Line of scrimmage

Its location is based on the spot where the ball is placed after the end of the most recent play and following the assessment of any penalty yards.

This uncontested line of scrimmage would set into motion many more rules that led to the formation of the modern form of gridiron football (although the Canadian rules were developed independently of the American game, despite their similarities).

In American football, the set distance of the line of scrimmage between the offense and defense is 11 inches (28 cm), the length of the ball.

[1] The area between the two lines (representing the length of the ball as extended to both sidelines) is called the neutral zone.

Many fans and commentators refer colloquially to the entire neutral zone as the "line of scrimmage", although this is technically incorrect.