Seam Route (American Football Strategy)

The seam route is a route, usually played against a zone defense in American football, in which the receiver runs at the edges of a defender's coverage (for example, between the linebacker and safety), thus, on the "Seam" between two or more coverages. It is not a route on its own, but the location of another route (typically fly route or post route). The Seam is the area where two defenders' areas of responsibility meet. The concept behind this is that the ability to complete a pass is increased because the defenders may be confused about which one of them is responsible for defending the player on the Seam or; the defenders are trying to cover their area of responsibility which creates an open space equidistant between the defenders.

SPORTS

American Football

Game play in American football consists of a series of downs, individual plays of short duration, outside of which the ball is dead or not in play. These can be plays from scrimmage – passes, runs, punts, or field goal attempts (from either a place kick or a drop kick) – or free kicks such as kickoffs and fair catch kicks. Substitutions can be made between downs, which allows for a great deal of specialization as coaches choose the players best suited for each particular situation. During a play, each team should have no more than 11 players on the field, and each of them has specific tasks assigned for that specific play.