This article relates to sports. Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively For the Vietnam War bombing raids, see Operation Linebacker and Operation Linebacker II. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia For the December 1972 military operation see Operation Linebacker II. Operation Linebacker II was a US Seventh Air Force and US Navy Task Force 77 aerial bombardment campaign conducted against targets in the For the air defense version of the US infantry fighting vehicle, see M2 Bradley. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The M2 Bradley IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle and M3 Bradley CFV (Cavalry Fighting Vehicle are American Infantry fighting vehicles manufactured by

A Linebacker (LB) is a position in American and Canadian football that was invented by football coach Fielding Yost of the University of Michigan and first played by Germany Schulz. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with In accordance with the Manual of Style (see) Canadian English is used throughout this article (see Canadian_English#Spelling) Fielding Harris Yost (April 30 1871&ndashAugust 20 1946 was an American football coach best known for his long tenure at the University of Michigan. The University of Michigan Ann Arbor ( U of M, U-M, UM or simply Michigan) is a top-ranked Coeducational public research Adolph F "Germany" Schulz (April 19 1883 &ndash April 14 1951 was an All-American American football center for the University of Michigan Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to four yards (4 m) behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen. In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time In American and Canadian football a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line crossing the football field across its narrower dimension beyond A defensive lineman is any of the down positions on the defensive side of Canadian and American football. Linebackers generally align themselves before the ball is snapped by standing upright in a "two point stance" (as opposed to the defensive linemen, who put one or two hands on the ground for a "three point stance" or "four point stance" before the ball is snapped).

Contents 1 Formations 1.1 4-3 defense 1.2 3-4 defense 1.3 46 defense 1.4 4-4 defense 2 Types of linebackers 2.1 Outside linebacker 2.1.1 Strongside linebacker 2.1.2 Weakside linebacker 2.2 Middle/Inside linebacker

Formations

The number of linebackers is dependent upon the formation called for in the play; formations can call for as few as none, or as many as seven. A formation in American football refers to the position players line up in before the start of a down. Most defensive schemes call for three or four, and they are named for the number of linemen, followed by the number of linebackers. For example, the 4-3 defense has four defensive linemen and three linebackers; conversely, the 3-4 defense has three linemen and four linebackers.

4-3 defense

In the 4-3 defense there are four down linemen and three linebackers. The middle linebacker is designated "Mike" and two outside linebackers are designated "Sam" and "Will" according to how they line up against the offensive formation. If there is a strong call, the linebacker on the strongside is called "Sam", while the linebacker on the weakside is called "Will". The outside linebackers' job is to cover the end to make sure a run doesn't escape, and to also watch the pass and protect from it. The middle linebackers' job is to stop runs between the Tackles and watch the entire field to see the play develop. In American and Canadian football, offensive tackles ( OT, T) are a part of the Offensive line. On pass plays, the linebackers responsibilities vary based upon whether a man or zone coverage is called. In a zone coverage, the linebackers will generally drop into hook zones across the middle of the field. However, some zones will send the outside linebackers into the flats. In a man-to-man call, the "Sam" will often cover the tight end with help from a safety over the top, while at other times, the "Sam" and "Will" will be responsible for the first man out of the backfield on their side of the center, with the "Mike" covering if a second man exits on that side of the field.

In the "Tampa 2" zone defense the middle linebacker is required to drop quickly into a deep middle zone pass coverage thus requiring a quick player at this position. The Tampa 2 is an American football defensive strategy popularized by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Football League (NFL team in the mid 1990s-early

3-4 defense

In the 3-4 Defense there are three lineman playing the line of scrimmage with four linebackers backing them up, typically two outside linebackers and two inside linebackers. The weakside inside linebacker is typically called the "Will," while the strongside inside linebacker is called the "Sam".

The idea behind the 3-4 Defense is to disguise where the fourth rusher will come from. Instead of the standard four down-linemen in the 4-3, only 3 players are clearly attacking on nearly every play. A key for running this defense successfully is having a defensive front of three large defensive linemen who command constant double teams. In particular, the Nose Tackle, who plays over the offensive center, must be able to hold ground and to occupy several offensive blockers in order to allow the linebackers to make plays. The focus of the 3-4 defensive line is to occupy offensive linemen thus freeing the linebackers to tackle the running back or to rush the passer or otherwise drop into pass coverage.

