Football Glossary

When you hear the word "trap", you either think of a contraption that surprises and holds something captive or you think of being surrounded by a group of people that mean to do you harm. It’s uncomfortable, it’s painful, it’s something that nobody ever wants to be in. These are all the same feelings a Defensive Tackle feels when he thinks he’s made it through the line of scrimmage untouched, then a pulling Guard catches him under the chin. This is the Trap play. What is the Trap Play? Trap is a quick-hitting, downhill run scheme that kicks out an interior Defensive...

If you ask enough offensive line coaches what their favorite run play is, there's a good chance that most of them will say the power play. There aren’t many plays that match the brute force that Power offers. If you have an Offensive Line coach, expect him to call for Power every drive. If you’re that Offensive Line coach, continue to fight the good fight.  What is the Power Play? Power is a gap run play that consists of a backside guard pulling, getting his hat on a linebacker while there is a kick out block and multiple “back” blocks...

Walter Payton. Barry Sanders. Marcus Allen. All three men have at least two things in common: They are some of the greatest runners that football has ever seen AND they made a living off of Toss and ran it all the way to the Hall of Fame. What is the Toss Play?The toss play is exactly what it sounds like. The quarterback will take the ball and toss it to the running back who is trying to get to the edge of the defense.Toss (or toss sweep as it is sometimes called) is arguably the most widespread outside run in football. It...

Thanks to Tubby Raymond and the University of Delaware, the Buck Sweep is known as the signature play of the Wing-T. The scheme has stood the test of time and continues to cause trouble for defense decades after its invention. If you’re a fan of the Wing-T, the Spread, or anything in between, every offense has a place for the Buck Sweep.What is the Buck Sweep?The Buck Sweep is a misdirection off-tackle run with two pullers as lead blockers, used primarily as a part of the Wing-T Offense. Despite connotations with the term “sweep” it is not just a perimeter run....

Great defenses pride themselves on stopping the run. Offenses know this, which is why trick plays like the flea flicker are so effective. A well-timed flea flicker play call can turn the defense's aggression against them and create a huge play. In this article we'll talk about the flea flicker, how it works, and show some examples of the different ways to run it. What is a Flea Flicker Play? The flea flicker is a trick play designed to look like a run, where the ball is given back to the quarterback after he hands it off, and he can throw...