Some terms are fairly obvious. If you’ve got 100 yardas, you’ve got a football field. Some words carry the flavor of Spanglish, like taclear. And when a quarterback gets tackled in the backfield, that’s el sack.
With the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriotsset to play in Mexico City this Sunday in a stadium more accustomed to fútbol than football, here’s a sampling of terms typically used in Mexico for American football.
Blitz
La carga
Blocking (to block)
Bloquear
Clipping
Bloqueo ilegal por atrás
Cheerleader
Porrista
(Also la animadora)
Coach
El entrenador
Cornerback
El esquinero
Dead ball
Pelota muerta
End zone
La zona de anotación
Line of scrimmage
La linea de golpeo
(Also la linea de ataque)
Pass
El lanzamiento
Quarterback
El lanzador
(Also mariscal de campo)
Super Bowl
El Super Tazón
(Also, and our favorite, El Super Bowl)
Sanchez reported from Mexico City and Padilla from Los Angeles.