Jam

What it is

Striking a receiver at the line to disrupt the timing of his release, with hands inside his frame.

Why it matters

A jam is not a shove — it is a strike and a re-fit, thumbs up and inside the receiver's chest, aimed at moving him off his intended path rather than knocking him down. The coaching point that decides it is patience: a corner who reaches lunges past the release and loses, and the receiver's whole job is to make him reach. It is legal only within five yards of the line, so a jam that travels is a flag.

Also called

Programs call this punch, hands, reroute or chuck. The Coach answers to any of them.

Related

• component ofPress man
• component ofHand placement / hand leverage
• counter toTwo-way go