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A quarterback sneak is a play in in which the
A quarterback sneak is a play in in which the quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...
, upon taking the center snap, dives ahead while the offensive line surges forward. It is usually only used in very short yardage situations.
The advantages of this play are that there are no further ball exchanges beyond the center snap, and that the quarterback receives the ball almost at the line of scrimmage so that it is unlikely that significant yardage could be lost on the play. It is also very unlikely that the play will gain more than one or two yards, though there are exceptions, such as Greg Landry gaining 76 yards, then an NFL record for longest rush by a quarterback, on a sneak. For this reason, it is almost solely used when the ball is very close to the goal-line or on third or fourth down with a yard or less to go to get a first down. The origins of this play date back to 1912 where standout Yale
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
quarterback Graham Winkelbaum first used it in a game against rival Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
.
Quarterback sneaks are statistically the most likely plays to convert short yardage situations, though each situation varies. Many football statistics sites advocate for increased usage of the play.
QB sneaks have drawbacks in that they tend to expose the quarterback to hits from opposing defenders. Often quarterbacks do not wish to expose themselves to the increased risk of injury associated with the play. This is especially prevalent with traditional pocket passing quarterbacks as Drew Brees or Tom Brady, though Brady has been one of the most effective at running the play despite his lack of speed for a quarterback.
Perhaps the most famous quarterback sneak in football history was executed by Bart Starr of the Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...
in the famous " Ice Bowl" National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...
championship game against the Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...
on December 31, 1967.
Despite the "sneak" moniker, the play is often expected in situations where a short gain is needed.
See also
*Quarterback keeper
A quarterback keeper or keeper in American football is a designed play in which the quarterback does not pass or hand off the ball to another player and instead rushes forward with it in an effort to gain yardage. The play typically is run in in ...
* Quarterback scramble
References
American football plays {{Americanfootball-stub