American football plays

In American football, a play is a close-to-the-ground plan of action or strategy used to move the ball down the field.

Those players may be positioned at any place along the line of scrimmage (which extends all of the way across the playing field).

The player advancing the ball can be: or Also called dive, plunge, buck, gut, slam or numerous other names.

It is designed to isolate the fullback on a block with a linebacker, giving the halfback an easy 5 yard gain.

In this play, the runner begins by taking a step or two away from his intended path, then doubling back and heading in the opposite direction.

The idea is that the defenders will be tricked in advancing on the quarterback as though it were a pass play, and this will vacate the area just beyond the line of scrimmage for the runner to take advantage of.

A naked bootleg relies on the defense buying the fake handoff and moving to tackle the running back rather than the quarterback.

The play is often called by a silent signal between quarterback and center (a pinch or a tap in the direction the sneak is headed).

At the same time, the running back follows, allowing the quarterback the 'option' of pitching the ball just before he is tackled.

This tactic forces defensive players to commit to either preventing the pitch or tackling the quarterback, allowing the offensive team to choose the best result.

The option is rarely seen outside of college football, as high school teams lack the skill to execute it properly, and defensive players on professional teams are quick enough to disrupt the play to the point that it doesn't merit the risk involved, until the increased usages of read-option and RPO offenses in NFL since the 2010s with increasing number of dual-threat quarterbacks.

College football teams West Virginia, Air Force, Florida in 2000s often employ this play style.

A common form of the option executed on the high school, collegiate, and occasionally professional levels is the veer.

In the route, the receiver will run as fast as possible in straight line parallel to the sideline, in an attempt to outrun the defender who is covering them.

As its name suggests, the route will usually feature the receiver running 7 to 10 yards downfield and then making a 90 degree turn towards the center of the field.

An eligible receiver runs a predetermined number of steps or yards upfield before stopping and turning back in slightly to face the quarterback, in the hopes that the defender cannot react and disrupt the pass before positive yardage A flat route is named after the area of the field where it takes place.

This area known as the "flats" is typically from the hash marks to the sideline and from the line of scrimmage to 3-5 yards downfield.

This consists of a receiver lining up near the offensive tackle and then taking a short angled path directly to this area.

Particularly in the highest levels of competition (professional and major college), a play may call for the receiver to 'read' the defensive coverage against him, and run a second route if the first option would be ineffectual.

The quarterback then rapidly pulls the ball back from the faked handoff, trying to hide it from the defense.

On a play-action pass, which is essentially the opposite of the draw play, the quarterback hopes to fake the defenders into thinking the offense is going to run the ball.

A notable example of a trick play is the touchdown pass to Hines Ward (Steelers) in Super Bowl XL.

The Seahawks' Jon Ryan threw a touchdown to Garry Gilliam in the 2015 NFC Championship Game.

Knockdowns and hurries can also serve to force the quarterback into making bad decisions, which could possibly result in interceptions for the defense.

Stunts are a special means of rushing the quarterback done to confuse the opposing team's offensive line.