What Football Broadcasters DON’T Mean

Giving him the ball in space. What it doesn’t mean.  Unlike Star Trek, in football, space does not refer to the final frontier.  Thus, this doesn’t mean that you trust him so much that you would let him take the ball to space (as in Mars).  It also isn’t a cute way to say you’ll give it him in a matter of time (i.e, a play on the philosophical concept of space and time).  In football, space refers to the space around a player.  And much of the game hinges on a players ability to create and control the space around him on offense; and on defense a player’s ability to take away that space (more on this to come).

He has an ankle.  No, this is not the most obvious comment made in the history of ever.  Nor is it an acknowledgment that a player has all of his body parts in place.  It is also not a way to teach children about the human body (he has a knee, an ankle and an elbow).  And it’s not talking about a poor guy who only has one ankle rather than two.  It’s actually referring to the fact that the player has actually injured the body part that is mentioned. Likewise, if he’s out with a foot, we aren’t using the word “foot” as a derogatory term to criticize the new lady he’s dating (i.e., unattractive, smelly or flat). It simply means he is not playing in the game because he hurt his foot.

Great pitch.  Nope, they didn’t switch to a different sport in the middle of the game.  This is not baseball.  It’s a way that the quarterback throws/hands-off-the-ball by just kind of tossing it to another player.

They need that girth up front.  Oh no, not that type of girth! Take your mind and move it up a few inches.  We are mostly talking about his stomach area or somewhere around there.  It means they need a big guy in the front of the offensive line that will act like a wall against his opponents’ big guys up front on defense, and vice versa.