Football Glossary, Part Three: Special Teams and General Terms

By 4Football Staff · October 18, 2026 · 11 min read

A plain-English glossary of special teams, scoring, clock, field, officiating, roster and statistics terms, the vocabulary every football fan eventually needs.

Some football words belong to neither the offense nor the defense. Nobody calls "fair catch" an offensive term, a "bye week" is not a defensive scheme, and "spot of the foul" is a phrase the referee uses more than any coach. This final glossary gathers those words: special teams, scoring, the clock, the field, penalties and officials, rosters and schedules, and the statistics you meet in every box score.

If you are new here, start with part one on offensive terms and part two on defensive terms. If you already know the basics, jump to the section you need.

As always, vocabulary and rules differ between the NFL, college football and high school. Where a number or procedure depends on the level or has changed over the years, this glossary says so rather than quoting a figure that might be out of date. Use the schedule and standings pages to see many of these terms in context.

Special teams: the units

Special teams is the name for the kicking game: kickoffs, punts, field goals and extra points, and the returns and blocks that go with them. It is one-third of football alongside offense and defense, and it often decides close games.

Kickoff team: the unit that kicks the ball to the opponent to start a half or to restart play after a score.
Kickoff return team: the unit that receives the kickoff and tries to advance it.
Punt team: the unit that punts the ball away, usually on fourth down.
Punt return team: the unit that receives a punt, either to return it or to rush and try to block it.
Field goal unit: the kicker, holder, long snapper and blockers who attempt field goals and extra points.
Field goal block team: the defensive group that tries to block the kick.
Hands team: the group assembled to recover an onside kick, built around players with the best hands.

Special teams: the people

Kicker: the player who kicks field goals, extra points and often kickoffs. Some teams use a separate kickoff specialist.
Punter: the player who punts the ball.
Long snapper: a specialist who snaps the ball to the punter or holder, usually a longer distance than a normal snap.
Holder: the player who catches the snap on a field goal or extra point and places the ball for the kicker, often the punter or a backup quarterback.
Returner: the player who catches kickoffs or punts and runs them back.
Gunner: a fast player on the punt team who lines up wide and races downfield to tackle the returner.
Jammer: a player on the punt return team who tries to block or slow the gunner at the line.
Upback: a player lined up a few yards behind the line on a punt formation, also called a personal protector, who helps protect the punter.
Coverage unit: players who run downfield after a kick to tackle the returner.

Special teams: the kicks

Kickoff: a kick from a tee that begins each half and follows scores. Kickoff rules have been changed more than once, so check the rulebook for your level for how the kick and return work.
Onside kick: a kickoff intended to travel only a short distance so the kicking team can recover it. Rules about when it is allowed and how it must be kicked differ by level.
Squib kick: a low, bouncing kickoff, meant to keep the ball away from a star returner.
Touchback: the ball is dead in the end zone after a kick, and the receiving team starts at a designated spot that depends on the level and the type of kick. Rulebooks have changed the touchback spot more than once, so verify it for your level.
Fair catch: the returner signals by raising a hand overhead, and then may not be tackled and may not run with the ball.
Punt: a kick in which the punter drops the ball and kicks it before it hits the ground.
Hang time: how long the punt stays in the air. More hang time gives the coverage team time to arrive.
Directional punt: a punt aimed toward a sideline or corner rather than the middle.
Coffin corner: the area near the sideline close to the opponent's goal line, where a well-placed punt can go out of bounds.
Downed punt: a punt that a member of the kicking team stops, ending the play.
Muff: a failed attempt to cleanly catch a kick. If the receiving team muffs it, the kicking team may recover.
Shank: a poorly struck kick that travels a short distance or in the wrong direction.
Blocked kick: a kick that is stopped at the line by a defender. A block can be returned for a touchdown.
Fake: a play from kicking formation that is actually a run or pass, such as a fake punt or fake field goal.
Free kick: a kick where the opponents must stay back. Kickoffs are free kicks. A free kick may also follow a safety, depending on the level.

One punt, start to finish

Words stick better inside a play. Here is a hypothetical punt, with the vocabulary in bold. Nothing about it is tied to any real game.

It is fourth down and the offense decides to punt. The punt team lines up with a long snapper deep in the formation and a punter standing well behind him. Two upbacks stand in front of the punter as protectors, and two gunners split wide near the sidelines. Across from them, the punt return team puts its jammers at the line to slow the gunners, and a returner drops back to catch the ball.

The snap sails back, the punter catches it and kicks a high, spiraling ball with plenty of hang time. Because the kick is high, the gunners arrive at the same time as the ball. The returner sees them closing and raises a hand to signal a fair catch. He catches the ball, no one may tackle him, and the play ends where he caught it.

What did the punt accomplish? It traded the ball for field position. The punting team lost possession, but it pushed the opponent far from the goal line it is attacking. If the returner had instead let the ball bounce, a gunner might have downed it near the goal line, and if it had rolled into the end zone the result would have been a touchback. That is why coaches describe the kicking game in yards of field position, not just points.

Field goals and extra points: a three-person job

A kick that looks like one man's work actually needs three people to do the same thing in the same rhythm, over and over.

The long snapper sends the ball back a short distance to the holder at a consistent speed and with the laces in the right position.
The holder catches it, sets it on the ground at a spot the kicker has chosen, and spins the laces toward the goalposts, usually on a single motion.
The kicker takes a few steps, plants his foot and kicks the ball up and through the uprights.

