This glossary is a work in progress, new words will be added weekly. If you have information you would like me to add or suggestions on making the definitions clearer, please send me a comment.
Astroturf: an artificial grass like surface used on some football fields
Audible: a verbal instruction given to the offence by the quarterback which changes the play. This is done on the line of scrimmage.
Backfield: the area of the field behind the line of scrimmage. Positions in the backfield include the quarterback, running back, halfback and fullback.
Ball Carrier: the member of the team that has possession (is holding) of the ball
Blitz: The breaking through of defensive players across the line of scrimmage to tackle or sack the quarterback while he is still in possession of the ball.
Blocking: Preventing the opposition from getting to the intended receiver or the ball carrier. Blocking can only occur when a defender is near a ball carrier. Typically the offence is blocking the defense.
Bowl Championship Series (BCS): something that is commonly known to infuriate college football fans. Established in 1998, the BCS is a ranking system used to determine the two top ranked college teams across all divisions. Those two teams will play for the National Championship. Data used to calculate the rankings include: win-loss records, polls, strength of schedule and computer rankings.
Bowl games: Played between two selected college teams at the end of the regular football season. There are several bowl games, including: Rose Bowl, Tostitos bowl, Fiesta bowl, Cotton bowl, etc. For a complete bowl listing and to determine what bowls your fan’s team will be eligible for, go to:http://football.about.com/od/officialbowlsites/Official_College_Bowl_Websites.htm
Complete (d) Pass: when a member of the offense catches and remains in possession of the ball. A pass is only complete if the receiver is in control of the ball prior to having an extremity touch the ground or before going out of bounds.
Conferences: present in both college and professional football, these are the groupings by which teams are divided
Defense: responsible for preventing the opposing team from moving the ball down the field.
Fantasy Football: allows your fan and their friends to create their own football league and teams. All points and rosters are managed with on-line software. Your fan will choose the players they want on their team. Every Sunday your fan will choose who they want to play from their team. The way each player performs when they play their real games will effect how your fan’s fantasy team performs. This is why your fan wants the computer and the TV on at the same time. The software will track the statistics of their players so they can watch one game and keep their eye on how their fantasy team is doing. You will find that at times this can be really confusing for you because they will be cheering at something great on the TV and then groaning when looking at the computer. If you are not on top of your game you may get very frustrated trying to keep up. My suggestion is to pick one or the other to pay attention to and ignore the other. You will get the hang of telling which is which, just give it time.
Kicking team: responsible for punting, extra points and field goals.
Object of the game: The idea is to move the ball forward on the field and into the opposing team’s end zone. If a player has possession of the ball either by running with it or catching it in the end zone, then their team scores a touchdown.
There are five ways to score:
1. Touchdown, worth 6 points, where the ball is thrown and caught or carried into the end zone
2. Field goal, worth 3 points, where the ball is kicked between the goal post
3. Two point conversion, worth 2 points, where after a touchdown the team that scored lines up at the goal line and tries to score again, either by throwing and catching or by carrying the ball into the end zone
4. Extra point, worth 1 point after a touchdown the scoring team can line up and kick the ball between the goal posts
5. Touch back, worth 2 points, where a quarterback is tackled or a fumble is recovered in the end zone.
Offence: responsible for moving the ball down the field.
Possession: requires the player to have the ball and be in control of the ball.
Red Zone: The last few yards before and including the goal area.
Tailgating: pre-party to the football game. This is the event, held in homes or in parking lots around the game where people congregate, eat, drink and make merry prior to watching or listening to the game.
