Glossary of American Football

man coverage

Same as man-to-man coverage

man-in-motion

A player on offense who is moving backwards or parallel to the line of scrimmage just before the snap. In American football, only one offensive player can be in motion at a time, cannot be moving toward the line of scrimmage at the snap, and may not be a player who is on the line of scrimmage. In Canadian football, more than one back can be in motion, and may move in any direction as long as they are behind the line of scrimmage at the snap.

man-to-man coverage

A defense in which all players in pass coverage, typically linebackers and defensive backs, cover a specific player. Pure man coverage is very rare; defenses typically mix man and zone coverage.

margin of victory

The total difference in points in a game, expressed as possessed by the winning team.

Marty Ball

A conservative gameplan which involves an offense based around the use of running backs with use of the passing game only to advance the running game, and a great emphasis on defense. Popularized term for Marty Schottenheimer's approach to coaching.

Maryland-I

An I formation with three running backs aligned behind the quarterback in a straight line.

max protect

A modification used on pass plays (usually combined with a shotgun formation) which keeps the tight end and both backs in behind the line of scrimmage to pass protect rather than run a pass route. This is used in obvious blitzing situations to give the quarterback "maximum protection" in the pocket. Although good for holding off a blitz, it leaves the quarterback with only two receivers to throw to (and therefore only two players for the secondary to defend). Some of the logic behind this play might stem from a player's supposed lack of defensibility: when a receiver (such as Randy Moss) or quarterback-receiver duo (such as the historic Joe Montana-and-Jerry Rice) is of the caliber that a completion is likely even when the receiver is closely guarded by defenders. Redskins Head Coach Joe Gibbs is known for having used a two tight end formation to protect his QB from the nearly unstoppable blitzer Lawrence Taylor.

mike (MLB)

The middle linebacker in 4-3 formation. In the 3-4 formation Mike is the Interior Linebacker (ILB) that plays on the strong side of the formation. Mike has the responsibility to defend the interior gaps and the Curl Zone. Mike is the leader of the defense and has to be as bright as a Quarterback because often he calls the audibles on defense.

Mo (ILB)

Also known as Jack. The interior linebacker, 3-4 formation, that plays on the weak side of the formation.

monster

Sometimes monster man, a player position on the defensive team. The monster is a strong safety in a four-deep secondary with the ability to cover deep zones, defend against runs and, on occasion, play on the line of scrimmage. See strong safety.

motion

The ordered movement of eligible receivers prior to the snap. Motion can be used to gain mismatches, i.e. physical advantages against specific defensive personnel, e.g. a fast wide receiver defended by a slower linebacker. Another use for motion is to enhance the pre-snap read of the defensive coverage, e.g. motioning a receiver from one side of the formation to the other may help in identifying zone versus man coverage. Generally, if the coverage is man the receiver's defender will follow him across the formation and if it is zone coverage the defenders will exchange responsibilities by shifting or bumping over.