Glossary of American Football - T

T

T formation

A classic offensive formation with the quarterback directly behind the center and three running backs behind the quarterback, forming a 'T'. Numerous variations have been developed including the split-T, wing-T, and wishbone-T.

tackle

1. The act of forcing a ball carrier to the ground

2. A player position on the line, either an offensive tackle (T) or a defensive tackle (DT). See lineman.

tackle box

The area between where the two offensive tackles line up prior to the snap.

tackle-eligible

A lineman that lines himself up in the position of an eligible receiver.

tailback (TB)

Player position on offense farthest ("deepest") back, except in kicking formations. Also often referred to as the running back, particularly in a one-back offense.

take a knee

See kneel.

take the top/lid off the defense

Forcing the defense to keep the defensive backs out of the box, where they can provide support against the offense's running game, and in a position to honor and protect against deep pass threats.

three-and-out

When an offensive team fails to gain a first down on the first three plays of a drive, and thus is forced to punt on fourth down.

three-point conversion

A novelty developed in the new millennium, used in leagues such as the XFL and the Stars Football League, that is nearly identical to the two-point conversion. A play that advances the ball into the end zone from the 10-yard line (as opposed to the 2 or 3 yard line in a two-point conversion) earns 3 points.

three-point stance

A down lineman's stance with three points on the ground, in other words, his two feet and one of his hands.

throwaway

A pass intentionally thrown out of bounds by the quarterback while he is outside the pocket with no chance of the pass being caught by any eligible receiver or defender. This is done when the quarterback is about to get tackled by a defender and has no open receivers so that the team avoids a loss of yardage that would have happened if the quarterback was sacked.

tight end (TE)

A player position on offense, often known as Y receiver, lines up on the line of scrimmage, next to the offensive tackle. Tight ends are used as blockers during running plays, and either run a route or stay in to block during passing plays.

time of possession

The amount of time one team has the ball in its possession relative to the other team. Since there are 60 minutes in a non-overtime game, and one team or another always has possession of the ball, the two teams divide up the time with which they have the ball out of the 60 minutes. If one team has it 40 minutes the other will have it 20 and so forth. A time of possession advantage is seen as a positive thing and is highly correlative with a win or loss as it usually means the opponent's defense becomes fatigued and easier to gain yardage on late in games. Teams that dominate time of possession usually have good defenses (that can keep the opposing team's offense from mounting many long drives) and solid offenses (usually with good running games as running plays keep the clock running more often than passing plays). Teams that have a big disadvantage in the time of possession usually give up several third down conversions and/or frequently go three-and-out on offense.

total offense

A statistic that combines yards rushing and yards passing.

touchback

The act of downing the ball behind one's own goal line on a kickoff or punt after the ball had been propelled over the goal by the opposing team. This can be accomplished by one of several ways: the receiving team player catching the ball in the endzone and dropping down to one knee; by the ball touching any part of the endzone; the ball carrying out of the endzone in any way without being possessed by either team. After a touchback, the team that downed it gets the ball at their own 20-yard line.

touchdown

A play worth six points, accomplished by gaining legal possession of the ball in the opponent's end zone or by the ball crossing the plane of the opponent's goal line with legal possession by a player. It also allows the team a chance for one extra point by kicking the ball or a two point conversion; see try.

trap

A basic blocking pattern in which a defensive lineman is allowed past the line of scrimmage, only to be blocked at an angle by a "pulling" lineman. Designed to gain a preferred blocking angle and larger hole in the line.

trick play

Also gadget play; any of a variety of plays that use deception to catch the other team off-guard. Famous trick plays include the fake punt or kick, the "Statue of Liberty", the flea-flicker, center-eligible, surprise on-side kick and running back pass plays. These plays are often very risky, as most decent teams have too much skill and experience to be fooled for long.

trips

A formation in which 3 wide receivers are lined up on the same side of the field, with one on the LOS and usually the others flanking the WR one yard off the LOS (as in Slot or Wing, though only one yard off the WR, each way.

true freshman

A player who is one year out of high school. This contrasts with a redshirt freshman who has practiced with the team for one year but who has not played yet in any games.

try

A try is a scrimmage down which is neither timed nor numbered, awarded to a team who has just scored a 6 point touchdown, from close to their opponent's goal line (2-yard line in the NFL, 3 yard line NCAA & NFHS). The try allows the offense (and in some codes, the defense) to score an additional 1 or 2 points. Also called "try-for-point", "conversion", "convert" (Canadian), "extra point(s)", "point(s) after (touchdown)" or PAT. Derived from the rugby term of the same name, although in rugby, the term "try" refers to the actual event corresponding to the American touchdown, not the event that comes afterward as in the American game.

turn the ball over on downs (a.k.a. turnover on downs)

When a team uses all four of their downs without either scoring or making a first down, they must relinquish the ball to the other team.

turnover

The loss of the ball by one team to the other team. This is usually the result of a fumble or an interception.

tweener

A player that plays 2 or more positions because he is a very gifted athlete who could not possess enough size for one position or enough quickness for another. Further information: Tweener (basketball)

two-level defense

A defense with only two, as opposed to the usual three, levels of defensive organization. Generally a much more aggressive defense than normal.

two-minute warning

A free time out given to both teams when there is two minutes left on the game clock in each half. Certain leagues may use different times for this warning.

two-point conversion

A play worth two points accomplished by gaining legal possession of the ball in the opponent's end zone, either via a run or pass, after a touchdown has been made; see try.