also: ghost · fake motion · sham motion
Motion out and back that never had anything behind it. The player is not going anywhere and was never going to; the movement itself is the whole point.
A player moves to change the formation's picture without an exchange normally built into that movement. Depending on the program, he may go out and return or cross behind the quarterback. The motion can make the defense declare coverage, move a defender, or imitate a play where the motion does matter.
Because staffs use ghost for more than one motion shape, the portable meaning is the false action, not one fixed path.
ghost, sham motionreturn motion, jet motion and jet sweepGhost is used loosely for several things, including a route concept where a player fakes a route he does not run. The motion sense is the one meant here, and hearing the word does not by itself tell you which.