Futurevoid
Member
(THREAD IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
I'll be updating this throughout the day and the week with actual graphics that are being worked on so bear with me. For now I wanted to get the thread up with the content/resources I've gathered. If anyone wants to lend a hand in that department, please feel free to contact me via PM. I'm all for prettying this up!
The purpose of this thread is to discuss American Football at a high level. This includes breaking down film, discussing different schemes employed and hopefully helping to educate those that are looking to know more. This is a "one all" discussion thread. Meaning that the discussion is not only limited to the NFL. College and high school football are completely fair game here. Draft analysis is also welcome.
This is NOT the place to talk about weekly games, your specific team needs, news on who your team signed etc. That belongs in the weekly NFL or general College football threads.
To summarize what's acceptable:
- Novice or high level questions/discussion about football.
- Breakdown of film. All-22 is now available from Game Rewind on NFL.com which gives us unprecedented access to the very same film coaches use to break their opponents down.
- Discussion on schemes. Why use them? When is it appropriate to employ a nickel defense? Why would I want to use an option route on offense?
- Discussion of said schemes on a per team basis. If you're an Atlanta Falcons fan and want to talk about why the defense failed against the 49'ers this past weekend - don't just say "the defensive plan sucked!", tell us why! Possibly even illustrate it using film breakdown.
- Draft analysis is welcome as noted. If you want to do a scouting report on a certain player or discuss them more in-depth this is the place to do it.
To summarize what's unacceptable:
- Trolling novice users for not knowing certain things. If you know more, then help to educate. If you're here to be general troll then move on. This isn't the place for you.
- Weekly game conversations should be in their respective threads. Calls of TAINT!, you people, Josh Freeman Taco Bell jokes and all of the other fun memes that are used in the NFL threads can stay there. This isn't the place for them. Nothing wrong with a little light ribbing here and there and we certainly want to keep this fun but the goal here is for a more serious Football conversation.
- NFL/College news items. Post them in the weekly or college thread. It's nice that the Eagles have a new head coach. This isn't the place to talk about it!
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Audible - A play called by the quarterback at the line of scrimmage to make a change from the play that was called in the huddle.
Ball control - A strategy that is based on low-risk plays in an effort to avoid losing possession of the ball; examples of when a ball-control strategy would be used include when a team is in the red zone and when a team is protecting a lead late in a game.
Backward pass - A pass thrown backward. Also called "onside pass" in Canadian football. There is no limit to the number of backward passes or where they may be thrown from. Sometimes referred to as a "lateral," which specifically refers to a pass thrown with no motion toward either end zone.
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. However, in the 3-4 defense, one linebacker typically rushes the passer with the three down linemen. This is not considered a blitz. If an additional linebacker is sent, bringing the total number of rushers to five, it is a blitz.
Block - The act of one player obstructing another player with his body, either to push him back or to prevent him from moving beyond the blocker. Some types of blocks include: a run block, where the blocker pushes a defensive player back and away from the ball carrier; a pass block, where a blocker protects a player by moving laterally and backwards to slow or halt an incoming pass rusher; a cut block; a zone block, which is any block executed in a zone blocking scheme; a trap block; a pull block; a screen block, which is a kind of pass block; and a double-team block, where two blockers simultaneously block one player.
Blocking back - Used to describe a running back who is assigned to block. It describes either an assignment for a single play or the back's primary function throughout his career, such as when describing a fullback who is particularly skilled at blocking. Also an early term for quarterback.
Bootleg - An offensive play predicated upon misdirection in which the quarterback pretends to hand the ball to another player, and then carries the ball in the opposite direction of the supposed ballcarrier with the intent of either passing or running (sometimes the quarterback has the option of doing either). A naked bootleg is a risky variation of this play when the quarterback has no blockers pulling out with him. Contrast with scramble, sneak, and draw.
