|
This section is Sponsored by Sportbet.com
A l B l C l D l E l F l G l H l I l J l K l L l M l N l O l P l Q l R l S l T l U l W l X l Y l Z
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)
 |
