Reverse (American football)
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A reverse (sometimes referred to as an end reverse) is an unorthodox play (often called a trick play) in American football. The play resembles a sweep, but before the running back crosses the line of scrimmage, he hands the ball off to a wide receiver going in the reverse (opposite) direction of where the running back was going. If the defense was drawn to the side of the field the running back was going towards, the receiver can outrun the defense to the other side of the field and make a big gain. For this play to be successful, the receiver must be very fast and agile, and must also have good ability to miss tackles.
A variation of this play is a double reverse, which involves three handoffs or changes the direction of the running play three times. It begins like a normal reverse play, but in this variation the wide receiver hands the ball off to another wide receiver going in the opposite direction, sending the ball back in the original direction the running back was going. The advantage of this is that it adds even more surprise to the play by changing the direction of the ball carrier three times. However, it takes more time to develop, and it requires the use of a second receiver who could have instead helped block defenders, or run down the field, pretending to run a pass route in an attempt to draw away the defensive backs.
Commentators, such as FOX's Joe Buck, calling a game often say that a "double reverse" has occurred when in fact the play was merely a reverse. The erroneous "double" seems to stem from their understanding that there are two handoffs -- from the quarterback to the running back, and from the running back to the wide receiver. However, calling this a "double reverse" is incorrect; as indicated above, such a play is simply a "reverse." The tendency to confuse these plays is satirized in the Open Letter to a Pedantic Killjoy.
Another variation of this play is the fake reverse. On a fake reverse, the wide receiver fakes the run with a couple of steps, then passes the ball, similar to a halfback option play. Although this is rare, some have proven to be extremely good at it. For example, National Football League receiver Randy Moss, who is one of the top pass catchers in the league, has currently completed 4 out of 8 passes for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception, in his NFL career. Many teams will also use the threat of a reverse to gain an advantage on simple sweep plays. In such a case, the quarterback will pitch the ball to the running back, who will pass, but not hand the ball to, a reciever running in the opposite direction. The distraction is sometimes enough for the running back to gain an edge, which is why it is more common to see a fake reverse than an actual reverse.