The Box - An area on the defensive side of the ball, directly opposite the offensive linemen and about 5 yards deep; having 8 players in the box means bringing in a defensive back, normally the strong safety, to help stop the offensive team's running game.
Bubble screen - A type of screen pass where the quarterback takes the snap and immediately throws to a wide receiver lined up to the far right or left of the center. The receiver catches the ball, and then turns to run downfield.
Chop block - Similar to a cut block in which one offensive player blocks a defensive player below the knees and another blocks him above the waist. It is illegal to block low if a team mate is already engaged with the defensive player blocking high to prevent knee and ankle injuries.
Checkdown - The checkdown pass is when the quarterback has to complete a short pass to a running back or tight end as a last resort to avoid a sack. Handling a checkdown situation is for a running back to catch this short pass, then use his speed, agility and power to run for extra yardage.
Clipping - An illegal block in which the victim is blocked from the back and at or below the waist; the penalty is 15 yards. Originally, clipping was defined as any block from the back, but is now restricted to blocks at or below the waist. Other blocks from the back are now punished with 10-yard penalties.
Coffin corner - The corner of the field of play between the end zone and the 10 yard line. 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.
Comeback route - A receiver or tight end route where the player runs straight upfield a specified number of yards (could be a short or medium route), plants hard, and turns and runs back towards the sideline at a 45 degree angle. Often confusingly named, a wide receiver doesn't come back towards the quarterback, instead he tries to catch the ball and guarantee getting out of bounds.
Hook or Dig route - The buttonhook route is when a receiver runs straight upfield a certain distance and then plants hard and runs straight back towards the quarterback. Often simply called a hook route or a dig route. In some cases, a dig route is considered a very long buttonhook, such as 15+ yards downfield. Hence the receiver must dig his cleats in hard to stop and come back at the quarterback after running so far and fast.
Post pattern - A passing route in which the receiver sprints 8 to 10 yards, fakes a look back at the Quarterback, then sprints deep at an angle toward the middle of the field; the opposite pattern is the flag route. It is called a post pattern because the middle of the field is where the goal posts are found.
Slant - A receiver route. In the slant route, a receiver runs straight upfield a few yards, plants his outside foot hard while in full stride, and turns 45 degrees towards the quarterback. A staple of the West Coast Offense (WCO) and the player may go as little as 2 yards or as many as 6 yards before moving inside for the pass. Variations include the quick slant in which the player plants and turns at the snap instead of running ahead first and the Slow or Zone route, in which the receiver runs 10 to 15 yards downfield to get behind the linebackers before turning.
Wheel route - A pass route in which the receiver, often a running back, travels parallel along the line of scrimmage and then takes off up the field.
*All WR Routers can be seen here:
Counter - A running play in which the running back will take a step in the apparent direction of the play (i.e., the direction the line is moving), 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 as they follow the linemen, allowing more room for the running back.
Crackback block - An illegal block delivered below the opponent's waist by an offensive player who had left the area of close line play and then returned to it, or was not within it at the snap. 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.
Cut - A sharp change of direction by a running player. Also called a cutback.
Cut block - A blocking technique in which offensive linemen, and sometimes other blockers, block legally below the waist (i.e., from the front of the defensive player) in an attempt to bring the defenders to ground, making them unable to pursue a running back for the short time needed for the back to find a gap in the defense.
Dime back - The second extra, or sixth total, defensive back. Named because a dime has the same value as two nickels (see Nickel Back)
Direct snap - A play in which the ball is passed directly to the presumed ball carrier by the center. Contrast with an indirect snap play in which the ball is first handed to the quarterback, who will then pass or hand it to the eventual ball carrier. Also used to refer to formations that use a direct snap, such as the single wing.
Dive - A play in which the ball is handed off to the running back, who attacks the middle of the offensive formation (between the OG). This play is part of the Triple option strategy.
Double reverse - A play in which the ball reverses direction twice behind the line of scrimmage; this is usually accomplished by means of two or three hand-offs, each hand-off going in an opposite direction as the previous one. Such a play is extremely infrequent in football. Some people confuse the double reverse with a reverse, which is a play with two hand-offs instead of three.
