Football Terminology Crash Course

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Here is a list of all of my favorite football resources:
Books:
ALL of Bobby Peters' Books - He writes offensive manuals on teams for individual seasons.
The Pass Coverage Glossary - Cameron Soran
Take Your Eye Off the Ball - Pat Kirwan
Coaching the 3-4 Defense By The Experts - Earl Browning
Coaching the Inside Zone - David Weltz
Defensive Coordinator's Football Handbook - Leo Hand
Breaking Down Your Offensive Opponent - Cody Alexander
Complete Offensive Line - Rick Trickett
KZbin Channels:
The QB School - / theqbschool
The DB Room - / @thedbroom
Voch Lombardi - / @vochlombardi
ThatFranchiseGuy - / @thatfranchiseguy
Brett Kollmann - / @brettkollmann
Coach Vass Football - / @coachvassfootball
Websites/Blogs/Outlets:
MatchQuarters - matchquarters.substack.com/
BreakdownSports - breakdownsports.blogspot.com/
Football Toolbox - footballtoolbox.net/
Coach Hoover - coachhoover.blogspot.com/
X&O Labs - www.xandolabs.com/
ViqtorySports - www.viqtorysports.com/
Football Outsiders - www.footballoutsiders.com
Analytics/Statistics:
Sports Info Solutions - www.sportsinfosolutions.com/
PFF - pff.com
StatHead - stathead.com/football/
Football Outsiders - www.footballoutsiders.com
Relative Athletic Scores - ras.football/
Sharp Stats - www.sharpfootballstats.com/
Podcasts:
2 for 1 Drafts
Make Defense Great Again
Fully Inflated Football Podcast
Run Vass Option
Flying Coach With Sean McVay and Peter Schrager
The Athletic Football Show
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:55 Formations/Personnel
4:36 Motion
5:46 Route Tree/Passing Concepts
10:50 Rushing
16:32 Stunts/Blitzes
17:06 Pass Coverage

[@savannahbastian541]

assuming I have basic rule and strategy knowledge was ur first mistake

[@MaxPower-vf8kt]

LMAO. Every “Basics video,” skips the basics. Video: “Here’s the 3-4 defence.” Me: Okay, it’s named that because there are 4 players on the line and 3 behind them. Makes sense. Video: “Here’s the 4-3 defence…” Me: okay, I think I know where this is going…. Video:….. Me: 😢 Nope.

[@JaydenBrown-rz8tx]

@@MaxPower-vf8ktthat’s football for you

[@BC16808]

Watch the video a few times. You'll get it.

[@Brrrrrrrrruce]

Bih you pathetic

[@TJB270]

Most fans don’t lol. A lot know the rules & the positions, but they can’t break down any plays. Once you get a grip on this stuff, you’ll know more than 75-80 % of fans

[@johnwitthegreen1344]

All my years of playing football and madden, i always wanted to understand a lot more than I did. Out of all the videos ive watched, articles breaking down formations and concepts, this is by far the most explanatory one ive ever watched. good work

[@AtoZSportsFilmRoom]

Preciate the support!

[@JesusisKingfrrrrr]

This guy's a legend. As someone who is trying to understand the game more in order to be a better high school football player, I found this super helpful 🤙

[@AtoZSportsFilmRoom]

Glad to hear it man! Thanks for the support

[@zilllathegod]

As a former hs player, if you even know a small % of the stuff in this video you will be at a MASSIVE advantage

[@JesusisKingfrrrrr]

@@zilllathegod wow sick then

[@HightauerUSA]

Yeah. He needs to put together Playlists so his education videos are EASY to find...

[@pimpinaintdeadho]

20 years of playing Madden distilled into one great video. 👍 This should bez mandatory viewing for any football fan.

[@kylewilson8318]

I had to watch it on 0.75 speed, and a lot of it still went over my head! So much valuable information though, so it's worth it. Loved the animations and attention to detail. Thank you for continuing to put out such high-quality content.

[@jimjones7280]

Thanks for a lot of great info! Need to watch this several times.

[@JomenNari]

My end goal is to be a NFL coach someday. If i ever do so, Im coming back to this video!

[@getsomebud]

You should know this before you try to be a coach

[@doob6787]

@@getsomebud why else would he be watching the video and leaving the comment then bruh?

[@EnsoHenzo]

@@getsomebud wtf that makes no sense. just because a guy is in the beginning of his learning curve, it doesn't mean the ceiling of his knowledge is low. it's been a year since he commented and I bet my house he knows more ball than you.

[@jonathancarroll1283]

This is exactly what I’ve been looking for for about the last 20 years. I played in high school so I know how the game works but I only know offensive line. Even with that, I’d like to know how the advanced players read things.

