Hand-Off
Running play where the quarterback hands the ball to a back.
Hang Time
Length of time a punt is in the air.
Heisman Trophy
Award presented annually by the Downtown Athletic Club of New York to the best college football player in the country.
Holding
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 + first down if against the defense.
Home Field Advantage
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
Game played in a team’s own stadium.
In Bounds
Region of the field inside the sidelines and end lines.
Incomplete Pass
Forward pass that touches the ground before being caught.
Intentional Grounding
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
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
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
Imaginary line which no player may cross before the snap; each team has its own line of scrimmage, separated by the neutral zone.
Lineman
Player who starts each play within 1 yard of his line of scrimmage.
Live Ball
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
Imaginary line the offense must cross to achieve a new first down.
Neutral Zone
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)
Major professional football league in the U.S., its headquarters are in New York.
NFL Championship
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
Team that committed a foul.
Offensive Tackle
Responsible for blocking defenders from the man w/ the ball, creating running and throwing lanes.
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
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
Player who has no defender closely covering him.
Out of Bounds
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
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
Surge by defenders to get past blockers and sack the quarterback.
Personal Foul
Foul that might cause injury; punishable by a 15-yard penalty.
Picked Off
Ball that is intercepted by the team on defense.
Pitch-Out
Lateral tossed from a quarterback to a running back.
Place Kick
Kick towards the goalpost for a field goal or extra point; held between the ground and another player’s finger.
Play
Spurt of action that begins with a snap and ends with a dead ball.
Play Clock
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
Passing play after the quarterback has faked a hand-off.
Playoffs
Post-season tournament that determines the NFL champion.
Pocket
Area behind the offensive line, where the quarterback is protected by his blockers.
Point-after-Touchdown (PAT)
Place kick taken from the opponent’s 2-yard line; 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
Short orange marker at each of the end zone’s 4 corners.
Quarterback
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
Offensive player who catches or attempts to catch a forward pass.
Recovery
To gain or regain possession of a fumble.
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
First-year player in the NFL.
Rush
Running play; also, a pass rush.
Sack
Is a tackle behind the line of scrimmage of a player attempting a pass.
Split End
Receiver who lines up on the line scrimmage on the side away from the Tight End.
Tackle
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.
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
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.
Tight End
Offensive lineman a big receiver primary job is to catch passes and block.
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
Involuntarily loss of possession of the ball during a play, either by a fumble or by throwing an interception.
Wide Receiver
Main job catch passes and take some of the biggest hits of the game.
Wild Card
Team that makes the NFL playoffs by having one of the 3 best records among non-division winners in its conference.
Winning Percentage
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)
Zebras
Nickname given to the officials because of the black and white striped shirts they wear.
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