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.
End around - A play, often confused with a reverse, where the quarterback hands the ball off to a wide receiver. The receiver motions/moves into the backfield as the ball is snapped to take the handoff and runs around the opposite end from where he lined up.
Flat - An area on the field between the line of scrimmage and 10 yards into the defensive backfield, and within 15 yards of the sideline. Running backs often run pass routes to the flat when they are the safety valve receiver.
Two-point stance - The two-point variation is the most upright stance. The two-point is used by offensive linemen to facilitate better pass blocking because it increases their initial field of vision and gives more reaction time (to stay in front of a rushing player). Consequently, it is usually only used in a situation that will require passing. Some defensive linemen employ this stance to pass rush because they naturally obtain more quickness and agility out of it (particularly the defensive ends).
Three-point stance - The most common variation is the three-point stance. The purpose of this stance is to give the player leverage and allow more of their legs' power to be used. This is the offensive lineman's most used stance. It allows them to easily stay low and move in any direction at the snap of the ball. The interior defensive lineman use this stance for the same reason; however, it is usually slightly adjusted.
Four-point stance - The least common variation is the four-point stance. This stance is used for maximum explosion and leverage in one direction (straight ahead of the player). Offensive linemen will typically only use it if they need to force the line forward only inches. Interior defensive lineman will use it to keep this push from happening.
Hands team - A group of players, mostly wide receivers, that are responsible for recovering an onside kick. They line up as close as possible to the ten-yard neutral zone and their goal is to recover the ball immediately after, but only if, the ball crosses out of the neutral zone.
Hard count - A strategy commonly used by offenses to convert on fourth down and less than five yards to go. An offense will take the full time on the play clock with the quarterback utilizing an irregular, accented (thus, the term "hard") cadence for the snap count in the hope that the defense will jump offside, giving the offense the five yards needed to convert the first down. However, if the defense does not go offside, the offense will take a five-yard penalty for delay of game and punt the ball away.
I formation - A formation that includes a fullback and tailback lined up directly behind the quarterback while the quarterback is under center. By definition, the fullback lines up in front of the tailback. Several variations on this backfield formation exist, including the "Offset I" (in which the fullback lines up out of line to the left or right of the quarterback and halfback; also known as the strong or weak I depending on which direction the fullback is positioned), the "Maryland I" and "Power I" (in which an additional fullback is added to the backfield, either next to in the Power I's case or in front of in the Maryland I's case, the fullback).
Icing the kicker - When a team calls time out just before the kicker has the ball snapped. A team is limited to calling one time-out on any given play (thus a team cannot repeatedly call all of its time-outs to prevent the game from continuing, or else a delay of game penalty or, more rarely, a palpably unfair act penalty is imposed).
Jumbo - An offensive package which includes two tight ends, a full back and a half back. Similar to heavy jumbo, in which either the half back or the fullback is replaced by another tight end. In a goal line formation, Miami package, often one or more of the "tight ends" is actually a linebacker (the New England Patriots used Mike Vrabel this way - he has 11 career regular season TDs) or offensive lineman. In the NFL, such a player must report in as an eligible receiver because a lineman or linebacker would not generally wear an eligible number.
Man-to-man coverage - A defense in which all players in pass coverage, typically linebackers and defensive backs, cover a specific player. Pure man coverage is very rare; defenses typically mix man and zone coverage.
Max protect - A modification used on pass plays (usually combined with a shotgun formation) which keeps the tight end and both backs in behind the line of scrimmage to pass protect rather than run a pass route. This is used in obvious blitzing situations to give the quarterback "maximum protection" in the pocket. Although good for holding off a blitz, it leaves the quarterback with only two receivers to throw to (and therefore only two players for the secondary to defend).
