American Football Guide

catches it. The return specialist declares a fair catch by waving one arm in the air. This is the
right thing to do sometimes because either the coverage is very good and he will be hit
immediately after catching the ball (and possibly risk losing the ball) or the punt is difficult to
catch.
Fan-​ ​A​ ​person​ ​who​ ​enjoys​ ​watching​ ​the​ ​game
Fanatic- A more extreme version of the fan; a person who cheers for his or her team with
extreme​ ​zeal
Fantasy​ ​football-​ ​See​ ​Chapter​ ​5:​ ​“Overtime”
Favorite-​ ​The​ ​team​ ​who​ ​is​ ​predicted​ ​to​ ​win​ ​the​ ​game.
Field-​ ​where​ ​the​ ​game​ ​is​ ​played.​ ​This​ ​often​ ​used​ ​term​ ​is​ ​short​ ​for​ ​football​ ​field.
Field Correspondent- a member of the television broadcast team who conducts live interviews
with players and coaches on the field and gives periodic game reports such as player injuries and
weather​ ​conditions.
Field goal- a field goal is kicked by the place-kicker and if successful, results in three points. To
be successful the ball must be kicked in somewhere in between the goal-post. On a field goal
play the ball is snapped to the place-holder. The place-holder holds the ball in place for the
kicker while the offensive line blocks. The choice to kick a field goal is usually made when a
team is in a fourth down situation and the ball is in field goal range. A team almost always will
try to get points on a drive if a touchdown is not scored. The next best thing to scoring a
touchdown​ ​is​ ​making​ ​a​ ​field​ ​goal.
Field Goal range- when an offense has moved the ball to a certain point down the field, they are
said​ ​to​ ​be​ ​in​ ​field​ ​goal​ ​range.​ ​This​ ​means​ ​a​ ​field​ ​goal​ ​kick​ ​is​ ​doable​ ​and​ ​likely​ ​to​ ​be​ ​successful.
Field​ ​judge-​ ​a​ ​referee​ ​who​ ​monitors​ ​the​ ​backfield​ ​on​ ​any​ ​given​ ​play.
Field position- The place on the field where the ball is at any given time. You’ll usually hear
something like, that is really good (or bad) field position. This is all in relation to how far or
close​ ​a​ ​team​ ​is​ ​to​ ​scoring​ ​a​ ​touchdown​ ​on​ ​the​ ​field.
Finding the hole/the lane- When the offensive and defensive lines collide after the snap, gaps are
created in between them. A running back will try to run through these gaps after getting the
handoff. If successful he will run forward for positive yardage. If not, he will be tackled at or
near​ ​the​ ​line​ ​of​ ​scrimmage.
First Down- The first in a set of four downs. A new set of four downs automatically occurs when
a first down is achieved by an offense. A first down keeps the offense moving down the field en
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