NFL
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dime defense
A defensive personnel formation with six defensive backs. On subsequent reference, simply dime is acceptable.
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46 defense
Typically a variant of the 4-3 defense characterized by a hybrid strong safety/linebacker to put eight defenders in or near the box. On subsequent reference, simply 46 is acceptable.
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nickel defense
A defensive personnel formation with five defensive backs, commonly in 4-2-5 (four down linemen, two linebackers, five backs) and 3-3-5 (three down linemen, three linebackers, five backs) variants. On subsequent references in copy, nickel is acceptable.
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3-4 defense
A defensive personnel formation with three down linemen and four linebackers. On subsequent reference, simply 3-4 is acceptable as long as the context is clear.
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4-3 defense
A defensive personnel formation with four down linemen and three linebackers. On subsequent reference, simply 4-3 is acceptable as long as the context is clear.
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injured reserve (NFL)
The device by which an injured NFL player may be removed from the active roster to be replaced by a healthy player. Historically, this meant the player was ineligible to play for the remainder of the season, but that has since been changed to allow a limited number of players to return after missing a
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placekicker
One word.
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kickoff (n., adj.), kick off (v.)
One word when used as a noun or adjective: Brian Mitchell returned the opening kickoff to the Philadelphia 33-yard line; Devin Hester’s kickoff prowess made him a true game-changer for the Bears. Two words, not hyphenated, when used as a verb: The game kicks off at 1:08 p.m. ET.
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field goal (n.)
Two words. Hyphenate when used as an adjective directly before a noun: a field-goal attempt