Home > Glossary of American football
__NOTOC__The following terms are used in American football.
- 0-9 __NOTOC__ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
1 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).
2 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
3 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.
4 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.
5 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.
6 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.
