Usually the side opposite where the tight end lines up
Weak side – Using the offensive center as the middle, it is the side of the offense that they have fewer players lined up. Some plays have a balanced formation and do not have a weak side.
West Coast Offense – A style of offense designed by former rams and chargers head coach Sid Gillman and later used by dozens of coaches throughout professional and college football, most notably San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh. Gillman’s offense emphasized precise passing down the field, although through the years the West Coast offense has become more associated with many short passes and passes to running backs in the flat. Many of Walsh’s assistant coaches have gone on to get their own head coaching jobs in the NFL, so this offense has been used by many teams.
Wishbone – Offensive formation with three running backs. A fullback lines up directly behind the quarterback and two halfbacks line up one yard behind and one yard to either side of the fullback. (The four members of the backfield make a shape resembling a wishbone.) The most common wishbone play is the triple option, in which, depending on what the defense does, the quarterback can hand the ball to the fullback, pitch the ball to the halfback, or keep it himself. Texas assistant coach Emory Bellard invented the wishbone in 1968, and it quickly spread throughout college football, with Oklahoma and Alabama having the most success among the teams that followed Texas’s lead. Although the wishbone allowed teams to run successfully, it also made passing difficult, and so the wishbone never caught on in the NFL and is now rarely used at any level.
Zone (coverage/defense) – When a defender is responsible for covering any offensive player who runs into a specific part of the field.
Zone Blocking – An offensive line principal that requires linemen to block specific gaps, not specific defenders. Zone blockers often double team a defensive lineman at the snap, with one of the blockers peeling off to engage the linebacker once he commits to a certain gap. Linemen who do a lot of zone blocking use the “four hands, four eyes” rule: keep both sets of hands on the defender in front of you, but keep your eyes on the second level.
Cadence – The words or sounds a quarterback makes prior to receiving the ball from the center. One sound or word is usually the indication to the offense to begin the play.
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Fantasy football (a.k.a. roto football) – A game for geeks (including every Football Outsider) where NFL players are drafted or auctioned prior to the start of the season, and gain points each week based on performance.
Many zone blitzes require a defensive lineman to drop into coverage to replace a blitzing linebacker or defensive back
Hashmarks – The marks just outside the middle of the field that span the entire field and are the same width as the uprights. If a ball carrier is tackled outside the hash marks, the ball is spotted on the nearest hashmark. However if the carrier is tackled between the hashmarks, the ball is spotted where the carrier was taken down. Not to be confused with “trackmarks”, the permanent scars that Lawrence Taylor now has on his body.
Leading with the head – Any hit by a defender where the first contact is with the helmet. A penalty.
PAT – Point After Touchdown. One point if the ball is place kicked through the uprights, two if the ball is rushed or thrown and received in the end zone. The PAT begins on the two yard line.
Red Zone – The area from the defense’s 20-yard line to the goal line. Scoring is arablounge sign in harder because the field is so condensed, but easier because the goal line is so close.
Spy/key – When a defender is specifically responsible for one player on the offense. Sometimes an entire offense’s success can revolve around one specific player, so a defender will be assigned to watch and follow that one player throughout the play. Example: Ray Lewis keyed on Michael Vick all game to keep Vick contained in the pocket.
Tuck Rule – An incomplete pass where the football comes out of the quarterback’s hand as his arm is moving forward in a passing motion (might have been trying to pass but changed his mind, or he might have simply been faking a pass) and he has not completely brought the ball back under control. This rule gained notoriety in the New England vs. Oakland game in the 2001 playoffs. The play is frequently confused with a fumble.