[@charlietian4023]

Honestly this was the perfect video for me. I was quite familiar with the WR/DB stuff but everything else I've only heard of at best and kinda kinda. This really solidified my foundations there

[@rolyrod69]

I played football and always considered myself a savvy football guy- but this video humbled me along with many “ah hah” moments. Great informational video!!

[@sherryramirez6329]

Been waiting all season for someone to do this for me . THANK U SIR !

[@BalaAnga]

Hey, I would just like to give you guys a huge thank you to you guys. I'm a High Schooler and I've been interested in football for some time but don't know anything about it, and so I'm going to trails soon to play for a league team. The work you guys have done has really helped me understand the terminology of football, and now I can go play without confusion.

[@saitama6112]

How is it Going?

[@tommykopp3829]

I’ve been watching and playing football since I was like 10 and I still learned a lot, great vid man

[@tulsatops6248]

This video rules. Can’t imagine how long your visuals took to make. Brilliant

[@piggy8761]

So much knowledge here packed into a condensed video

[@jamesweiugle4681]

Great video clear and concise explanation of the basic concept leaving the bells ,whistles ,tags ect to me the way a concept should be explained.

[@TJB270]

Football is way more sophisticated than it looks, very well done sir!

[@lukehunter1849]

I loved this vid. thank you for actually explaining that when I was on my couch screaming “THE LINEBACKERS AND CB ARE SO CLOSE TO THE LINE, PLEASE FADE OUTSIDE BRO”, I was actually reading cover 2 defense 😭

[@woof059]

You do awesome work.

[@ezazalam3706]

Thanks for such a great video. Sending this to all the new budding players joining the NYXS community so they can also enhance their knowledge.

[@gregorymurphey2115]

This video is awesome. Its exactly what i was looking for. Thank you. I need to watch it like 15 more times at half speed but great video

[@CHRISDABAHIA]

Excellent video! Thank you, from this side of the Pond (U.K.) 🇬🇧

[@Will-uf9nd]

here before this channel is #1 in nashville sports

[@kylebriggs2913]

One of the best videos on KZbin

[@jsb4400]

This is awesome, thank you!

[@_USERMAG]

Phenomenal video! More like this please!

[@bryceisnice6]

Yessir. Please do more! Like if each defense could get Its own video that'd be awesome. Nevertheless great content my guy

[@meghantownsley]

This is the best video I’ve ever seen

[@profusionlifetv7183]

Good stuff. As a fan who never played I love the game and understand a lot of it but not on this level. Very interesting and informative.

[@BC16808]

Nice explanation in this video. For anyone who doesn't understand. Just watch the video multiple times.

[@TitansRossi]

Great stuff alway man!

[@jasonjones7351]

Great summary!

[@cooperaiken8148]

Great vid bro

[@moeknows5418]

This is awesome.

[@edahaus3322]

Helpful hint: 2:53 mark - either the Y or Z, must cover the tackle on the line of scrimmage. Otherwise it's a penalty for illegal formation. The tackles must always be covered. Great video! 👍

[@fang_shi_tong]

Could you explain what you mean by “cover” the tackle? Do you mean simply nearby or actually on the line of scrimmage? Of course, you did write “on the line of scrimmage” but I’m a little confused by the image which shows Y as a little back from scrimmage but close to the tackle.

[@edahaus3322]

@@fang_shi_tong Great question. You are correct. The Y needs to be up on the line of scrimmage and aligned the same as the tackle. Then the formation would be legal. You could also design the play so that the receiver on the right side is up on the line of scrimmage, then the Y can stay where he is in the video. Hope this explanation helps answer your question. Have a great day!

[@fang_shi_tong]

Yes it does. Thank you!

[@10secs2lovetffl]

Your "Sail Concept" is usually referred to as the "Flood Concept." However, it is run with a TE1/Y running the route you have your RB running.

[@HightauerUSA]

James, you do a great job simplifying this. SO MUCH that it's my personal go-to Playlist I created to send people who need to learn how to watch football lol My Suggestion (if you don't mind): Can YOU put together a Playlist here's on KZbin that lists all the videos little NEED to watch to understand it all? I would WAY rather serve them links to YOUR American Football 101 Playlists. Thanks man. You RAWK

[@lovethick]

Great Video 👍

[@geonerd]

Excellent!

[@PRHYME2233]

God bless your soul🙏🏽

[@East573]

Very good video bro

[@stylishcrush]

Good looks bro

[@candymanfam8142]

I need a video that explains intermediate terms, like I understand the basic concepts of the game well. But there’s some terminology that I need to know before I can understand the usage of the plays. Like “Red Zone” “Inside/Outside the box”

[@madeintaiwan3002]

I hope this video gets recommended to Russell Wilson

[@jayschafer1760]

Or Matt Canada, or...

[@owenkeenan1061]

Just got the pass coverage glossary for Christmas and it’s amazing

[@janeknisely4383]

What a great video! Go Lions!

