Glossary of American football terms

0–9

Main article: 3–3–5 defense

Main article: 3–4 defense

Main article: 4–3 defense

Main article: 46 defense

Main article: 5–2 defense

Main article: 5–3 defense

Main article: 6–2 defense

Main article: 7–1–2–1 defense

Main article: 7–2–2 defense

A

Main article: A-11 offense

Main article: Air Coryell

Main article: Air raid offense

Main article: all-purpose yardage

B

Main article: Black Monday

Main article: Blitz (American football)

Main article: Bootleg play

Main article: Draft bust

C

Main article: Carry (gridiron football)

Main article: Checkdown

Main article: Chop block (gridiron football)

Main article: Clipping (gridiron football)

Main article: Clock management

Main article: Coffin corner (American football)

Main article: Cornerback

• Man-to-man – each eligible receiver is covered by a defensive back or a linebacker.
• Zone – certain players (usually defensive backs and linebackers, though occasionally linemen) are assigned an area on the field that they are to cover.

Common types of coverage:

• Cover zero – strict man-to-man coverage with no help from safeties (usually a blitz play with at least five players crossing the line of scrimmage)
• Cover one – man-to-man coverage with at least one safety not assigned a player to cover who can help out on deep pass routes.
• Cover two – zone coverage with the safeties playing deep and covering half the field each. Can be "cover two man", where every receiver is covered by a defensive player, or "cover two zone" (also known as "Tampa two"), where a CB covers the flat zone, "OLB hook zone" or an "MLB curl zone".
• Cover three – zone coverage as above, but with extra help from the strong safety or a cornerback, so that each player covers one-third of a deep zone.
• Cover four – as above, with the corners and safeties dropping into deep coverage, with each taking one-fourth of the width of the field. Also referred to as "quarters".}} Main article: Cut blocking

D

Main article: Dead ball (American football)

Main article: Dead zone (gridiron football)

Main article: defensive back

Main article: Defensive end

Main article: defensive tackle

Main article: Defensive team

Main article: Intentional grounding

Main article: Dime back

Main article: Draw play

drive Main article: Drop kick

E

Main article: Edge rusher

Main article: eligible receiver

Main article: Encroachment (gridiron football)

Main article: End-around

Main article: End zone

Main article: Extra point

F

Main article: Face mask (gridiron football)

Main article: False start

Main article: Fair catch

Main article: Fair catch kick

Main article: Fantasy football (American)

Main article: NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision

Main article: NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision

Main article: Official (gridiron football)#Field judge

Main article: Field goal

Main article: Flea flicker (American football)

Main article: Flexbone formation

Main article: Forward pass

Main article: Stance_(American_football)#Four-point_stance

Main article: Safety kick

Main article: Safety_(gridiron_football_position)#Free_safety

Main article: Fullback (American football)

Main article: Fumble

Main article: Fumblerooski

G

Main article: Game manager

Main article: Goal line (American football)

The word derives from the same root as griddle, meaning a "lattice". The original field was marked in a grid of crisscrossed lines; the ball would be snapped in the grid in which it was downed on the previous play. In modern usage, a gridiron is a surface with parallel lines. American and related codes of football have lines spaced every five yards (as compared to 10–12 metres in rugby), giving the field a unique look among football codes.}} Main article: Guard (American football)

Main article: Gunner (American football)

H

Main article: Hail Mary pass

Main article: Halfback (American football)

Main article: Halfback option play

Main article: Hand-off

Main article: Hard count (gridiron football)

Main article: Hash mark (sports)#Usage in gridiron football

Main article: H-back

Main article: Holder (American football)

Main article: Holding (American football)

• Offensive holding, illegally blocking a player from the opposing team by grabbing and holding their uniform or body
• Defensive holding, called against defensive players who hold offensive players, but who are not actively making an attempt to catch the ball (if the defensive player were to impede an offensive player in the act of catching the ball, that would be the more severe foul of pass interference)}} Main article: Hook and lateral

Main article: Horse-collar tackle

Main article: Hospital pass#American football

|access-date = 8 February 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071227215751/http://chi.scout.com/2/636979.html |archive-date = 2007-12-27 |url-status = dead |access-date=8 February 2012 Main article: Huddle#American football

Main article: Hurry-up offense

Main article: Hard count (gridiron football)

I

Main article: I formation

Main article: icing the kicker

Main article: Incomplete pass

Main article: Intentional grounding

Main article: Interception

J

Main article: Jumbo offense

Main article: Juke (football move)

K

A punt, place kick, or drop kick Main article: placekicker

Main article: Kickoff (gridiron football)

Main article: Kick returner

Main article: Quarterback kneel

L

Main article: Lateral pass

Main article: Line of scrimmage

Main article: Linebacker

Main article: Lineman (football)

On offense, the player snapping the ball is the center. The players to their sides are the guards, and the players to the outside of the guards are the tackles. The players on the end of the line are the ends. This may be varied in an unbalanced line.