Mike (MLB) - The middle linebacker in 4-3 formation. In the 3-4 formation Mike is the Interior Linebacker (ILB) that plays on the strong side of the formation. Mike has the responsibility to defend the interior gaps and the Curl Zone. Mike is the leader of the defense and has to be as bright as a Quarterback because often he calls the audibles on defense.
Motion - The ordered movement of eligible receivers prior to the snap. Motion can be used to gain mismatches, i.e. physical advantages against specific defensive personnel, e.g. a fast wide receiver defended by a slower linebacker. Another use for motion is to enhance the pre-snap read of the defensive coverage, e.g. motioning a receiver from one side of the formation to the other may help in identifying zone versus man coverage. Generally, if the coverage is man the receiver's defender will follow him across the formation and if it is zone coverage the defenders will exchange responsibilities by shifting or bumping over.
Neutral Zone - The region between the lines of scrimmage or between the free kick restraining lines
Nickel back - An extra, or fifth, defensive back. Named after the coin, worth five cents.
Run or option run - Usually, a type of play in which the quarterback has the option of handing off, keeping, or laterally passing to one or more backs. Often described by a type of formation or play action, such as triple option, veer option, or counter option. Teams running option plays often specialize in them. Less often, a play in which a back may either pass or run.
Pancake block - Pancake block; sometimes shortened to cake; slang for a particularly effective block where the player being blocked is pushed onto the ground by a blocker, metaphorically "flattening" the opposing defender into a pancake. This is usually performed by an offensive lineman, tight end, or fullback, and is considered an ideal block, designed to completely eliminate the defender from the play for several seconds, or for as much time as it takes said defender to get back to his feet. While not an official statistic, offensive linemen often keep track of the number of pancakes they have made, and successfully performing this block is termed pancaking or caking an opponent.
Peel-back block - An action where an offensive player blocks a defender who is moving back toward the direction of his own end zone; they are illegal below the waist and from either the back or the side.
Pick-six - An interception ("pick") that is returned to the passing team's end zone for a touchdown ("six").
Play action - A tactic in which the quarterback fakes either a handoff or a throw in order to draw the defense away from the intended offensive method
Pistol formation - A hybrid version of the shotgun in which the quarterback lines up about 3 yards behind the center and the running back lines up directly behind the quarterback.
Pocket - An area on the offensive side of the line of scrimmage, where the offensive linemen attempt to prevent the defensive players from reaching the quarterback during passing plays.
Prevent defense - A defensive strategy that utilizes deep zone coverage in order to prevent a big pass play from happening downfield, usually at the expense of giving up yards at shorter distances. Often used against Hail Mary plays, or at the end of the game when the defending team is protecting a lead.
Pulling - Pulling blocker; an offensive lineman who, instead of blocking the player in front of him, steps back from the line (pulls away from the line) and runs to block a defender, usually in a trap or sweep play.
Pro set - Offensive formation using two backs, lined up side-by-side 2-3 yards behind the quarterback, with one on either side of the quarterback.
Quarter defense - Defensive formation with seven defensive backs, three down linemen and one linebacker.
Reverse - An offensive play in which a running back carries the ball toward one side of the field but hands or tosses the ball to a teammate (almost exclusively a wide receiver) who is running in the opposite direction. This is slightly different from an end around, in which the ball is handed off directly to a wide receiver (usually the man in motion), so the direction of the play never reverses.
Rover - A hybrid safety that has duel responsibilities as a defensive back and a linebacker. This is more commonly seen in college football more so than NFL, CFL, or AFL football. A perfect example this in use is in West Virginia's or Air Forces's 3-3-5 schemes.
Run and shoot - An offensive philosophy designed to force the defense to show its hand prior to the snap of the ball by splitting up receivers and sending them in motion. Receivers run patterns based on the play of the defenders, rather than a predetermined plan. Also known as 'Run & Gun'.
Run out of the gun - Running the ball out of the shotgun formation, which is primarily a pass formation.
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