Neutral zone
What it is
The space between the two lines of scrimmage, the width of the ball, which only the centre may occupy before the snap.
Why it matters
The neutral zone is why offside and encroachment are separate fouls, and why a defensive lineman's alignment is measured in inches. A defender may break the plane briefly without penalty as long as he retreats before the snap and does not contact an opponent — a rule that produces the entire cat-and-mouse of hard counts and stemming fronts.
Also called
Programs call this neutral zone, offside, encroachment or in the zone. The Coach answers to any of them.
See it on the field
The same personnel showing one front, ready to be another. The alignment comes from the engine’s own front resolver against real offensive splits, so it is a picture the simulator genuinely produces — not a diagram drawn to make a point.
Stem — moving the picture before the snapRelated
This entry is authored, not generated. It is one of 205 in the index that the AI-ssistant Coach retrieves from, and that Film Study tags clips against.