Stance (American football)

Stance is the position an American football player adopts when a play begins.

In the National Football League (NFL), the average amount of plays per game is over 60 per team.

This means that once an offensive player has become set in a stance, he must stay in it until the ball is snapped and the play begins.

The two-point is used by offensive linemen to facilitate better pass blocking because it increases their initial field of vision and gives more reaction time (to stay in front of a rushing player).

While in this stance the player's center of gravity will be slightly lowered by bending at the knees and waist.

The purpose of this stance is to give the player leverage and allow more of their legs' power to be used.

Offensive linemen may have to move in any direction so it is counterproductive to put weight on their down-hand (this only facilitates forward movement.)

The NFL has gained a bad reputation because of the players' long-term and sometimes life-threatening complications brought about by head injuries.

The NFL's commissioner, Roger Goodell, has stated the possibility of banning the three-point stance because it makes linemen more likely to initiate head-to-head contact.