The way you separate the noobs from the real football heads is through their grasp of the jargon. This glossary of football terms and abbreviations is here to help you step up your slang game and help you fit in with the real gridiron geeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These words and phrases range from the common to the rare. They\u2019re the slang, technical terms, and insider lingo that gets thrown around in clubhouses and TV broadcasts, so pay attention if you want to know what the experts are discussing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1<\/strong>st<\/strong> and 10<\/strong> is the term used to refer to a team on their first down with ten yards to go to get a fresh set of downs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A blitz<\/strong> is a type of defensive play that involves rushing extra players, generally the linebackers, safeties, or even the cornerbacks, to try to sack<\/strong> the quarterback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The blue flag<\/strong> is a weighted bean bag that is used to indicate the place that key events took place. Common uses include marking the site of a fumble, where a penalty occurred, or where possession of the officially changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A bye <\/strong>is a term for a week during the season that a team doesn\u2019t play. Every team has one bye week<\/strong> during the regular season and the top two playoff seeds also get a bye<\/strong> during the first round of the playoffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clipping<\/strong> is a foul that\u2019s called when a player makes contact with an opponent below the waist from behind. It is typically a 15-yard penalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deferring<\/strong> is one of the possible choices for the team that wins the coin toss at the start of the game. If a team defers<\/strong> then they get to choose whether to kick or receive at the start of the second half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Encroachment<\/strong> is a foul that is called whenever a defensive player crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A flag<\/strong> in football refers to the yellow penalty flag<\/strong> that referees throw when a foul has been committed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A goat<\/strong> (lower case) is a slang term that refers to the player that takes the blame (deserved or not) for a team\u2019s loss or losses. For example, Tom Brady was treated as the goat<\/strong> for the Patriots loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LII.<\/p>\n\n\n\n GOAT<\/strong> (upper case) is an acronym that stands for Greatest Of All Time<\/strong>. For example: Tom Brady is thought by many to be the GOAT<\/strong> at the quarterback position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Hail Mary<\/strong> is a long pass thrown at the end of the game in a final attempt to win or tie. Famous examples of successful Hail <\/strong>Mary plays include Doug Flutie\u2019s winning pass for Boston College in 1984 and Aaron Rodgers\u2019 record-setting pass for the Packers in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Holding <\/strong>is one of the most common penalties in football. Holding<\/strong> can be called on either an offensive or defensive player any time they try to restrain an opposing player from behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An offside<\/strong> (or offsides<\/strong>) foul is a type of violation that occurs when a player crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped. Offsides<\/strong> can be called on either offensive or defensive players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mike <\/strong>is a slang term for middle linebacker<\/strong> (see MLB<\/strong>). It doesn\u2019t refer to the fact that they are the player wearing the on-field earpiece \u2013 though often they are \u2013 but instead it\u2019s shorthand used with \u201cWill<\/strong>\u201d (weak side), and \u201cSam<\/strong>\u201d (strong side).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The moneyline<\/strong> is a bet placed on the team that is favored to win. Moneyline<\/strong> bets do not involve the point spread<\/strong> but simply picking the victorious team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Omaha<\/strong> is a term that\u2019s used by some quarterbacks, most famously Peyton Manning, when calling audibles at the line of scrimmage. Manning used Omaha<\/strong> as an \u201cindicator word<\/a>\u201d to tell his team that the play had changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The over\/under<\/strong> is a gambling term that\u2019s used when wagering on the total score of the game. Gamblers can bet on either the \u201cover<\/strong>\u201d (that the combined score of both teams will be higher than the over\/under<\/strong>) or the \u201cunder<\/strong>\u201d (that the combined score will be lower).<\/p>\n\n\n\n A personal seat license<\/strong> (PSL<\/strong>) is a reservation for specific seats that some teams offer to their season ticket holders. The PSL<\/strong>, which is separate from the tickets themselves, ensures that the license holder retains their preferred seats from season to season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A pick 6<\/strong> is a slang term that is used when a defensive player intercepts a pass (a \u201cpick<\/strong>\u201d) and returns it for a touchdown (for six points).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Play Action <\/strong>is a type of offensive play that involves a fake handoff to a running back in an attempt to draw the defense\u2019s attention, followed by a pass to one of the team\u2019s receivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The red zone<\/strong> refers to the final 20 yards before a team\u2019s end zone. It\u2019s used to indicate that a team is within potential scoring position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A redshirt<\/strong> is a term used in college sports that means that a player is not being used one season in order to preserve a year of their eligibility. A \u201credshirt freshman<\/strong>\u201d then is someone who is in their second academic year but their first year of athletic competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A sack <\/strong>refers to a quarterback getting tackled behind the line of scrimmage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The term \u201cSafety<\/strong>\u201d has two primary meanings in football. First, it can refer to the safety<\/strong> defensive position, a member of a team\u2019s defensive backfield, <\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, it can refer to an offensive player getting tackled in their team\u2019s end zone. When this happens the defensive team is awarded two points<\/a> and given control of the ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The secondary<\/strong> is another term for a team\u2019s defensive backfield. The secondary includes a team\u2019s safeties and cornerbacks and is primarily tasked with defending against passing plays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shaving Points<\/strong> is an illegal method of manipulating gambling outcomes without affecting the actual winner of a sporting contest. Point shaving<\/strong> occurs when the favored team intentionally wins by fewer points than the point spread so that those betting on the losing team are still paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The shotgun <\/strong>is a type of offensive formation that has the quarterback receive the snap from several yards behind the line of scrimmage instead of directly from the center at the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBlitz<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Blue Flag<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bye<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Clipping<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Defer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Encroachment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Flag<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Goat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
GOAT<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Hail Mary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Holding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Offside<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mike<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Moneyline<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Omaha<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Over\/Under<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Personal Seat License<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Pick 6<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Play Action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Red Zone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Redshirt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Sack<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Safety<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Secondary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Shaving Points<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Shotgun<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Skol<\/h3>\n\n\n\n