Football Talk

In every sport there is specific lingo used when talking about the game. In the game of football, there is a lot of lingo used, especially by the people who announce the games. If you can talk the talk and walk the walk, you can get people to think you really know what you’re talking about. Here’s some of the common lingo used for football. Learn these and you will finally be able to understand what the screaming, stumbling bumbling announcers are talking about when they are calling the game. It makes talking and understanding the game easier by just knowing some of the key words people use.

Talkin’ the Talk

Bootleg: A play where the quarterback fakes a handoff and runs around the tight end.

Bomb: A very long pass from the QB

“The quarterback bombed that ball down the field for the 90-yard touchdown catch.”

Broken Ankles: Used when a player running the ball jukes his defender so badly he falls or appears to have “broken his ankles.”

Chop Block: A block below the knees.

Franchise Player: A term used to refer to a superstar player who is invaluable to his team. A team can only name one franchise player per year. The designation lasts one season and restricts the player from entering free agency. This player will have one of the highest paid salaries on the team. (ex. Payton Manning, Tom Brady, etc.)

Freeze: Attempting to keep possession of the football for a long time without scoring or attempting to score.

Goal-line stand: Stopping the opposition at or near one’s goal-line on a series of plays.

Gridiron: Another name for the football field

Hail Mary: Deep pass thrown as a last resort in the game.

“There’s less then 30 seconds left in the game, he has a man way down field, he throws the hail mary…he caught it!”

Hook and Latter: A pass play in which the receiver catches a pass facing toward the line of scrimmage, then laterals the ball to another offensive player who is racing toward the opponent’s end zone.

Hurry up Offense: An offensive strategy designed to gain as much yardage as possible while running as little time off the clock as possible. Usually a team will not huddle before each play. One of the greatest examples is Chip Kelly’s Oregon Ducks.

Juked: When the defensive player gets beat by the offensive player using quick foot work.

Mossed: When the receiver out jumps the defender and catches the ball. Named after Randy Moss because he was the best at it.

Neutral Zone: The area between the two lines of scrimmage, stretching from sideline to sideline.

Pick Six: An interception for a touchdown.

Pigskin: Another name for the football

Pocket: The area of protection around the quarterback formed by his blockers.

“The quarterback had a lot of time in the pocket to find an open receiver.”

Power Sweep: A running play in which two or more offensive linemen pull out of their stances and run toward the outside of the line of scrimmage, leading the running back who receives a handoff or pitch from the quarterback.

Red Zone: The red zone refers to the last 20 yards before the offensive end zone.

Shot Gun: A passing formation in which the quarterback stands 5 to 7 yards behind the center before the snap.

Scramble: A tactic where a quarterback runs around behind the line of scrimmage to avoid tacklers while buying time for his receivers to get open.

“The quarterbacks scrambling, he has a man down the field, touchdown!”

Touchback: A play in which the ball is ruled dead on or behind a team’s own goal line, generally after a kickoff, punt, interception, or fumble. After a touchback, the ball is placed on the offensive team’s 20-yard line.

Three-and-out: The offensive team is forced to punt the ball after three downs.

Trucked: When a player running the ball runs through his defender.