Learning the Terms of Football

So you are not a football fan but it’s football season and games seem to be everywhere.

Many women are subjected to spending some time with their husbands or significant others on a football Sunday watching a sport they really don’t care about.  They do it so they can actually have some contact with the man in their life who for about 7 hours is really focused on not only his favorite team but his fantasy team.

The latter is not made up of Kylie Jenner, Margot Robbie, Rihanna or Blake Lively but in my case Matthew Stafford, Melvin Gordon, T.Y. Hilton, Kareem Hunt and others.  If I have lost you at this point, I apologize.

Football can be tough to understand because the language is foreign to those who don’t follow the sport.  Here are some examples of terminology used that often that explaining:

Blitz- When a group of defensive players come charging at the quarterback.  It’s actually short for Blitzkrieg which was a World War II term used to describe when German planes waged an attack.

Encroachment- One of my favorite words in football which results in a penalty when a defensive player crosses the line of scrimmage and makes contact with an offensive player before the ball is snapped.

Bootleg- In the old days it used to describe a smuggler who would hide bottles of liquor in their boots.  In football it’s when the quarterback fakes a handoff to a running back and hides the ball on his hip…will either run or pass next.

Red Zone- This is not areas of the country that often vote Republican.  Actually it may be but not in this case.  The Red Zone is the last 20 yards before the end zone and the team with the ball wants to be here as much as possible.

Shotgun- Not the one you think.  This is an offensive formation where the quarterback is backed up a few yards from the center and is used primarily in passing situations.

Extra Point/Field Goal- They are both kicks and look the same.  Extra point comes directly after a touchdown and is worth 1 point.  Field goal can basically take place at anytime from anywhere on the field and is worth 3 points.

There’s about 40 more but that’s all the time I have.  Try and enjoy the games.