Split End Football and Must-known Information

When it comes to American football, you may find the term “wide receiver” familiar, however, split end football may be a strange thing to you. Actually, this is a specific wide receiver and gets their own responsibilities. The article below will answer you. 

What is a football split end?

Definition

An offensive player who takes charge near the sideline and on the line of scrimmage, farthest from the center, is a split-end receiver. The term “split-end football” refers to a certain class of wide receivers whose position is split out furthest from the center.

To comply with the requirement of seven offensive players lined up on the line prior to the snap, the split end must line up beside the line.

In earlier football eras, the split end was primarily used. Before the advent of the forward pass, teams would place all of their players around the formation. It wasn’t until then that teams started shifting players out wide.

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Why is the split end called the X receiver?

The offense must have seven players on the line for each play. On the offensive line, there are five of these guys.

Usually, one or both of the other two is a wide receiver. Sometimes, people also consider this player as the split end or X receiver.

You might consider these athletes to be the standard top receivers. These males are often huge and powerful. They have no protection from aggressive press coverage because they are on the line of scrimmage. They must be able to get out of a jam.

Typically, these people have the speed to dive deep. Because there is often little safety cover for corners on the perimeter of the field, a quick receiver who gains separation can make a big play on vertical routes.

Responsibilities

The X receiver takes over the responsibility of collecting passes that the quarterback throws forward. The receiver tries to escape, outmaneuver, or outrun the cornerbacks or safeties who usually cover him on throwing plays. The quarterback may pass to the receiver if he opens up on his pass route. The split-end football must successfully catch the ball without letting it hit the ground, then carry the ball as far as they can while running, ideally making it to the end zone to score a touchdown.

Depending on the type of play happening, a wide receiver may block his or another defender. They will block their designated defender for the running back on regular running plays. He may run a pass route with the intention of distracting opponents from the planned action, especially in the event of draws and other trick plays. 

The coaches usually make use of split-end football to carry the ball, typically on plays designed to surprise the defense, such as an end-around or reverse.

Even less frequently, X receivers may pass the ball as a direct trick play. A split end football, like a running back, has a mission to pass the ball as long as they do so via a handoff or a reverse lateral that takes place behind the line of scrimmage. An X receiver who has previously played quarterback at a lower level, such as high school or occasionally college, frequently appears in this kind of trick play.

Comparison between Split End vs Flanker

Football wide receivers include many positions in which two positions are typical. Furthermore, people can use the terms X receiver and Z receiver interchangeably with the phrases “flanker” and “split end”.

Flankers will line up at the wide positions, but outside the line of scrimmage is where they will play for. Split ends, meanwhile, will work on the line football of scrimmage but lined up on the opposing side of the field.

The players who line up on the line scrimmage may be ineligible to receive passes. Only the players on either end of the line scrimmage are eligible out of the entire field of players. Therefore, the flanker will take a position on the formation’s strong side. The tight end will take over the line of scrimmage on the strong side of the formation. The flanker would become the player on the other end of the line if he lined up on the line, disqualifying the tight end. This explains why the split end is on the weak side and the flanker is on the strong side.

That’s all we would like to share with you about split end football, hopefully, you have got a closer look at this sport. Besides, remember to follow our website American football terms to update more on the other football positions and schedules.