Reverse (American football)

Reverse (American football)

A reverse (sometimes referred to as an end reverse) is a relatively common trick play in American football that involves one or more abrupt changes in the lateral flow of a rushing play.

Contents

Variations

A classic reverse typically begins as a bootleg, sweep or end-around, but before the ball-carrier crosses the line of scrimmage he hands the ball off to a teammate, usually a wide receiver, running in the reverse (opposite) direction. Because many of the defensive players will have gravitated in the direction of the original rusher, if the second ball-carrier can outrun the defenders to the other side of the field, he has a very good chance to make a big gain.

A variation of this play is a double reverse, in which the second ball-carrier takes the ball all or part way back across the field before he too hands off to a teammate running in the opposite direction. This causes the flow of the play to "reverse" a second time. A double reverse adds another level of surprise to the defense; however, the play takes more time and space to develop and increases the risk of a big loss or a fumbled handoff.

Another variation is the reverse option. On a reverse option, the second ball-carrier runs for a few steps, then (optionally) passes the ball downfield to a teammate, similar to a halfback option play.

Many teams will also use the threat of a reverse to gain an advantage on simple sweep plays. In such a case, the quarterback might pitch the ball to the running back, who will fake a handoff or lateral to a teammate running in the opposite direction. The distraction is sometimes enough for the running back to gain an edge in getting past the defense.

Terminology

Sometimes an end-around, in which the only handoff is from a stationary quarterback to a wide receiver, is imprecisely called a "reverse". An end-around is not a reverse because the lateral flow of the play does not change direction. However, it has become commonplace for fans, sportswriters, announcers, and even coaches and players to refer to any end-around as a 'reverse', and to an end-around reverse as a 'double reverse.'

References and external links

See also


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • American football strategy — concerns the deployment of offensive, defensive, and special teams players in American football. Contents 1 Offensive strategy 1.1 Offensive players …   Wikipedia

  • American football — For other uses, see American football (disambiguation). American football The U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen (left) face off against the …   Wikipedia

  • American football rules — The Tennessee Titans and the Houston Texans in formation before a play Game play in American football consists of a series of downs, individual plays of short duration, outside of which the ball is dead or not in play. These can be plays from… …   Wikipedia

  • American football positions — A diagram showing an I Formation on offense and a 4 3 Formation on defense In American football, each team has eleven players on the field at one time. Because the rules allow unlimited substitution between plays, the types of players on the… …   Wikipedia

  • American football plays — A play in American football is a set of player and ball movements to either advance the ball (for offensive plays) or prevent the advancement of the ball (for defensive plays).Order of a playA play begins in one of two ways: *A play from… …   Wikipedia

  • American football coverage shells — In American football, coverage shells describe the alignment and responsibilities of defensive backs. In passing situations, the defense will assign players to guard portions of the field, forming a defensive shell that the defense hopes will… …   Wikipedia

  • American football — noun a game played by two teams of 11 players on a rectangular field 100 yards long; teams try to get possession of the ball and advance it across the opponents goal line in a series of (running or passing) plays • Syn: ↑American football game •… …   Useful english dictionary

  • American football game — noun a game played by two teams of 11 players on a rectangular field 100 yards long; teams try to get possession of the ball and advance it across the opponents goal line in a series of (running or passing) plays • Syn: ↑American football •… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Penalty (American football) — A penalty flag on the field during a game on November 16, 2008 between the San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams. In American football and Canadian football, a penalty is a sanction called against a team for a violation of the rules, called a… …   Wikipedia

  • Fakes (American Football) — Dieser Artikel oder Abschnitt bedarf einer Überarbeitung. Näheres ist auf der Diskussionsseite angegeben. Hilf mit, ihn zu verbessern, und entferne anschließend diese Markierung. Bei Fakes im American Football geht es darum, die gegnerische… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”