Sack

A sack is the defense's biggest individual win on a passing down — tackling the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw. It's a lost-yardage play that kills drives and flips field position, which is why both protecting against it and creating it are so valuable. For an offensive lineman, giving up a sack — especially a blindside one — is the worst outcome of a rep; for a pass rusher, it's the stat that defines the job.

Defined by Coach Jay Freeman — 34 years coaching the offensive and defensive line.

Related trench terms

PressureD-Line

When a rusher disrupts the quarterback without sacking him — a hurry or a hit.

Bull rushD-Line

A power-based pass rush move — straight-line force driven into the blocker to walk him back into the QB.

Speed rushD-Line

An edge-based pass rush — outside leverage and acceleration to run the arc around the tackle.

Hard countBoth sides

Varying the snap cadence to bait the defense into jumping offside — the quarterback's trap play.

FinishBoth sides

To play through the whistle. The most important word in the lineman vocabulary.

Go deeper

• Coach Jay’s lineman training library — the technique behind the term →
• Back to the full Trench Dictionary →
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