Quarterback sneak

A quarterback sneak is a play in American football and Canadian football in which the quarterback, upon taking the center snap, dives ahead while the offensive line surges forward. It is usually only used in very short yardage situations.

The advantages of this play are that there are no further ball exchanges beyond the center snap, and that the quarterback receives the ball almost at the line of scrimmage so that it is unlikely that significant yardage could be lost on the play. However, it is also very unlikely that the play will gain more than one or two yards. For this reason, it is almost solely used when the ball is very close to the goal-line or on third and fourth down with a yard or less to go. The origins of this play date back to 1912 where standout Yale quarterback Graham Winkelbaum first used it in a game against rival Harvard.

Quarterback sneaks are statistically the most likely plays to convert short yardage situations, though each situation varies.^[1]^[2] Many football statistics sites advocate for increased usage of the play.^[1]^[2]^[3]

QB sneaks have drawbacks in that they tend to expose the quarterback to hits from opposing defensive backs. Often quarterbacks do not wish to expose themselves to the increased risk of injury associated with the play. This is especially prevalent in elite pocket passing quarterbacks, such as Drew Brees or Eli Manning.

Perhaps the most famous quarterback sneak in football history was executed by Bart Starr of the Green Bay Packers in the famous "Ice Bowl" NFL championship game against the Dallas Cowboys on December 31, 1967.

In many cases, the play is not actually a "sneak" as there is nothing surprising about the play when used in situations where a short gain is needed.

References

1 2 Burke, Brian. "QB Sneak vs RB Dive". Advanced NFL Stats. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
1 2 Tanier, Mike. "4th and Go For It?". Sports on Earth. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
↑ Kacsmar, Scott. "The Most Unstoppable Play in the NFL". Football Outsiders. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 25 November 2013.

Gridiron football concepts

Codes

Levels of play

Field

Lines	Goal line Line of scrimmage Out of bounds Sidelines Hash marks

Zones	End zone Red zone Neutral zone Field goal range Flat Passing pocket

Equipment

Helmet	History Winged Eyeshield Revolution

Positions

Offense	Backfield: Quarterback Dual-threat triple-threat Game manager System Running backs Halfback Fullback H-back Slotback Receivers Eligible Wide receiver Tight end End Linemen Center Guard Tackle

Defense	Linemen Defensive tackle Defensive end Linebacker Defensive back Cornerback Safety Nickelback Dimeback Halfback

Special teams	Placekicker Punter Kickoff specialist Long snapper Holder Punt returner Kickoff returner Return specialist Gunner Jammer Upback

Other	History Utility player Skill position Platoon system

Maneuvers

Offense	Snap Hand-off Blocking Spiral Routes Pump fake Juke Lateral Stiff arm Scramble Shift Motion Zone blocking

Defense	Tackle Stunt Shooting the gap Double coverage

Play types

Offense

Rush	Keeper Bootleg Sneak Dive Counter Counter trey Off-tackle End run Option Power Sweep Trap Veer Zone run

Pass	Incomplete Checkdown Screen Drop-back Hail Mary Alley Oop

Defense

Special teams

Other

Scoring

Statistics

Practice

Celebrations

Officiating

Miscellaneous

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, February 04, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.