American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

, a trap play, or trap run, is a run consisting of a defender on the

line of scrimmage In gridiron football, a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line (across the width of the field) beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun. Its location is based on the spot where the ball is placed after the end o ...

(either a defensive tackle or defensive end) getting trap blocked by an

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

or back from the opposite (other side of the center) side of the ball. The play is known as a "trap" because the strong side offensive lineman will "block down" on a linebacker, seemingly leaving a defensive lineman unblocked. As the defensive lineman comes through the seemingly open gap/hole, he is "trapped" by the weak side (also known as backside) guard who blocks the defensive lineman's blindside. Occasionally, a trap block will come from a tight end. Trap blocks by tight ends are known as "wham" blocks. Typically, flow will start out one way (right or left) and the back will receive the ball going away from flow where the trap is taking place.

History

Pop Warner Glenn Scobey Warner (April 5, 1871 – September 7, 1954), most commonly known as Pop Warner, was an American college football coach at various institutions who is responsible for several key aspects of the modern game. Included among his in ...

is credited with inventing the play.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trap Run American football plays