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About Football Glossary - Possession

By James Alder, About.com Guide

Definition: 1. When a team has control of the ball, the are considered to be in possession of it.
2. When a player maintains control of the ball while touching both feet, or any other part of his body other than his hands, to the ground.
Examples:
1. A team's possession begins when they take over on offense and ends when they give up the ball either by turnover, punt, or scoring. 2. On a pass play, a player must have possession of the ball before going out of bounds to complete the pass.
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