Glossary of American Football

rag doll

Slang for a particularly effective shedding of a block, where the player-to-be-blocked not only sheds his block, but knocks the blocker off of his feet (with limbs flailing like a rag doll). The rag doll of a blocker is the polar opposite of a pancake.

reception

When a player catches (receives) the ball past the line of scrimmage. If a reception is made behind the line of scrimmage, it is a lateral.

red flag

A weighted red marker thrown onto the field by a coach to tell the officials that he wants a certain play reviewed. Sometimes referred to as "challenge flag."

red shirt

A college player who is foregoing a season to retain a year of eligibility. Student athletes have five years to play four after he/she enrolls. A sixth year is occasionally granted to a player to play his/her four years under extenuating circumstances.

red zone

The area between the 20 yard line and the goal of the defensive team. The area is not literally colored red and the term is used mainly for statistical purposes; a team that has a high "red zone percentage" (number of touchdowns scored from within the red zone divided by number of drives in which the team enters the red zone) is capable of finishing drives with touchdowns on a regular basis.

referee (R)

The official who directs the other officials on the field: one of seven officials.

regular season

In college football, it is the portion of the season that is scheduled ahead-of-time by the schools. It excludes any bowl game, conference championship, or playoff games. In NFL football, the regular season is defined as weeks 1-17 (as of the 2010 season; the league is attempting to expand this an additional two weeks).

restraining line

1. A team's respective line of scrimmage

2. At a free kick, the line the ball is to be kicked from (for the kicking team), or a line 10 yards (5 yards in the NFL, beginning 2011) in advance of that (for the receiving team)

return

The act of progressing the ball down the field after a change of possession, such as a kick or interception. (E.g. "He returned the interception for a touchdown".)

return yards

Yards gained advancing the ball during play after a change of possession such as a punt or a kickoff or a turnover such as a fumble or an interception.

reverse

An offensive play in which a running back carries the ball toward one side of the field but hands or tosses the ball to a teammate (almost exclusively a wide receiver) who is running in the opposite direction. This is slightly different from an end around, in which the ball is handed off directly to a wide receiver (usually the man in motion), so the direction of the play never reverses.

road game

A game played in the opponent's home stadium. Games at neutral sites are generally not considered road games although they are "away from home". However, games at nominally neutral sites (typically in college football) are often called "effective road games" for one of the teams if the venue is much closer to the opponent's fan base. An example of this phenomenon was the 2011 Chick-fil-A College Kickoff, in which Boise State played (and defeated) Georgia at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, little more than an hour's drive from the Georgia campus and located in a city home to a large number of Georgia alumni and fans.

rover

A hybrid safety that has duel responsibilities as a defensive back and a linebacker. This is more commonly seen in college football more so than NFL, CFL, or AFL football. A perfect example this in use is in West Virginia's or Air Forces's 3-3-5 schemes.

run and shoot

An offensive philosophy designed to force the defense to show its hand prior to the snap of the ball by splitting up receivers and sending them in motion. Receivers run patterns based on the play of the defenders, rather than a predetermined plan. Also known as 'Run & Gun'.

running back (RB)

A player position on offense. Although the term usually refers to the halfback or tailback, fullbacks are also considered running backs.

running out the clock

A game strategy that involves repeatedly executing simple plays that allow the game clock to continue running in an effort to bring the game to a quicker end. This strategy is almost always employed by the leading team at the end of the game, and may involve one or more kneels.

running play

A play where the offense attempts to advance the ball without a forward pass.

running up the score

A generally discouraged practice in which a team, despite leading by several touchdowns (to the point that it is obvious that the team is going to win), continues to score as many points as possible in an effort to create as wide of a margin of victory as possible.

run out of the gun