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 5 yards (1 yard in college) 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, Northern, Southern 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 (10 yards in college) plus a 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 32
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 (3-yard line in college); 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.
red shirt:
a designation given to a college player who did not play in
any games during a particular year due to injury or coach's choice; such a
player is permitted to practice with the team during that season and is granted
an additional year of eligibility; most often used to describe college freshmen
who are held out of games their first year to mature, becoming "red shirt
freshmen" in their second or sophomore year of college.
red zone:
the imaginary area between the defense's 20-yard line and
its goal line from which the offense is most likely to
score points.
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 and right offensive tackle, and a left and right
defensive tackle; See also tackling.
tackling:
contacting a ball carrier to cause
him to touch the ground with any part of his body except his hands, thereby
ending the play.
territory:
the half of the field a team protects against its opponents.
third-and-long:
when the offense faces a third down and is more than a short
running play away from a first down; usually
third-and-5 or greater.
touchback:
when a player who gains possession
of a ball in his own end zone kneels to the ground and
automatically starts the next play at his own 20-yard line; also awarded if his
opponent kicks the ball across the end line.
touchdown (TD):
when a team crosses the opponent’s goal line
with the ball, catches a pass in the opponent’s end zone,
or recovers a loose ball in the opponent’s end zone;
earns a team 6 points.
turnover:
the involuntary loss of possession
of the ball during a play, either by a fumble or by
throwing an interception.
2-point
conversion:
when a team that just scored a touchdown
starts a play at the opponent’s 2-yard line (3-yard line in college) and
crosses the goal line to earn 2 points; when
successful, it looks just like a touchdown; introduced to the NFL
in 1994.
Wild Card:
a team that makes the NFL playoffs
by having one of the 2 best records among non-division
winners in its conference.
winning
percentage:
the percentage of its games a team has won during a period
of time, given by the following formula:
Winning Percentage = (#wins
+ #ties/2)/(#games played)