Minnesota Sports Forum

Some football cliches don't mean anything, or actually don't make sense. Yet they are commonly used and accepted. Broadcasters say them without knowing what they really mean, and the listener accepts them as valid. A couple of my favorites:

1) "The defense is starting to play downhill now".
What the hell does this mean? We kind of get what they are trying to say, but why phrase it like that?

2) "Okay, they are going to go tempo now"
I know what Up-tempo means. I know what slow tempo means. But tempo by itself doesn't mean fast or rushed or quick.

Can you identify any others? Feel free to use any sport.

I played defensive tackle in high school- usually a little overmatched at 180 lb. If the other team was on a long drive, I always thought that the offensive lineman opposite me was just as tired as I was. So it always annoys me when the announcers say "This defense has been on the field a long time. They've gotta be tired". Hasn't the offense been on the field just as long? If anyone has experience as an offensive player (I wasn't good enough to play offense), please explain why offense expends less energy than defense. You'll help me not be annoyed tomorrow when an announcer inevitably says this!

FNG wrote:I played defensive tackle in high school- usually a little overmatched at 180 lb. If the other team was on a long drive, I always thought that the offensive lineman opposite me was just as tired as I was. So it always annoys me when the announcers say "This defense has been on the field a long time. They've gotta be tired". Hasn't the offense been on the field just as long? If anyone has experience as an offensive player (I wasn't good enough to play offense), please explain why offense expends less energy than defense. You'll help me not be annoyed tomorrow when an announcer inevitably says this!

Exactly. And the defense is usually rotated in and out a lot more often than the offense.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

FNG wrote:I played defensive tackle in high school- usually a little overmatched at 180 lb. If the other team was on a long drive, I always thought that the offensive lineman opposite me was just as tired as I was. So it always annoys me when the announcers say "This defense has been on the field a long time. They've gotta be tired". Hasn't the offense been on the field just as long? If anyone has experience as an offensive player (I wasn't good enough to play offense), please explain why offense expends less energy than defense. You'll help me not be annoyed tomorrow when an announcer inevitably says this!

Exactly. And the defense is usually rotated in and out a lot more often than the offense.

I've wondered the same thing but it does seem like the saying ends up having truth to it in how games play out. What reasons COULD make it true?

It would be interesting to see whether DL or Olineman travel more distance during a game.

It seems to me that it's possible DL have to put forth additional energy I've the same period of times to aggressively go after whoever has the ball. The offense already knows the spot they are supposed to go to. The defense has their call too but they have to react more.

Some teams don't really rotate LBs so they might be the guys that are actually getting worn down while most teams do some sort of rotating of RBs or those guys aren't even on the field. TEs get rotated or don't play every snap.

Fun thread there are a bunch of stuff announcers say that sorta don't make sense when you think about them. Lol

monsterpile wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

FNG wrote:I played defensive tackle in high school- usually a little overmatched at 180 lb. If the other team was on a long drive, I always thought that the offensive lineman opposite me was just as tired as I was. So it always annoys me when the announcers say "This defense has been on the field a long time. They've gotta be tired". Hasn't the offense been on the field just as long? If anyone has experience as an offensive player (I wasn't good enough to play offense), please explain why offense expends less energy than defense. You'll help me not be annoyed tomorrow when an announcer inevitably says this!

Exactly. And the defense is usually rotated in and out a lot more often than the offense.

I've wondered the same thing but it does seem like the saying ends up having truth to it in how games play out. What reasons COULD make it true?

It would be interesting to see whether DL or Olineman travel more distance during a game.

It seems to me that it's possible DL have to put forth additional energy I've the same period of times to aggressively go after whoever has the ball. The offense already knows the spot they are supposed to go to. The defense has their call too but they have to react more.

Some teams don't really rotate LBs so they might be the guys that are actually getting worn down while most teams do some sort of rotating of RBs or those guys aren't even on the field. TEs get rotated or don't play every snap.

Fun thread there are a bunch of stuff announcers say that sorta don't make sense when you think about them. Lol

Yeah, I think we are mostly talking about the war in the trenches. Offensive lineman only come off the field when there is an injury. The D-line will typically use a lot more players.

monsterpile wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

FNG wrote:I played defensive tackle in high school- usually a little overmatched at 180 lb. If the other team was on a long drive, I always thought that the offensive lineman opposite me was just as tired as I was. So it always annoys me when the announcers say "This defense has been on the field a long time. They've gotta be tired". Hasn't the offense been on the field just as long? If anyone has experience as an offensive player (I wasn't good enough to play offense), please explain why offense expends less energy than defense. You'll help me not be annoyed tomorrow when an announcer inevitably says this!

Exactly. And the defense is usually rotated in and out a lot more often than the offense.

I've wondered the same thing but it does seem like the saying ends up having truth to it in how games play out. What reasons COULD make it true?

It would be interesting to see whether DL or Olineman travel more distance during a game.

It seems to me that it's possible DL have to put forth additional energy I've the same period of times to aggressively go after whoever has the ball. The offense already knows the spot they are supposed to go to. The defense has their call too but they have to react more.

Some teams don't really rotate LBs so they might be the guys that are actually getting worn down while most teams do some sort of rotating of RBs or those guys aren't even on the field. TEs get rotated or don't play every snap.

Fun thread there are a bunch of stuff announcers say that sorta don't make sense when you think about them. Lol

I was far from any action in the trenches way back during my football "career"... but the defense is initiating the contact a lot of the time, right? Chasing the action. Reacting to the more set movements from the OL?

Even in the vast open parts of the field where I was at... I could jog into place away from the action on many plays, but the DB had to leave me and run into the action from time to time.

One in basketball that I actually like, but it really doesn't make sense either:

"He's doing yeoman's work along the boards"

Again, we know what their trying to say, but it doesn't really make sense. You guys with military backgrounds know better than me, but I know a little about what a yeoman is, and it's kind of hard to make a connection.

There's a bunch of these for baseball, but I love all of them. Baseball is its own language in this regard.

FNG wrote:I played defensive tackle in high school- usually a little overmatched at 180 lb. If the other team was on a long drive, I always thought that the offensive lineman opposite me was just as tired as I was. So it always annoys me when the announcers say "This defense has been on the field a long time. They've gotta be tired". Hasn't the offense been on the field just as long? If anyone has experience as an offensive player (I wasn't good enough to play offense), please explain why offense expends less energy than defense. You'll help me not be annoyed tomorrow when an announcer inevitably says this!

I would say the defensive players could get a little more tired as all 11 guys should be running to the ball carrier across the LOS while offensive player simply watches at some points. For instance WR blocks guy for a bit but then CB after breaking the block continues to chase the RB.

I agree that both get tired but I give the edge of the expenditure to the defense.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:One in basketball that I actually like, but it really doesn't make sense either:

"He's doing yeoman's work along the boards"

Again, we know what their trying to say, but it doesn't really make sense. You guys with military backgrounds know better than me, but I know a little about what a yeoman is, and it's kind of hard to make a connection.

I think yeoman, at least in American history, is a term most often used to describe small landowner/farmer in the 18th or early 19th century. I get the sense people think of farming at that time as hard, honest work that didn't get a lot of glory or riches, but was also better than being an indentured servant or enslaved, so I think that's what they mean by that. A hard worker who isn't a star but also not a scrub.