What Is a Sack in Football?
A sack is when a defender tackles the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw. Here is how sacks work, and how they are counted.
Author
Steen Kirby
Senior Tennis Writer
Writing since 2012
46 articles
Steen Kirby is a sports journalist with more than a decade of experience covering the biggest moments in world sport, and tennis has been at the heart of his work since he was a teenager. He has followed the professional game closely since the age of 13 — his earliest tennis memory is the marathon five-set 2009 Australian Open semifinal — and turned that fandom into a career, starting out at Tennis East Coast in 2012 before becoming a co-owner and contributing editor at its successor, Tennis Atlantic. He has reported on the sport at every level, from the elite ATP Tour to the grind of the ATP Challenger circuit, and his work has appeared at Last Word on Sports and Tennis View Magazine, including on-site coverage of marquee events such as Indian Wells, the Davis Cup and the Australian Open. Beyond the baseline his interests span football, cricket, rugby league, baseball and Formula 1, and he follows Barcelona, Monterrey Rayados, Atlético Nacional, the New York Mets and Florida State. He draws much of his inspiration from the competitive fire of Andy Murray and Lleyton Hewitt.
Areas of expertise
Tennis
ATP Tour
ATP Challenger Tour
Grand Slams
Football
Formula 1
Also published at Last Word on Sports, Tennis Atlantic, Tennis View Magazine
Follow on XLatest from Steen Kirby
What Is a Double Dribble in Basketball?
A double dribble is a ball-handling violation that gives the ball to the other team. Here is exactly when it is called, and the two ways it happens.
What Is a Safety in Football?
A safety in football is worth 2 points for the defense, scored when the ball-carrier is downed in his own end zone. Here is exactly how it happens.
What Is a Submission in MMA?
A submission ends an MMA fight when a fighter is forced to give up, usually by tapping out, to escape a choke or joint lock. Here is how submissions work.
How Do the NFL Playoffs Work?
The NFL playoffs are a single-elimination tournament of 14 teams that ends at the Super Bowl. Here is how seeding, byes, and the bracket work.
How Does MMA Scoring Work? (The 10-Point Must System)
MMA is judged round by round with the 10-point must system: the round winner gets 10, the loser 9, and 10-8 marks a dominant round. Here is how it works.
What Is a Franchise Tag in the NFL?
A franchise tag lets an NFL team keep a pending free agent for one year on a set salary. Here is how it works, the tag types, and why teams use it.
MMA Weight Classes Explained
MMA weight classes group fighters by upper weight limit, from strawweight to heavyweight. Here is a table of the standard divisions in pounds and kg.
What Is Pass Interference in Football?
Pass interference is illegal contact that unfairly impedes a player from catching a catchable pass. How it is called, plus offensive vs defensive PI.
What Is a Technical Foul in Basketball?
A technical foul punishes conduct or procedure violations, not physical contact. Here is what draws one, the free-throw penalty, and how ejections work.
How Does NFL Overtime Work?
NFL regular-season overtime is a 10-minute modified sudden-death period. Playoff overtime guarantees both teams a possession. Here is how it works.
How Does the NBA Draft Lottery Work?
The NBA draft lottery is a weighted random draw for the top picks among non-playoff teams. Here is how the odds and ping-pong balls work.