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Line of scrimmage

 

 
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Line of scrimmage
 
 
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In American
American football

American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive team sport known for mixing strategy with physical play....
 and Canadian football
Canadian football

Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played chiefly in Canada in which two teams of twelve players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide , attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area ....
 a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line crossing the football field
American football

American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive team sport known for mixing strategy with physical play....
 across its narrower dimension, beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun. 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
American football rules

Game play in American football consists of a series of Down , individual plays of short duration, outside of which the ball is dead or not in play....
.

A line of scrimmage is parallel to the goal lines and touches one edge of the ball where it sits on the ground prior to the snap.






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Encyclopedia


In American
American football

American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive team sport known for mixing strategy with physical play....
 and Canadian football
Canadian football

Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played chiefly in Canada in which two teams of twelve players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide , attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area ....
 a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line crossing the football field
American football

American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive team sport known for mixing strategy with physical play....
 across its narrower dimension, beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun. 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
American football rules

Game play in American football consists of a series of Down , individual plays of short duration, outside of which the ball is dead or not in play....
.

A line of scrimmage is parallel to the goal lines and touches one edge of the ball where it sits on the ground prior to the snap. Under NFL and NCAA rules, there are actually two lines of scrimmage at the outset of each play: one that restricts the offense and one that restricts the defense. The area between the two lines (representing the length of the ball as extended to both sidelines) is called the neutral zone
Neutral zone (American football)

In American football, the neutral zone can be described as the length of the football from one tip to the other when it is spotted on the field during a scrimmage down and the area between the two free kick lines during a free kick down....
. Only the center, the offensive player who snaps the ball, is allowed to have any part of his body in the neutral zone. In order for there to be a legal beginning of a play, a certain number of the players on the offensive team, including certain eligible receiver
Eligible receiver

In American football and Canadian football, not all players on offense are entitled to receive a forward pass. Only an eligible pass receiver may legally catch a forward pass, and only an eligible receiver may advance beyond the Neutral zone if a forward pass which crosses the neutral zone is thrown....
s, must be at, on or within a few inches of their line of scrimmage.

In Canadian football, the team on defense must line up no nearer than a yard to the line of scrimmage. In American football, they must only be beyond the line.

Many fans and commentators refer colloquially
Colloquialism

A colloquialism is an expression not used in formal Speech communication, writing or paralinguistics. Colloquialisms are also sometimes referred to collectively as "colloquial language"....
 to the entire neutral zone as the "line of scrimmage," although this is technically not correct. Others use the general term to refer specifically to the defensive line of scrimmage, since it is the line relevant to the measurement of progress toward the goal. Referees
Official (American football)

In American football, an official is a person who has responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game.During professional and college football games, seven officials operate on the field....
, when explaining a penalty, will refer to "the previous spot" instead of the "line of scrimmage" in order to avoid confusion.

Sportvision
Sportvision

Sportvision is a private company that provides various television viewing enhancements to a number of different professional sporting events. They work with National Football League, National Basketball Association, NASCAR, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball and PGA Tour broadcasts....
 provides a product called 1st & Ten
1st & Ten (graphics system)

1st & Ten is the name for a computer system that generates and displays the yellow Down line that a TV viewer sees during a live broadcast of a College football or professional American football or Canadian football game....
 which allows broadcasts of American football
American football

American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive team sport known for mixing strategy with physical play....
 to include a visible line which may represent the line of scrimmage or the minimum distance that the ball must be moved for the offensive team to achieve a first down.

See also

  • Glossary of American football
    Glossary of American football

    The following terms are used in American football and Canadian football, but see also the glossary of Canadian football....
  • Comparison of Canadian and American football
    Comparison of Canadian and American football

    Canadian Football and American football are very similar, as both have their origins in rugby football. As such, the rules of these sports are very similar, although there are some key differences....