NFL Football Terminology

NFL football terminology helps you to know what the TV or radio announcers are referring to when they are using words or phases that you have no clue what they are talking about.

If you are new, or just a casual fan who don't know what an audible or a fair catch is, here some football terms that will help you understand football terminology.

Audible: Changing the play at the line of scrimmage by the quarterback, using a set of verbal and/or visual signals. An audible is sometimes referred to as a check off. These changes occur at the line of scrimmage because of the defense alignment.

Balanced Line: An offensive formation which has the same number of players on either side of the center. For example: two guards, two tackles and one tight end line up on each side of the center.

Blind Side: This is the opposite side of the field in which a player is facing. This football terminology is often used when describing offensive tackles.

The left tackle job is to protect the quarterback's blind side. Since most quarterbacks are right handed, they drop back facing the right side of the field, thus the importance of a strong left tackle to protect the quarterback from defenders who will hit him from behind or the blind side.

Bootleg: An offensive play where the quarterback fakes a hand off to the running back then runs to the opposite side of the field to pass or run the ball himself.

Chop Block: A chock block occurs when an offensive player drops down and hits the opposing defensive player below the knees. Because this is a dangerous play which can cause career ending injuries, chop blocks are illegal.


Clipping: Throwing the body across the back of an opponent’s leg or hitting him from the back below the waist while moving up from behind unless the opponent is a runner or the action is in close line play.

Coffin Corner:This football terminology is used when referring to a punt which lands between the five yard line and goal line from the numbers to the side line.

This is called the coffin corner (4 of them in all) because punts landing here are almost never returned, hence the ball is said to be dead in the coffin corner.

Cover 2:A zone defense is when each defender is assigned an area of field to defend and not a particular player. The field is divided into 7 zones, five low and two high.

The 5 lower zones are covered by the corner backs and linebackers, while the two high zones are covered by the safeties. This defense formation got its name because of the two deep zones being covered by the safeties.

Close Line Play: The area between the positions normally occupied by the offensive tackles, extending three yards on each side of the line of scrimmage. It is legal to clip above the knee.


Dead Ball: A football terminology where by the ball is not in play.



Double Foul: A football terminology call a penalty by each team during the same down.




Encroachment: When a player enters the neutral zone and makes contact with an opponent before the ball is snapped.

Fair Catch: An unhindered catch of a kick by a member of the receiving team who must raise one arm a full length above his head and wave his arm from side to side while the kick is in flight.

Flanker: A football terminology not used too often today, a flanker is nothing more than a player who catches passes (wide receivers).

Flea Flicker: This football terminology is called a trick play in which the Player A (typically a QB) hands off the ball (or laterals) to Player B a running back or wide receiver, who takes a few steps and then laterals the ball back to Player A. Player A then attempts a forward pass.


Foul: Any violation of a playing rule.

Free Kick: A kickoff or safety kick. It may be a placekick, dropkick, or punt, except a punt may not be used on a kickoff following a touchdown, successful field goal, or to begin each half or overtime period. A tee cannot be used on a fair-catch or safety kick.

Fumble: The lost possession of the ball.



Game Clock: A football terminology is called a Scoreboard game clock.



Impetus: The action of a player that gives momentum to the ball.

Live Ball: A ball legally free kicked or snapped. It continues in play until the down ends.

Loose Ball: A live ball not in possession of any player.

Muff: The touching of a loose ball by a player in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain possession.

Neutral Zone: The space the length of a ball between the two scrimmage lines. The offensive team and defensive team must remain behind their end of the ball.

Nickel Defense A defensive alignment using 5 defensive backs. Teams typically use this defense only in obvious passing situations.

Offside: A player is offside when any part of his body is beyond his scrimmage or free kick line when the ball is snapped or kicked.


Own Goal: The goal a team is guarding.

Play-Action Pass:A play designed to trick the defense into believing it's a running play when actually the offense attempts to pass the ball.

As the quarterback drops back, he fakes a hand off to the running back and then turns around to pass the ball. The intent is to make the defense believe the running backis going to run the ball and leave the receivers wide open.

Play Clock: This football terminology refers to a 40/25 second clock.

Pocket Area: Applies from a point two yards outside of either offensive tackle and includes the tight end if he drops off the line of scrimmage to pass protect.

Pocket extends longitudinally behind the line back to offensive team’s own end line.

Pooch Kick: A long line-drive kick designed to bounce around before being picked up by the receiving team.


Possession: When a player controls the ball throughout the act of clearly touching both feet, or any other part of his body other than his hand(s), to the ground in-bounds.

Post-Possession Foul: A foul by the receiving team that occurs after a ball is legally kicked from scrimmage prior to possession changing.

The ball must cross the line of scrimmage and the receiving team must retain possession of the kicked ball.

Punt: A kick made when a player drops the ball and kicks it while it is in the air.

Safety: The situation in which the ball is dead on or behind a team’s own goal if the impetus comes from a player on that team. Two points are scored for the opposing team.


This is football terminology is called the secondary because the first line of defense is the linemen and linebackers.

Strong Side: The side of the field to which the tight end lines up. There are more player on one side of the center then the other side.


Shift: The movement of two or more offensive players at the same time before the snap.

Striking: This football terminology is the act of swinging, clubbing, or propelling the arm or forearm in contacting an opponent.

Sudden Death: The continuation of a tied game into sudden death overtime in which the team scoring first (by safety, field goal, or touchdown) wins.

Touch back: When a ball is dead on or behind a team’s own goal line, provided the impetus came from an opponent and provided it is not a touchdown or a missed field goal.

Touchdown: When any part of the ball, legally in possession of a player in-bounds, breaks the plane of the opponent’s goal line, provided it is not a touch-back.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct: This football terminology is any act contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship.

Weak Side:This football terminology is the side of the field opposite to which the tight end lines up. If there are three down players to the right of the center, then the left side would be the weak side.


