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A Dictionary for Common Sports Slang & Jargon

You are here: Home /All The Lingo /Sports Terms That Begin With ‘L’ / Line Of Scrimmage

Line Of Scrimmage

line 0f scrim*mageWhat Is The Line Of Scrimmage In Football? Definition & Meaning

What Is The Definition Of Line Of Scrimmage In Football?

1. This is an imaginary line on the football field that separates the offensive and defensive teams before the start of each play.

The line of scrimmage spans the width of the field and is placed at the spot where the previous play ended, and after any penalty yards have been assessed.

Each team cannot cross the line of scrimmage until after the current play has started, otherwise they will be called for an offsides penalty.

Examples Of How Line Of Scrimmage Is Used In Commentary

1. Rodgers walks towards the line of scrimmage and lines up behind center, analyzing the defense before the snap.

SportsLingo Goes The Extra-Inch With The Meaning Of Line Of Scrimmage

Historically, there has been some confusion as to where the line of scrimmage begins and ends. Many people refer to the neutral zone as the line of scrimmage, since this is the area that a defensive player may enter and exit before a play is snapped. However this is incorrect, as there are actually two lines of scrimmage on any given play. There is one line of scrimmage for the defense and one line of scrimmage for the offense, with each line being an end of the football. The space that is the length of the ball is known as the neutral zone. The defensive line of scrimmage, or the point of the ball that is facing away from the center, is most often the line of scrimmage that people tend to refer to.

To avoid any confusion when discussing the spot of the ball on a penalty, referees will say “previous spot of the ball” instead of line of scrimmage to avoid any confusion.

Sports The Term Is Used

1. Football

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