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| Lateral |
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Pass thrown to a teammate backwards from the team's line of scrimmage or parallel to it; unlike a forward pass (which can be thrown only once per play), players may lateral the ball as often as they want, similar to rugby.
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| Line of Scrimmage |
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An imaginary line which no player may cross before the snap; each team has its own line of scrimmage, separated by the neutral zone.
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| Lineman |
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A player who starts each play within 1 yard of his line of scrimmage.
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| Live Ball |
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A ball becomes live as soon as it is snapped or free kicked (as in a kickoff); opposite of a dead ball.
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| Loose Ball |
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A ball that is not in possession of either team, such as after a fumble or a kickoff; it can be recovered by either team.
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