[@10secs2lovetffl]

Covet 3 and Cover 4 are known to be weak versus Medium & Deeper-ish crossing patterns.

[@Jcoch_27]

All the Swifties watching this video now

[@anthonyscharff6768]

On God

[@imgabnun]

There is still to much to unpack for swifties

[@piggy8761]

@@imgabnunswifties don’t even know the rules of the game, they’ve never been around any athlete ever too Most non player fans/journalists don’t understand plays and schemes and all this either.

[@HightauerUSA]

Thanks!

[@yaaboidee]

Thank you

[@wirerat]

Great information. Thanks!

[@robertsmall1657]

Dude… I played D3 college football and even I learned some stuff here. As a player, you really don’t understand the bigger picture like this. You just know your individual assignment.

[@jaydentakungo]

Man, I need to study this stuff, probably gonna take a week. Any tips on understanding the stuff better?

[@dmoney3973]

I hope I’m not too late but honestly taking notes is really the best u can do. Make sure u organize them tho. Let me know if u need an example

[@ynotspank1]

ALLLL this was in Tecmo Bowl!

[@JR-he6fn]

I’ll use this for playing madden

[@krystalw1816]

Thank you for this very much needed Im playing next year.

[@tonkatruck8294]

Im gonna watch this over and over until its in grained in my brain

[@jessicapena5881]

Okay i need the video before this

[@NightSide1349]

There isn’t one, but he did leave some useful link in the description of his video. You should check it out

[@gregorymurphey2115]

Video makes it sound like 4-3 and Base Defence are diffrent but they look the same. Is that true? Or is base either 4-3 or 3-4 depending on what your running and chances to nickle if you add a nickleback to either?

[@timedriverable]

As a casual fan... This is great for more sophisticated fans but was wondering if their was a video where their was'nt too much info and you could just watch the game to make it more enjoyable.

[@Fire_soul1796]

So, would a block with the Center and Right Guard also be an Ace block? Would a block with the left guard and right tackle also be a Deuce block?

[@bridgelaurie9490]

You get on the titans subreddit my dude ? They love your videos there you should join.

[@10secs2lovetffl]

What about the Bang, Bend & Bouce concepts? In the running game...

[@piggy8761]

16:38 where the New York giants offensive line gets confused 😂 simple stunts

[@Ma1q444]

I'm here because Madden

[@jaredgibson7462]

After a friend of mine explained the "math" of the defense, it clicked. With my already decent understanding of the games' logic, strategy, and timing, I became a way better playcaller and executor on both sides of the ball after his explanation. It's so satisfying reading a defense, then modifying the play or calling an audible to attack its weakness and scoring a TD. Even harder and more satisfying: reading the offense and picking off the QB. I love Madden lol. Wish EA would give us a decent game. '07 was the best. I'm still playing '20.

[@Ma1q444]

@@jaredgibson7462 yea I deleted madden I wish it was good.

[@10secs2lovetffl]

IF both OT's or Offensive Tackles. Are not covered up. That is automatically an Illegal Formation penalty.

[@DuncanIdaho-te3hh]

So at 8:21 the route with the yellow arrow is called a "post" when according to the route tree it's a "corner." Can anybody clarify?

[@fabriceshabani6391]

You do the route to go where the yellow post is, it’s not left or right. Hope this helps

[@robrobinette]

Are you ready for Pats 1-7? Check out the next two games.

[@latwell7406]

Wrong

[@swhit]

This was a nice list of terms, but would be much better if you grouped them into some kind of logical categories.

[@mdanasrazvi5911]

I Searched For Football ⚽️ But got a handegg video 🏈 😒

[@Perfumery_by_Sabin]

Tip. Watch at 0.75 speed 😉

[@ATK10155]

Welcome, Swifties.

[@jaredgibson7462]

😂😂 the marketing plan worked.

[@SportsLover203]

You forgot to mention the texas route.

[@walterchavez3081]

Maybe one day we'll understand Spider 2 Y Banana.

[@patfromamboy]

I don’t know many rules or any strategy. I’ve never played. I don’t know the names of many positions. Uh oh.

[@MattyB00M]

The swifties are probably watching this rn.

[@piggy8761]

Swifties don’t even know how to read box scores and game rules much less formations and plays I guarantee you most non player fans don’t know much either

[@musiconly7447]

If you think this is good then go watch All 22 Film. Real coach, real film analysis.

[@Nicky2Chains]

Incoming Swifties

[@mackenziekelly1148]

For 3-4 defense you showed a 5-2 defense 🤔

[@AtoZSportsFilmRoom]

It just depends on if you count the edge defenders as LBs or DL.

