End around

End around can have several meanings:

End-around

The end-around is a play in American football in which a wide receiver crosses the backfield towards the opposite end of the line and receives a handoff directly from the quarterback. The receiver then may proceed to do one of two things: he either runs the ball towards the line of scrimmage in order to gain yardage, or more rarely, attempts to pass to another eligible pass receiver. Both versions of the end-around are uncommon and can be considered trick plays.

The end-around should not be confused with an end reverse, in which the receiver takes a handoff from a player who has already taken a handoff from the quarterback.

End-arounds are usually preferred to reverses in the NFL; although they are less convincing, they offer lower risk. End-arounds offer less chance of a fumble, as there is only one handoff rather than two. Also, end-arounds require less time to complete, thus reducing the chance of a large loss of yardage.

Fly sweep

A variation of the end around is the fly sweep. Whereas in the end around the receiver runs behind the quarterback, in the fly sweep the receiver runs in front of the quarterback (i.e., between the QB and the offensive line). The fly sweep is commonly seen at the high school and college level, but not as often at the professional level due to the defensive linemen generally being faster and thus able to stop the play for minimal or no gain, or even a loss.

End Around (submarine tactic)

An End Around was a World War II submarine attack tactic. It was used when the initial relative position of the submarine and its target did not give the attacking submarine a positional advantage. The submarine estimated the path and speed of the target, then submerged until the target was out of visual range. The submarine would then surface, and, remaining outside of visual range, proceeded at maximum surface speed to a position in front of the target. This position would give it sufficient positional advantage. The submarine would then submerge and wait until the target approached it before attacking.

Attack Vector

This was an issue in submarine warfare prior to the development of nuclear powered submarines. Diesel electric powered submarines in the First and Second World Wars were typically capable of 15 knots on the surface under diesel power and 5 knots underwater using electric engines. As a result, they were generally slower than their targets. In order to position themselves for a torpedo attack a slower craft would have to approach from in front of the target.