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A defensive player may line up anywhere on his side of the line of scrimmage and perform any legal action. Over time, however, defensive roles have become defined into three main sets of players that encompass several individual positions. Defensive formations are often known by a numerical code indicating the number of players at each position.
Also called the "umbrella" defense or "3-deep". In this set, the third safety would be referred to as a "weak safety" (WS) and allows two position safeties at the mid-level with a third safety deep. It is because of this that the secondary safety in a football defense is called a free safety rather than a weak safety
The three basic defensive positions are: Defensive lineman (DL): Linemen play at the line of scrimmage, directly across from the offensive line. They are categorized as defensive tackles (DT) or defensive ends (DE). The 4-3 defense has 2 tackles and 2 ends; the 3-4 defense has 2 ends and 1 tackle, who is sometimes called a nose tackle (NT) to ...
Early in the history of the National Football League, teams stacked the defensive line of scrimmage with seven linemen, typically using a 7-diamond or the 7-box. [1] With the liberalization of the forward passing rules in 1933, the defenses began to evolve along with the offensive changes, and by the later 1930s, the standard defense in the NFL and college was the 6–2.
A defense with six defensive linemen and two linebackers that became popular in the 1930s due to improved passing attacks. The 6–2 defense and the 5–3 defense were considered the standard defensive formations of their time, with the 6–2 defense being regarded as the defense that was stronger against the run.
As a result, position naming on defense has become less confusing and more informative. However, position naming on offense, while tending to eliminate obsolete distinctions, has also tended to hide important ones and confuse others. [citation needed] Offenses and defenses continued to adapt to the increases in forward passing favored by the rules.
The defensive end position (DE) in a base 4–3 defense The Philadelphia Eagles jersey of Reggie White, widely considered one of the best defensive ends in the history of the National Football League, on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio
Most modern National Football League defensive formations use four defensive backs (two safeties and two corners); Canadian Football League defenses generally use five defensive backs (one safety, two defensive halfbacks, and two corners). A cornerback's responsibilities vary depending on how the defense assigns protection to its defensive ...