The whole operation is timed from the moment of the snap to the moment of the kick. Defenders can try to block the kick or to jump the snap, and blockers on the field goal unit hold them off. A rushed or poorly set ball leads to a missed field goal, a blocked kick or, in the worst case, a fake that goes wrong.

Because the operation depends on rhythm, teams practice it constantly. A kicker who is excellent in a practice with a familiar snapper and holder can struggle when either is replaced, which is why teams value keeping their kicking trio together.

Scoring

Touchdown: six points, scored by carrying or catching the ball in the opponent's end zone or recovering it there.
Extra point: also called the point after touchdown or conversion kick. A kick after a touchdown, worth one point. The distance from which it is kicked has varied.
Two-point conversion: an alternative to the extra point in which the offense runs one play from near the goal line. Success is worth two points. The line of scrimmage for the try depends on the level.
Field goal: three points, scored by kicking the ball through the uprights.
Safety: two points awarded to the defense when the offense is tackled in its own end zone or commits certain fouls there. The team that gave up the safety then kicks to the other team.
Defensive and special teams scores: touchdowns from interceptions, fumbles or returns are worth the same as other touchdowns.

Our guide to how scoring works explains each of these in detail.

The field

End zone: the ten-yard area beyond each goal line, where touchdowns are scored.
Goal line: the line between the field of play and the end zone. A ball breaking its plane is generally a touchdown.
Yard lines: the lines drawn across the field, usually every five yards, with numbers every ten.
Hash marks: short marks that show where the ball is spotted after a play that ends near the sideline. Their spacing differs between levels.
Sideline and end line: the boundaries along the sides and ends.
Pylon: the small marker at each corner of the end zone.
Midfield: the 50-yard line.
Field position: where the ball is on the field. Starting in your own territory means a long way to score.
Line to gain: the yard line the offense must reach for a first down.

Down, distance and possession

Down: one of the four chances the offense has to gain ten yards.
First down: a new set of downs, earned by reaching the line to gain.
Fourth down: the last down. The team may punt, try a field goal or go for it.
Turnover on downs: the defense takes the ball when the offense fails to gain the required yards on fourth down.
Possession: which team has the ball.
Turnover: losing the ball to the other team through an interception or a fumble.
Turnover margin: the difference between takeaways and giveaways in a game or season.
Dead ball and live ball: the ball is live from the snap until the play ends; it is dead between plays.
Inbounds and out of bounds: a player is out of bounds when he touches the sideline or the ground beyond it. Out-of-bounds plays usually stop the clock.

The clock

Game clock: the clock that counts down each period. The NFL and college both use four quarters; high school levels also play four quarters, though the length varies by state and level.
Play clock: the shorter countdown that tells the offense how long it has to start the next play.
Quarter and half: the game is divided into four quarters. After the second quarter comes halftime.
Timeout: a stoppage requested by a team. The number of timeouts each team has varies by level.
Two-minute warning: a stoppage the NFL gives automatically near the end of each half. Not every level has one.
Overtime: extra time if the game is tied at the end of regulation. The format differs between the NFL, college and high school.
Running clock: some high school leagues keep the clock moving during a lopsided game; check your state association's rule.
Stopping the clock: the clock stops after an incomplete pass, when a player goes out of bounds in certain situations, and on timeouts and penalties. Rules on when it restarts vary by level.

Penalties and officials

Flag: the yellow cloth an official throws to signal a foul.
Penalty: the loss of yards, down or both that a team suffers for a foul.
Spot of the foul: the place on the field from which the penalty is measured.
Accept or decline: after a penalty on the opponent, the team that did not commit it may choose the penalty or the result of the play.
Offsetting penalties: fouls by both teams on the same play, which usually cancel and cause the down to be replayed.
Automatic first down: a penalty that gives the offense a new set of downs regardless of distance.
Referee: the lead official, who explains penalties to the crowd.
Replay review: officials look at video to confirm or change a call. In the NFL, a coach can challenge some calls. Our guide to penalty enforcement covers the mechanics.

Rosters, schedules and leagues

Roster: all the players under contract with a team. The number allowed on the active roster varies by league and level.
Starter and backup: starters begin the game; backups replace them.
Depth chart: the list of players at each position in order.
Practice squad: players who practice with the team but do not count on the active roster.
Injured reserve: a roster designation for hurt players. The rules vary by league. Check the current injuries page for who is out.
Bye week: a week in the regular season when a team does not play.
Preseason and regular season: the preseason is a series of exhibitions before the games that count.
Division and conference: the groupings of teams in a league.
Wild card: a playoff berth for a team that did not win its division.
Seed: a team's ranking in the playoff bracket.

Statistics

Yards from scrimmage: the sum of a player's rushing and receiving yards.
Completion percentage: completions divided by attempts.
Yards per carry and per attempt: total yards divided by rushes or by pass attempts.
Passer rating: a formula that combines completion rate, yards, touchdowns and interceptions into one number. The NFL's version has a top score of 158.3.
Time of possession: how long a team had the ball.
Third-down conversion rate: the share of third downs that produce a first down.
Point differential: points scored minus points allowed.

The short version

Special teams has its own units, people and kicks: know the gunner, the holder, the long snapper and the difference between a punt and a kickoff.
Scoring: touchdown six, field goal three, safety two, extra point one, two-point conversion two.
The field is 100 yards between goal lines plus a ten-yard end zone at each end.
Clock rules and overtime differ by level, so check your league's rulebook.
A flag means a foul; the team that did not commit it may accept or decline.
Statistics such as passer rating and yards from scrimmage are shorthand, not the whole story.

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