TouchbackIn American football, a touchback is a ruling that is made, and signaled by an official, when the ball becomes dead on or behind a team's own goal line (i.e., in their end zone) and the opposing team gave the ball the momentum, or impetus, to travel over the goal line, but did not have possession of the ball when it became dead. Such impetus may be imparted by a kick, pass, fumble, or in certain instances by batting the ball.
Fair catchA fair catch is a feature of American football and several other codes of football, in which a player attempting to catch a ball kicked by the opposing team – either on a kickoff or punt – is entitled to catch the ball without interference from any member of the kicking team. A player, usually a return specialist, wishing to make a fair catch signals his intent by extending one arm above his head and waving it while the kicked ball is in flight.
Kickoff (gridiron football)A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in gridiron football. Additionally, it may refer to a kickoff time, the scheduled time of the first kickoff of a game. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team".
Venric MarkVenric Emeka-Wococha Mark is an American former footballrunning back, return specialist and wide receiver. Mark attended 2014 West Texas A&M Buffaloes after previously playing for Northwestern. He has completed his redshirt junior season for the 2013 Northwestern Wildcats team. He was a 2012 College Football All-America Team first team punt returner selection and a 2012 All-Big Ten team second team running back for the 2012 Wildcats.CornerbackA cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turnovers through hard tackles, interceptions, and deflecting forward passes. Other members of the defensive backfield include strong and free safeties.
Wide receiverA wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense, WR gets its name from the player being split out "wide" (near the sidelines), farthest away from the rest of the offensive formation. A forward pass-catching specialist, the wide receiver is one of the fastest players on the field alongside cornerbacks and running backs.
Punt (gridiron football)In gridiron football, a punt is a kick performed by dropping the ball from the hands and then kicking the ball before it hits the ground. The most common use of this tactic is to punt the ball downfield to the opposing team, usually on the final down, with the hope of maximizing the distance the opposing team must advance in order to score. The result of a typical punt, barring any penalties or extraordinary circumstances, is a first down for the receiving team.Kicking specialistA kicking specialist or kick specialist, sometimes referred to as a kicker, especially when referring to a placekicker, is a player on gridiron footballspecial teams who performs punts, kickoffs, field goals and/or point after touchdowns. The special teams counterpart of a kicking specialist is a return specialist.
Running backA running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. There are usually one or two running backs on the field for a given play, depending on the offensive formation.
Gridiron footballGridiron football ( GRID-eye-ərn) is a family of team sports derived from rugby football (and football, by extension) primarily played in the United States and Canada. American football, which uses 11 players, is the version played in the United States and the best known form of gridiron football worldwide, while Canadian football, which uses 12 players, predominates in Canada.American football positionsIn American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitutions", meaning that they may change any number of players during any dead ball situation.
2012 All-America college football teamThe 2012 All-America college football team includes those players of American college football who have been honored by various selector organizations as the best players at their respective positions. The selector organizations award the "All-America" honor annually following the conclusion of the fall college football season. The original All-America team was the 1889 All-America college football team selected by Caspar Whitney and Walter Camp.
Fair catchA fair catch is a feature of American football and several other codes of football, in which a player attempting to catch a ball kicked by the opposing team – either on a kickoff or punt – is entitled to catch the ball without interference from any member of the kicking team. A player, usually a return specialist, wishing to make a fair catch signals his intent by extending one arm above his head and waving it while the kicked ball is in flight.Kickoff (gridiron football)A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in gridiron football. Additionally, it may refer to a kickoff time, the scheduled time of the first kickoff of a game. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team".Venric MarkVenric Emeka-Wococha Mark is an American former footballrunning back, return specialist and wide receiver. Mark attended 2014 West Texas A&M Buffaloes after previously playing for Northwestern. He has completed his redshirt junior season for the 2013 Northwestern Wildcats team. He was a 2012 College Football All-America Team first team punt returner selection and a 2012 All-Big Ten team second team running back for the 2012 Wildcats.CornerbackA cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turnovers through hard tackles, interceptions, and deflecting forward passes. Other members of the defensive backfield include strong and free safeties.Wide receiverA wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense, WR gets its name from the player being split out "wide" (near the sidelines), farthest away from the rest of the offensive formation. A forward pass-catching specialist, the wide receiver is one of the fastest players on the field alongside cornerbacks and running backs.Punt (gridiron football)In gridiron football, a punt is a kick performed by dropping the ball from the hands and then kicking the ball before it hits the ground. The most common use of this tactic is to punt the ball downfield to the opposing team, usually on the final down, with the hope of maximizing the distance the opposing team must advance in order to score. The result of a typical punt, barring any penalties or extraordinary circumstances, is a first down for the receiving team.Kicking specialistA kicking specialist or kick specialist, sometimes referred to as a kicker, especially when referring to a placekicker, is a player on gridiron footballspecial teams who performs punts, kickoffs, field goals and/or point after touchdowns. The special teams counterpart of a kicking specialist is a return specialist.Running backA running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. There are usually one or two running backs on the field for a given play, depending on the offensive formation.Gridiron footballGridiron football ( GRID-eye-ərn) is a family of team sports derived from rugby football (and football, by extension) primarily played in the United States and Canada. American football, which uses 11 players, is the version played in the United States and the best known form of gridiron football worldwide, while Canadian football, which uses 12 players, predominates in Canada.American football positionsIn American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitutions", meaning that they may change any number of players during any dead ball situation.2012 All-America college football teamThe 2012 All-America college football team includes those players of American college football who have been honored by various selector organizations as the best players at their respective positions. The selector organizations award the "All-America" honor annually following the conclusion of the fall college football season. The original All-America team was the 1889 All-America college football team selected by Caspar Whitney and Walter Camp.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.