On defense, the outside linemen are ends and those inside are tackles. If there are five or six linemen, the innermost linemen are known as guards. This is rare in professional football except for goal-line defenses, but is sometimes seen in high school and college.}} Main article: Long snapper

M

Main article: Man-to-man defense

Main article: Motion (gridiron football)

Main article: Man-to-man defense

Main article: Marty ball

monster man Main article: Motion (gridiron football)

Main article: Muffed punt

N

Main article: Neutral zone (American football)

Main article: NFL Europa

Main article: Nickel back

Main article: No-huddle offense

Main article: Defensive tackle#Nose tackle

O

Main article: Offensive team

Main article: Offside (American football)

Main article: Onside kick#Alternatives to onside kicks

Main article: Onside kick

Main article: Option offense

Main article: Option run

P

Main article: Conversion (gridiron football)

Main article: Forward pass

Main article: Pass interference

Main article: Passer rating

Main article: Personnel grouping (gridiron football)

Main article: Interception

Main article: Pistol offense

Main article: Place kick

Main article: Football play

Main article: Play action pass

Main article: Play clock

Main article: Passing pocket

Main article: Pop Warner Little Scholars

Main article: Route (gridiron football)#Post

Main article: prevent defense

Main article: Pro set

Main article: Pump fake#Football

Main article: Punt (gridiron football)

Main article: Punt (gridiron football)#Return

Main article: Punter (football position)

Q

quarter Main article: Quarterback

Main article: quarterback sneak

Main article: Quick kick

R

Main article: Reception (gridiron football)

Main article: Red zone (gridiron football)

Main article: Redshirt (college sports)

Main article: Return yards

Main article: Reverse (American football)

Main article: Run and shoot

Main article: Run-pass option

Main article: Running back

Main article: Running out the clock

Main article: Running up the score#In American football

Main article: Rush (American football)

S

Main article: Quarterback sack

Main article: Safety (gridiron football position)

In the unusual event of a safety occurring during a try for an extra point or two points after a touchdown, this scores only one point and is followed by a kickoff as after any other try. (In some codes, the rules allow the defense in addition to the offense to score in this fashion.) }} Scoop and score Main article: Scorigami

Main article: Quarterback scramble

Main article: Screen pass

Main article: Exhibition game#American football

Main article: Defensive back

Main article: Shift (gridiron football)

Main article: Shoot the gap

Main article: Shotgun formation

Main article: Single-wing formation

Main article: Route (gridiron football)#Slant

Main article: Smashmouth offense

Main article: Snap (football)

Main article: Quarterback sneak

Main article: Special teams

Main article: Spike (gridiron football)

Main article: Spiral (football)

Main article: Split-T

Main article: Spread offense

Main article: Sprint football

Main article: Squib kick

Main article: Starting lineup#American football

Main article: Stiff-arm fend#Gridiron football

Main article: Strong safety

Main article: Stunt (gridiron football)

Main article: Sweep (American football)

T

Main article: T formation

Main article: Tackle (football move)

Main article: Tackle-eligible play

Main article: Halfback (American football)

Main article: Three-and-out

Main article: Three-point stance

Main article: Tight end

Main article: Total offense

Main article: Touchback

Main article: Touchdown

Main article: Trap run

Main article: Trick play

Main article: Trips formation

Main article: Conversion (gridiron football)

Main article: Turnover on downs

Main article: Turnover (gridiron football)

Main article: Two-level defense

Main article: Two-minute warning

Main article: Two-point conversion

U

Main article: Upback

Main article: Utility player

V

Main article: Veer

W

Main article: Walk-on (sports)

Main article: West Coast offense

Main article: Route (gridiron football)#Wheel

WR Main article: Wide receiver

Main article: Wildcat offense

Main article: Wingback (American football)

Main article: Wishbone formation

X

Y

Main article: Yards after catch

Main article: American football field#Yard lines

Main article: All-purpose yardage

Main article: Yards from scrimmage

Z

Main article: Zone defense in American football

Main article: Zone blitz

References

Sources

• Hickok, Ralph (1977). New Encyclopedia or Sports. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.

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