crack*back block
What Is The Definition Of A Crackback Block In Football?
1. This is an offensive strategy in football that utilizes a player positioned wide and near the sideline to run back towards the ball after the snap and deliver a block. By coming back towards the ball, the blocker can seal off a defender from reaching the outside that the receiver had just come, therefore creating an open area for a runner to gain positive yardage.
Is A Crackback Block Illegal?
Crackback blocks are legal when the block occurs between the shoulders and the waist. If the player blocks their opponent below the waist or above the shoulders, a 15-yard penalty may be called.
The rules which limit crackback blocks to the zone from the shoulder to the waist have long applied for NFL players positioned two yards or more outside the tackle box. However, in 2017, the NFL updated their rules on crackback blocks. Now, players who are within two yards of the tackle box must also make a block above the waist and below the shoulders in order to avoid a penalty.
What Is A Peel-Back Block?
Crackback blocks are sometimes confused with peel-back blocks. Although these two types of blocks are similar, the difference lies in the direction the player is moving in when the block occurs.
With a crackback block, the player is running toward the ball after the snap before making the block head on. Peel-back blocks, on the other hand, occur when a player is running toward their own end zone. This results in a block that comes from behind or from the side.
Peel-back blocks were banned by the NFL in 2013 after Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing suffered a serious injury from a crackback block by New York Jets guard Matt Slauson.
Examples Of How Crackback Block Is Used In Commentary
1. Landry delivers a crushing crackback block, opening up the outside and giving the running back some daylight to run.
SportsLingo Goes The Extra-Inch With The Meaning Of Crackback Block
Although most players who deliver a crackback block are not looking to deliver a harmful hit, the player should still be mindful of their opponent’s safety. Many times, the crackback block is being delivered on an opponent who does not see the block coming, as they are keeping their eye on the player with the ball. Because of this, the player getting blocked is highly prone to a concussion or any other injury. If the player delivering the crackback block aims towards the helmet of their opponent, low along the knees or even leads with their own helmet, they run the risk of getting a penalty.
Sports The Term Is Used
1. Football