— A —
Anchor — the ability to hold one’s ground and not be moved.
— B —
Backed-off man coverage — man-on-man pass coverage in which the defensive
back lines up several yards off the line of scrimmage. It’s the opposite of press
coverage or bump-and-run coverage.
Ball athlete, ball skills — refers to how well a player reacts to the ball
when it’s in the air; natural instinctiveness for the ball.
Bandit — combination safety-linebacker.
Big butt — considered a positive, especially for linemen.
Big on big — refers to situations in which one large player goes up against
another.
Bird-dog — a quarterback’s tendency to keep his eyes glued on an
intended receiver throughout his pattern, rather than looking away from him and toward
different receivers. Bird-dogging tends to tip off the defensive players as to where the
pass will be thrown.
Blind side — the side of the backfield on which the quarterback has
less-than-optimal vision when setting to throw; the side opposite from his throwing arm.
Block-down tackling — type of tackling in which the tackler takes down a
ballcarrier with a shoulder block, as opposed to form, wrap-up tackling.
Blocky — bulky, thick body.
Body-catches — when a receiver cradles the ball against his body rather
than snatching it cleanly out of the air with his hands.
Body lean — a player with good body lean runs with
his body leaning forward so that he falls forward when tackled.
Break down — get into the proper position to make a tackle or block.
Bring his feet along with him — keep his feet underneath him when blocking.
Bubble butt — large buttocks and thigh area; considered a positive.
Bull-rush — straight-ahead, power rush.
— C —
Carries his pads well — doesn’t let his pads interfere with his speed,
agility, etc.
Center fielder — a safety who’s given the freedom to roam the field,
or one who’s adept at doing so.
Chops stride — refers to a receiver who cuts
down on his stride before making a break on a pattern.
Climb the ladder — jump high for a pass.
Combination block — block on one defender carried out in unison by two
offensive linemen.
Combine — refers to the Scouting Combine held each February in
Indianapolis, at which draft prospects are given medical and skill exams.
Contact balance — a player with good contact balance often maintains his
balance despite contact with an opponent.
Cut/Cut-block — block below the knees; defensive linemen who frequently
"get cut" are, in other words, having difficulty avoiding cut blocks.
Cuts through trash — moves well around pileups to make plays.
— D —
Dime — situational pass defense featuring six defensive backs.
Does not play to his listed speed — does not play as fast as his 40-time
would suggest.
Double-catches — bobbles the ball and then catches it, rather than
snatching it cleanly.
Down block — a block thrown from the outside across a defender’s feet
to cut off his pursuit angle, as opposed to a straight-ahead block.
Drop outside linebacker — an OLB who drops into coverage to defend against
a pass.
— E —
Edge pass rusher — outside rusher.
— F —
Flashes — shows ability sporadically.
Flattens out — turns in on the quarterback.
Fluid in the hips — player can turn his body with a fluid motion.
Foot athlete — refers to how athletic a player is with his foot movements.
Fringe player — in defensive terminology, it refers to a player who’s
always on the fringe of the action but never in the midst of the heavy hitting. From a
roster standpoint, it refers to a player who will have a difficult time making a team.
— G —
Gathers to cut — see "Chops
stride."
Gets over trash — moves well around pileups to make plays.
Gets walked back — gets pushed back by a defender.
Gunner — furthest outside position on special teams. Typically the first
man downfield to cover a kick.
— H —
Hand punch — the way an offensive lineman punches with his hands when
blocking an opponent.
Hangs in plant — refers to a defensive back who hesitates in planting his
feet and driving on the ball.
Hang time — the length of time that elapses from when the ball comes off a
kicker’s foot until it touches a player or the ground.
High-cut — high-waisted; having long legs and a short upper body.
High-pin technique — a blocking technique in which an offensive lineman
tries to pin his man in an upright position.
Hip snap — the way a player comes off the snap of the ball.
Home-run hitter — one who is capable of breaking a big play.
Hook — the action of a lineman positioning himself in front of a defender
and preventing him from getting outside, often done by a tight end on an outside
linebacker.
— I —
I & I — instincts and intelligence.
In space/In air — in an open area of the field; usually on the defensive
side of the ball.
— J —
Juke — elusive move to avoid a tackler.
— K —
Keeps his feet clean — keeps blockers away from his feet and keeps his feet
from getting tangled up in a mass of bodies.
Key and diagnose — read the keys of a developing play and diagnose what is
about to happen.
Knee-bender — a player who bends his knees rather than his waist; usually
considered a positive.
— L —
Light in the pegs — skinny legs.
Long acceleration/Long gear — the ability of a player to run faster the
farther he goes, as opposed to those who can run fast for only a short distance.
Long-strider — a player who takes long steps instead of quick ones and,
thus, tends to move slower into and out of his breaks.
Loose hips — flexible quality; a positive.
Low-block shield — the ability of a defensive player to keep blockers away
from his knees.
Lower unit — lower body.
— M —
Man-off coverage — man-on-man pass coverage when a defender is backed off
the line of scrimmage, as opposed to tight bump-and-run coverage.
Mike — middle linebacker.
Mirror — shadow; stay in front of.
Motor — refers to a player’s degree of intensity on the field.
— N —
NCAA Clearinghouse — the body that makes final decisions regarding a
player’s eligibility.
Nickel — situational pass defense featuring five defensive backs.
Nifty — agile.
Nubs — type of shoe that usually improves a player’s speed for timing
purposes.
— P —
Pad level — the height and angle of a player’s pads during the course
of action.
