checkdown

noun

check·down | \ ˈchek-ˌdau̇n

\

plural checkdowns

Definition of checkdown

American football

: a short pass play to a running back or tight end that the quarterback chooses after reading the defensive coverage and seeing no play downfield I just took what the defense gave me, hit my checkdowns, hit short stuff.— Eli Manning, quoted in Sporting News, 22 Dec. 2008 Running back Warrick Dunn might be the most underrated back in the league. Dunn … is a serious threat as a receiver. He's a dangerous checkdown target …— Brad Biggs, Chicago Sun-Times, 18 Dec. 2005

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The first known use of checkdown was in 1981

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