Sweep (American football)

The buck sweep is usually run from a Wing T formation that includes a variety of play fakes.

[3][4] In the 1960s, he utilized the Packers sweep play—also known as the Lombardi sweep—in which guards Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston rapidly pulled out from their normal positions and led blocking for the running back (typically Paul Hornung or Jim Taylor) going around the end.

The variant that became popular in the National Football League (NFL) in 2018 is often run with the quarterback in a shotgun formation and the receiver crossing in front of him to receive the ball; when run in this manner using a pitch, the pitch is considered a forward pass, resulting in an incomplete pass rather than a fumble if the ball is dropped.

Sweeps often involve pulling of offensive linemen, usually one or both guards, to provide extra blockers at the point of attack.

[8] Teams such as the Arkansas Razorbacks have had success running this play by lining up the halfback as the quarterback in a wildcat formation.