that runs the length of the field
along each side; a ball carrier or ball that touches
or crosses the sideline is out of bounds.
Single-Elimination:
a tournament where a team is eliminated after one
loss.
Snap:
when the center while facing forward quickly hands
the ball between his legs to a player standing behind
him (usually the quarterback) to start each play.
Special Teams:
the group of players who participate in kicking
plays.
Spike:
when a player throws the ball at the ground to celebrate
a touchdown.
Spiral:
a ball passed or kicked with a spin which propels
it further with more accuracy; the ball points the same
direction throughout its flight.
Spot:
a location on the field, determined by an official,
to mark forward progress or the place of a foul.
Stiff Arm (or straight arm):
a push by a ball carrier to ward off a tackler.
Succeeding Spot:
where the next play would start if no penalty was
called.
Super Bowl:
the championship game of the NFL, played between
the champions of the AFC and NFC at a neutral site each
January; it is the culmination of the NFL playoffs.
Tackle:
a player position on both the offensive and defensive
lines; there is usually a left
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