Talk:Reverse (American football)

Another name?
Some people call this play the end-around. I assume the "end" is for "Split-end," another name for a reciever.--BigMac1212 03:45, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

Oct. 2007 rewrite
I made a substantial rewrite and reorganization to this article, explaining the traditional reverse and its variations. I removed unnecessary references to specific players and events. I removed the mention that Bobby Bowden invented the reverse; in fact, historical references to the play go back nearly 100 years. Finally, I broke off the issue of the controversy between what's an "end-around" and what's a "reverse" to a separate section, where I present the (choose one) classic/pedantic definition and the incorrect/colloquial usage. Based on these changes, I removed the wikify nag tag.

In the process, it's interesting (and probably significant) to note that I found exactly zero definitive sources that state categorically that a reverse requires two handoffs and a double reverse requires three. (Gregg Easterbrook's long-running crusade on ESPN.com doesn't nearly qualify as authoritative.) The NCAA and NFL terminology guidebooks make no mention of a required number of handoffs; they merely refer to the number of times the lateral flow of the play is changed. Another source, a "coaches handbook" web site, asserts that the difference between an end around and a reverse has to do with the change of flow: if a quarterback takes a snap, rolls right, and hands off to a receiver running left, that's a reverse; if he merely stands in the pocket and hands off, it's an end-around. This seems reasonable to me, but I'm not an authoritative source either. The only thing that seems crystal clear is that, colloquially, the "imprecise" usage is now used virtually to the exclusion of the "classic" definition in news articles - so much so that I am having second thoughts about describing the plays in the body of the article using the "classic" terms. For now, I'll leave what I have and await other opinions. Dpiranha 03:07, 23 October 2007 (UTC)


 * With no comments for almost two months, and with further Internet research still turning up no definitive sources (at least, none having no direct tie-in back to Easterbrook) that a reverse requires two handoffs, I'm going to modify the article slightly to skirt the #-Of-Handoffs issue entirely. If anyone can produce an encyclopedic source to the contrary, let's discuss it.  Dpiranha (talk) 04:51, 14 December 2007 (UTC)

Move discussion in progress
There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:Reception (American football) which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. —RMCD bot 07:59, 9 July 2015 (UTC)