SearchFlea flicker. Wildcat formation. Spider 2-Y Banana. Omaha. Horse collar. What do all these words have in common? They’re football jargon that, unless you’re a football diehard, you probably don’t know what they all mean. Luckily, eimagine’s team of football diehards is here to help.
Whether you’re watching the game with close friends, family or having a Zoom party, we want you to sound like the local football expert. So we’ve culminated a list of terms and names you’ll hear during The Big Game and relating them to some situations which may be…..more familiar to the rest of us.
Tom Brady. Quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We can go a couple ways with Brady. Let’s say you are cheering for him. Then you should think of Microsoft. Been around forever. Reliable. Tom Brady is 43 and may be the best quarterback ever. Microsoft was founded in 1975 and still leads the way in technology. But what if you want to cheer for the other team and root against Tom Brady? Then he’s a virus. A phishing scam. Something that just won’t go away no matter how many people try to remove him. Try and try again yet there he is…Tom Brady always finds a way to win.
Patrick Mahomes. Quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs. The jack of all trades. Patrick is your full stack developer. You need a back-facing development completed? Done. But you want a well user-facing system at the same time? Easy. Patrick can run, pass and lead his team with ease. Just as you may ask about your developer, people constantly say, “Is there anything he CAN’T do?”
First Down. This is the sprint of a football game. You have your tasks to complete, you have a designated amount of time and you need to accomplish those tasks to move on. If you can’t complete the sprint? Just punt it. Try again later. But it may cost you.
Huddles. The team needs to get together before a play. For all your Scrum participants, these are just like your daily standups. This is the team’s chance to make sure they’re all on the same page. It may seem trivial to always do this, but it’s worth it.
Pregame Coverage. Does anyone actually watch the 8 hours of former players talking about what the current players are going to do in the game? Do they actually know anything? Or are they just talking so that a soda company can put in another ad? We’re going to say this is just like Waterfall planning. Come on let’s get going on the actual work! (These views do not reflect the views of eimagine. Only the Marketing team.)
Spider 2-Y Banana. Nobody actually knows. But we promise it’ll be said. Just say the name “John Gruden” and people will be impressed.
Flea Flicker. Offensive play that starts with a handoff to the running back, who then pitches the ball back to the Quarterback and he proceeds to throw the ball downfield. Sudden scope change. Nobody knows what is going on. Everyone stay calm!
Blitz. Defensive team brings extra players to the line of scrimmage in an attempt to tackle the ball carrier. This is your Tiger Team. If you’re going to attack a specific problem, and you need all hands. You’re sending everybody. Zero coverage.
Referees/Officials. The people on the field wearing black and white striped shirts. Without them the game couldn’t go on. It at least wouldn’t go well. These people need to be part of the game to make sure there’s no ill play and the integrity of the game is in order. That’s right, these are your testers and quality assurance employees. We can’t have anything complete the process without proper testing. Cross those t’s and dot those i’s. If you don’t, the referees will have something to say.
Offensive Line. The players crouched down and look like they could eat the 50 wings you bought today in 5 minutes. Protection protection protection. The sole job of these players is to protect the quarterback. They are the unsung heroes of the team. Remind you of anyone? That’s right, this is your Help Desk Team. They’re not the ones in the sales calls or leading demonstrations, but without your help desk team who knows what craziness would go on.
Coordinators. Coaches that are responsible for specific sides of the ball; offensive, defensive and special teams. To succeed, every team needs buy-in from the top to bottom. That starts with your executive leadership. It’s their vision that is translated down to the players. In every project, the Executive Leaders must communicate well and play an integral part of every strategy.
Defensive Backs. Safeties and cornerbacks. Typically the smallest players on defense. Every project needs someone to patrol over the team. Your Project Managers are the most detail oriented and organized individuals. They make sure everyone is doing what they need to reach success. Your defensive backs are the same way. They’re the final defense and prevent anything catastrophic from happening.
4th Quarter Comeback. This is what we’re all hoping for. The ultimate excitement that a game can bring. When all hope is lost and the team doesn’t know where to turn. The game may need Brady or Mahomes to be the hero. But who can you turn to? eimagine of course! We specialize in helping projects and migrations that need an extra hand. Download our Project Rescue guide to learn more. (Sorry, we couldn’t resist going an entire blog without a marketing plug)
Additional facts to impress your friends:
– The Lombardi Trophy is made by Tiffany & Co.
-2017 is the only time the big game has gone into overtime. The winning quarterback? Tom Brady.
-Mahomes has one career playoff loss….to Tom Brady.
-1.4 billion chicken wings were consumed during last year’s big game.
-This matchup features two quarterbacks with the largest age gap ever to play in the big game – 18 years and 45 days.