Pick — the ability to pick holes as a runner.
Pins — legs.
Plays center field — the freedom given to a safety to roam the field, or a
safety who’s adept at doing so.
Plays down — plays from a three- or four-point stance rather than a
stand-up position.
Plays high/Plays tall — plays too upright, allowing an opponent to get
underneath him; usually refers to a lineman.
Plays over (or on) his feet/Plays over his pads — plays with a good base or
with weight balanced, so as not to overextend.
Planet person — there are very few people on this planet
who are that big and yet can play football at a high level.
Plays the piano — plays up and down the line of scrimmage laterally, as
opposed to up and down the field vertically.
Plays until he hears glass break — won’t stop until the play is blown
dead.
Plays with heavy hands — has a forceful hand punch that will jar an
opponent.
Plays with his pads too high — plays too upright, causing him to lose
leverage.
Plays within himself — plays within his ability.
Plays with light hands — has no force with his hand punch; considered a
negative for a lineman.
Power train — Lower and central body as it relates to football playing
strength.
Press coverage — refers to a defensive back lining up on the line of
scrimmage (i.e., bump-and-run coverage).
Press on blockers — refers to a defensive lineman pressing on offensive
linemen to keep them away from his body.
Progression reads — system most clubs use whereby the quarterback, in
deciding which receiver to throw to, reads defensive keys in a specific sequence, such as
beginning downfield and then progressing back toward the line of scrimmage, or vice versa.
Project — a player who will require substantial practice time before he is
capable of playing regularly in the NFL.
Projection pick — a player who may be selected to play a position other
than the one he generally played in college.
— Q —
Quick-hipped — can turn his hips quickly.
Quick-twitch player — A quick reactor.
— R —
R and R — ability to read and react.
Rag-dolled — tossed around.
Repetitions/Reps — the act of repeating various movements and techniques in
practice to hone one’s skills.
Road-grader — A very wide-bodied, powerful blocker.
Run-down player — one who is best-suited to play only on running downs.
Run-down speed — the speed necessary to catch a player from behind.
Runs behind pads — runs with good form; i.e., with a good base, good
balance and without overextending.
Runs north-south — runs toward the goalline rather than laterally.
Run-through linebacker — a linebacker who tends to run through gaps, as
opposed to taking on blockers.
Run through the ball — catch the ball without breaking stride.
— S —
Sam — strong-side linebacker.
Scope — refers to an arthroscopy, which is the visual examination of the
interior of a joint with a special surgical instrument. It usually involves a shorter
recovery time than more invasive surgery methods.
Scrape and sift — the way in which a linebacker will avoid blockers, as
opposed to taking them on.
Second level — down the field.
See through blocks — the ability of a defensive lineman to see beyond a
block and react to what is coming.
Sell out — to sacrifice one’s body.
Separate/Separation — ability of a receiver to put distance between himself
and the defender on a pass pattern.
Shake-and-bake — quick, elusive moves.
Slide — move laterally.
Small-area player — a player who is effective only when responsible for a
limited area of the field.
Smash-mouth football — physical style of play.
Split guard/Split tackle — a player who lines up on the wide side of the
field. (In college football, the ball is spotted at hashmarks closer to the sidelines than
in the NFL, which makes for a greater disparity in the distance from the spot of the ball
to each of the two sidelines.)
Split high — Long legs, shorter upper body.
Stack — a defensive alignment in which one or more linebackers play
directly in back of the defensive linemen, so as to help them.
Stack the point — to hold the point of attack and not get pushed back.
Stay frontal — stay in front of opponent.
Straight-line player — one who is effective running in a straight line but
has trouble making cuts.
Strong side — the side of the offensive line where the tight end is lined
up, making for more in-line blockers than on the opposite (weak) side.
Swingman — one who can play more than one position.
— T —
Take on and shed — a defensive player’s ability to take on a blocker
and defeat him, as opposed to running around him.
Tilt — see "Body lean."
Top-end speed — long-distance speed (beyond 20 yards).
Transition — usually refers to the point at which a defensive back comes
out of his backpedal and switches to a sprint to cover a receiver going deep. The more
smoothly a DB can make this transition, the more likely he will maintain tight coverage.
Triangle numbers — size, speed and strength.
Tweener — player whose projected position in the NFL falls in a gray area
between two positions, such as defensive end and outside linebacker.
Two-deep zone — type of zone coverage in which each safety is responsible
for half of the deep portion of the field. This type of coverage requires a safety to have
a lot of range so he can cover receivers going to the deep outside of the secondary.
Two-gap — refers to the ability of a defensive lineman to cover two gaps in
the offensive line.
— U —
Uncovered/Vs. air — when a player has no opponent lined up directly across
from him, such as an outside linebacker when no tight end is across from him.
— W —
Waist-bender — a player who bends at the waist rather than at the knees;
it’s usually considered a negative.
Walk off on coverage — moving outside of his normal position to cover
another player; a linebacker sometimes will "walk off on coverage" to cover a
running back split wide.
Wall off — to use one’s body as a shield, rather than drive-blocking
through an opponent, to create a wall so the defense can’t get through to the
ballcarrier.
Weak side — the side of the offensive line without a tight end, which
contains fewer in-line blockers than the opposite (strong) side.
Will — weak-side linebacker.
Will cock before he throws — refers to an offensive lineman cocking his arm
before he delivers a run block; generally considered wasted motion.
Work the edges on the rush — when a defensive lineman works the fringes
instead of attacking straight ahead.
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