Football — a great American sport to some. To others it’s like watching a foreign-language film without subtitles. And much like watching a foreign film, you are constantly wondering what is going on. What are all those fancy plays; why does the clock keep stopping; what the heck is a linebacker; why is a touchdown the only thing that makes sense? To the casual football fan: Don’t worry. Football lingo, while extensive, can be fairly easy to grasp if you understand the basics. Here’s some basic lingo every kind of football fan can understand:
Line of Scrimmage: This is a term referring to the place the ball is at before a play is run. It’s an imaginary line that moves up and down the field with the ball.
Offense: The team in possession of the football that attempts to advance it toward the defense goal’s line.
Defense: The unit that does not have the football and is responsible for keeping the opposition out of their end zone.
Linebacker: A defensive player who lines up behind the defensive linemen and in front of the defensive backfield.
Quarterback: The player who leads the offense, calls the plays, hands off the ball, runs with the ball or passes it.
Down: A play from the scrimmage. The offense gets four downs (or plays) to move 10 yards toward the opponent’s end zone. If the offense makes the 10 yards they need within four downs, then they are given a new set of downs, also referred to as getting a first down.
Possession: When a team has the ball. If the offense cannot make 10 yards in four downs, then the opposing team gains possession of the football.
Punt: Teams can elect to punt or kick the ball away on fourth down, giving possession of the ball to the other team, but also pushing them back farther away from the end zone.
Field Goal: A scoring play worth three points. A team can elect to kick to the ball through the uprights of the goalpost in the opponent’s zone, from any place on the field.
Touchdown: The Holy Grail of football. OK, not quite. It’s a six-point scoring play when one team crosses the other team’s goal line with possession of the ball. It’s the point at which you jump up and scream if your team has the ball.
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