In American football, a bootleg play is a play in which the quarterback runs with the ball in the direction of either sideline behind the line of scrimmage. This can be accompanied by a play action, or false hand off of the ball to a running back running the opposite direction. United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... A football play is the activity of the games of Canadian football and American football during which one team tries to advance the ball or to score, and the other team tries to stop them or take the ball away. ... A quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. ... The sidelines is a term commonly used to define the white/colored lines which mark the outer-boundaries of a gaming field. ... In American and Canadian football the line of scrimmage is the imaginary transverse line crossing the football field across its narrower dimension, which passes through the last position of the football, after the end of the most recent play and following the assessment of any penalty yards. ... High school running back A running back, halfback, tailback or wingback is the position of a player on an American and Canadian football team who lines up in the offensive backfield. ...

The quarterback can be accompanied by an offensive lineman to block for him, or run without a blocker, which is known as a naked bootleg. More complex versions involve multiple offensive linemen moving with the quarterback to block and multiple false hand offs; one such variation is known as a rollout. After escaping the area behind the offensive line, the quarterback may either throw a pass downfield or run with the ball himself to gain yards. In American football, blocking occurs when one player obstructs another players path with his body. ... In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown from one player to another on the same team, ending closer to the opponents goal line. ... A yard (abbreviation: yd) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...

A bootleg is called to confuse the defense, by moving the quarterback away from where they expect him to be, directly behind the center. The quarterback's motion may also attract the attention of the defensive backs, allowing one of the receivers to become uncovered. The play is typically used by teams with mobile, or fast, quarterbacks, such as Michael Vick, Steve Young, David Garrard, Randall Cunningham, and Vince Young. The wide receiver (WR) position in American and Canadian football is the pass-catching specialist. ... Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is an American football quarterback who plays for the National Football Leagues Atlanta Falcons franchise. ... This article refers to the Hall of Fame quarterback, for other Steve Youngs see Steve Young. ... David Garrard (born February 14, 1978 in East Orange, New Jersey) is an American football player who plays quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars. ... For former United States Representative Randall Duke Cunningham, see Duke Cunningham. ... Vincent Paul Young, Jr. ...

The name comes from the fact that on a play action the quarterback often hides the ball from the defense by his thigh to make the run look more convincing. This is similar to the way bootleggers would hide whiskey in their trousers during Prohibition. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Whisky (or whiskey) is an alcoholic beverage distilled from grain, often including malt, which has then been aged in wooden barrels. ... The origin of modern mens trousers: a sans-culotte by Louis-Léopold Boilly. ... The term Prohibition, also known as Dry Law, refers to a law in a certain country by which the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or illegal. ...

See also

• Glossary of American football