Football has a language all its own and many don't understand the gridiron mumbo-jumbo. It is a foreign language. It is Sanskrit.  Well, Chick Ludwig is here to help with the interpretation of it all. So sit back, relax and enjoy this glossary of "The Language of Football."
  

A - Audible. A quarterback changing the play at the line of scrimmage as dictated by the defense. It's built into the QB's voice tone or cadence. He can use a color system or a number system. QBs also use a "check-with-me" where they call two plays in the huddle and check to the one they want at the line of scrimmage.

B - Bracketing. A double-team designed to take a receiver out of a play. One defender is in front of the receiver and another defender is behind the receiver. The double-team can also take place from side-to-side. Defenses will bracket a top receiver in an attempt to shut him down.

C - Chip. It's not a full-body block. It's a help-block - usually by a running back on a defensive end to give the QB more protection. A chip helps the offensive tackle secure the corner. It dictates that the back takes a piece of the defensive lineman and then continues his other assignment, which is normally a pass route.

D - Downhill. It's attacking the line of scrimmage. Term mainly refers to linebackers and running backs. Linebackers must be ready to take on a block, get separation and move toward the line of scrimmage with force.

E - Eight in a box. Defenses have a "front seven" - three or four linemen and three or four linebackers. When the strong safety moves up toward the line of scrimmage to help stop a tailback, he becomes the "eighth man in the box." It's a perfect time for the QB to audible to a pass play.

F - Fire Zone. It's a combination blitz and zone by the defense. A defender who is normally a pass rusher - such as an end - drops off the line of scrimmage into zone coverage, while a linebacker blitzes. It's designed to confuse the QB because one defender is blitzing while another is dropping into zone coverage.

G - Go. A deep pass pattern, also known as a streak, fly or "home run" where the wide receiver attempts to outrun the cornerback in a lane straight down the field.
  

H - Hot reads. When a QB reads too many blitzers for the pass protection to pick up. It's the QB's responsibility to get rid of the ball quickly prior to the free man getting to him. It's something both the QB and receiver must see. Upon seeing it, the wideout breaks off the pattern into a "hot" or quick route.
  

I - Intentional grounding. QBs in the area between the left and right tackle - known as the "tackle box" - get this penalty when they throw the ball away to avoid a sack. However, they are allowed to take the snap and quickly spike the ball, without penalty, to kill the clock. They are also allowed to throw the ball away, without penalty, as long as they are flushed outside the tackle box.
  

J - Jam. A cornerback uses his hands and arms to re-route a wide receiver and disrupt the timing of his pattern. It must be done within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage or it's a penalty. Wide receivers are always trying to escape the jam.
  

K - Keys. Anything an offense does with regularity that gives a defensive player a head start on what play might be coming. It could be an alignment (the way the offensive line lines up) or a certain package (3 or 4 wide receivers).
  

L - Leverage. It's important for a lineman on either side of the ball to burst off the line of scrimmage and get below the opposing player's shoulder pads. The guy who plays lower has better "leverage" and normally wins the battle.
  

M - Mike. The middle linebacker. His "brothers" are Sam (strong-side linebacker) and Will (weak-side linebacker).
  

N - Nickel. A fifth defensive back in a passing situation. He's normally a cornerback who replaces the strong-side linebacker.
  

O - Out. It's a pass pattern in which the receiver goes upfield and breaks toward the sideline against man-to-man coverage. It consists of three levels. A quick out is 3-to-5 yards off the line of scrimmage. A speed out is a 10-yard pattern. A "comeback" is a 15- to 20-yard out where the receiver comes back to catch the ball.
  

P - Progressions. A quarterback, in quick succession, reads his primary, secondary and outlet receiver. After going through his progressions, he delivers the ball - usually within 3 seconds.
  

Q - Quarterback sack. The QB is tackled behind the line of scrimmage. If the QB runs out of bounds for a loss, the nearest chasing defender gets credit for a sack.
  

R - Reps. Short for "repetitions." Reps are your number of turns in practice; the amount of snaps you're receiving.
  

S - Spill. A defensive term in which a defender absorbs a block, forcing the play to bounce or "spill" to the outside.
  

T - Trips. Three receivers clustered on one side of a formation. Thus, "trips left" or "trips right."
  

U - UFA. An unrestricted free agent. Players with at least four accrued seasons of NFL experience whose contracts expire are UFAs.
  

V - Vertical. The downfield passing game. There are four vertical lanes down the field. By going vertical, an offense attacks those lanes. It's also a route designed to hit a receiver in full stride down the field. There's no curl or hook to a vertical.
  

W - Wash. An unflattering term for a defender who can't hold his position and gets "washed" out of a play. Either he can't recover from a block or he runs too far past a play.
  

X - X receiver. The split end.
  

Y - Y receiver. The slot end or tight end.
  

Z - Z receiver. The flanker. He's the wide receiver on the tight end side in the standard set.

Growlzone.com Cincinnati Bengals News