Home > Quarterback sack
American footballIn American football, a quarterback sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can advance the football. This often occurs if the opposing team's defensive line or linebackers are able to quickly get around the quarterback's offensive line, the quarterback's primary protection; or if the quarterback is unable to find, in a reasonable amount of time, an available wide receiver who can catch the ball, allowing the defense a longer opportunity to tackle the quarterback.
A sack will only occur if the quarterback is behind the line of scrimmage. If the quarterback is able to advance the ball to at least the line of scrimmage prior to being tackled, it is not counted as a sack. Any yards lost on the play are added as negative yardage to the quarterback's rushing totals. For example, if a quarterback has 13 rushing yards and loses five yards on a sack, he will end up with a total of only eight rushing yards following the play. This is how quarterbacks can occasionally have negative rushing yards.
Among the NFL football players known for their ability to sack the quarterback are Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Kevin Greene , John Randle, Lawrence Taylor and Michael Strahan .