[@mackenziekelly1148]

@AtoZSportsFilmRoom Correct, I understand about alignment vs personnel package, but from 0:55 to 1:10 you have the following: immediately before your 3-4 explanation you show a 4-3 as 2 down linemen, 2 edge, and 3 off ball lb. The 3-4 equivalent would be 4 off ball lb, 1 interior lineman and 2 edge. However what you show is 3 interior, 2 edge and 2 off ball lb which would be the corresponding 5-2. Then later in the video (12:05) when you're explaining defensive gap alignments, you describe okie and tite front alignments which you describe as used with the 3-4 look of one true nose and 2 edge rushers. Again, this directly conflicts with what you showed at the beginning of the video for a 3-4 look because you showed the corresponding 5-2 setup instead of the 3-4. As for the rest of the video I thought you did a pretty good job.

[@Rxski]

im in sports marketing and they only talk abt football i js wanna fit it 😭

[@Starduckvalley]

Im tryin man but idk what linebacker really means beyond big pushy guy

[@imgabnun]

Let's say the line backer is the type of player that is balanced in his physical shape; not what you would call skinny, not chubby, not to tall, not short.. well rounded, and he can play anywhere in the field, if needed in the front he will move to the front and battle the big guys, if needed in the back, he'll chase the speedy ones and could do a decent job in any of the two. That's how I would describe a linebacker to someone new to this stuff.

[@jaredgibson7462]

​@@imgabnunnailed it.

[@patfromamboy]

I’m lost 30 seconds in.

[@OnlyLoyaltyMatters]

Bro you have to be unbeatable on Madden 🤣

[@PortalOfKaden]

The game is unrealistic so no.

[@nevermrs]

Move much too fast for me. Maybe I'm just slow...

[@ref233]

Too fast

[@benevans3021]

Swifties flocking to this video rn

[@AtoZSportsFilmRoom]

The timing of this video was no coincidence lol

[@jaredgibson7462]

​@AtoZSportsFilmRoom how much has it blown up since the master marketing plan began? 🤣🤣 Titans fan, been watching since No Flags. Thank you for all of your content. Hope them AtoZ boys doin you right.

[@piggy8761]

They don’t know how to read a box score yet how are they gonna look at plays

[@johnmonroe7749]

This is way too advanced for me. What's a wide receiver? a tight end? This is not basic at all. Even the diagrams are confusing, are you showing offense or defense and if offense, is it going toward the top of the diagram or the bottom?

[@ericlindsey3069]

Nice idea, needs to be done more slowly and with repetitions.

[@pickachugamng9455]

That "3-4 Defense" is actually a 5-2 Defense

[@mangos2888]

Lost me in the first 90 seconds. What what?? 😂

[@user-kn7ry8iz6x]

I believe most Broadcasters KNOW NOTHING which is why they only talk about SURFACE stuff

[@jaredgibson7462]

They usually pair a charismatic voice with a former player/coach. The player/coach is the one drawing on the screen and explaining whats happening during replays. He definitely knows whats going on but he is explaining it for casual fans.

[@user-kn7ry8iz6x]

@@jaredgibson7462 They don't ever know anything about the RULES or what the Refs are looking at. And they RARELY draw on the screen about anything more than VERY BASIC FOOTBALL. They don't know much of anything. And you are here Caping for ANALYSTS not Broadcasters... who I did not besmirch until THIS POST.

[@jaredgibson7462]

@@user-kn7ry8iz6x They know plenty about the rules but when they have questions thats why the bring on a former ref to explain like Gene Steratore. When they draw on the screen and explain VERY BASIC FOOTBALL its for CASUAL FANS. Lmao relax. If you want in depth analysis go find it. Thats what the internet is for. Have a nice day.

[@user-rl1pt1pm6f]

Man wrong right out the gate

[@Maxpower50000]

I’m assuming this video is gaining traction from the kelce Swifties 😆

[@jaredgibson7462]

My teenage girl cousin suddenly loves the Chiefs and the Eagles. I can't imagine why lol. The plan worked 😉

[@piggy8761]

@@jaredgibson7462sb 57 was one of the most successful SB ever from a business point of view Two 1 seeds, two MVP level QBs, two Kelce bros, all pros and hall of famers everywhere, top 2 teams, legendary game, some controversy, and something for the swiftie to look back at Imagine if the Taylor swift shit happened BEFORE Super Bowl 57

[@rosyybear]

2 min into this video confusing af

[@kr5746]

why do ppl feel it necessary to put a music background!!!! This is great except for the poor sound quality, the frustratingly monotonous tone of the narrator and how low the volume is on the voice compared to the music!!!

[@dagreen92]

Who else is here because of Taylor Swift

[@jonathansykes4986]

what a bunch of nerds.

[@jaredgibson7462]

Dolphins head coach agrees. The Chess comparison is accurate.

[@kelvinlaroche7768]

Thanks!