Generally, both outside linebackers can rush the passer and play the run. Outside linebackers in the 3-4 defense tend to be larger in comparison to linebackers in a base 4-3 defense. They are also often players who would play DE in a 4-3 defense as situational pass rushing specialists but who otherwise may not fit the expected role of a DE being somewhat smaller in size. Outside linebackers should be able to drop into pass coverage, rush the passer or read and react. When it comes to the inside linebackers, one is generally a run stuffing player who is better able to handle offensive linemen and stop running backs when the offense features a running play, while the other is often a smaller, faster player who excels in pass coverage. However, the smaller or cover LB should also be able to scrape and plug running lanes decently.

The design concept of the 3-4 defense is to confuse the offensive line in their blocking assignments, particularly in pass blocking, and to create a more complex read for the quarterback. Many 3-4 defenses have the ability to quickly hybrid into a 4-3 on the field. The 3-4 typically has larger, slower players in the front seven than in the respective positions in the 4-3, leaving more pressure on the defensive backs.

46 defense

In the 46 defense, there are four linemen, three linebackers, and a safety who is moved up behind the line of scrimmage. Thus it appears as if there are 4 linebackers, but it is really 3 linebackers with one safety playing up with the other linebackers. Three of the defensive linemen are over both of the offensive guards and the center, thereby making it difficult to double team any one of the three interior defensive linemen. This can also take away the ability of the offense to pull the guards on a running play, because this would leave one of the defenders unblocked, or, at best, give another lineman a very difficult block to make on one of the defenders. The safety, like the linebackers, can blitz, play man-on-man, play zone, or drop back into deep coverage like a normal safety would do. The 46 is used in heavy run situations; when a team wants to bring lots of pressure; or merely to confuse the quarterback and offensive line. Quarterback ( QB) is a position in American and Canadian football. In the 46 the outside linebacker on the strong side (the side with the tight end) lines up to play end and the two other linebackers hook the curl by dropping back at a 45 degree angle about 10-15 yards. The tight end ( TE) is a position in American football on the Offensive team. Buddy Ryan is generally regarded as the originator of this defense, developing it and using it with great success with the 1985 Chicago Bears. Buddy Ryan (born James David Ryan on February 17, 1934) is a former American football coach The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. It was named in honor of Chicago Bears safety, Doug Plank who wore the number 46. Douglas Walter Plank (born March 4, 1953 in Greensburg Pennsylvania) is the Head coach of the Georgia Force of the Arena Football

4-4 defense

This rarely-used defense is effective at run-stopping, but slightly weaker than a 4-3 defense at pass protection due to it only using 3 defensive backs. It is used more in college and high-school football than in the NFL.

Types of linebackers

There are several different designations of linebackers: strongside, middle, and weakside. Usually the strongside and weakside are combined under the title outside, and the middle is renamed inside. In many formations and systems teams do not use the strong and weakside designations, and merely play their outside linebackers consistently on one side of the formation and designate them either right outside linebacker and left outside linebacker. These terms are abbreviated ROLB and LOLB when appearing in lineup cards.

Outside linebacker

Strongside linebacker

The strongside linebacker (SLB) is often nicknamed "Sam" for purposes of calling a blitz. In American football or Canadian football, a blitz or red dog is a team defensive maneuver in which one or more Linebackers or Defensive Since the strong side of the offensive team is the side on which the tight end lines up, the strongside linebacker usually lines up across from the tight end. In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time The tight end ( TE) is a position in American football on the Offensive team. Often the strongside linebacker will be called upon to tackle the running back on a play, because the back will be following the tight end's block. A running back ( RB) is the position of a player on an American or Canadian football team who usually lines up in the offensive backfield. He is most often the strongest linebacker, at the least he possess the ability to withstand, shed, and fight off blocks from a TE or (in passing situations) an FB blocking the backside of a pass play.

Weakside linebacker

The weakside linebacker (WLB), or "Will", must be the fastest of the three, because he is often the one called into pass coverage. He is also usually chasing the play from the backside, so the ability to maneuver through traffic is a necessity for Will. Will usually aligns off the line of scrimmage at the same depth as Mike. In American and Canadian football a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line crossing the football field across its narrower dimension beyond Due to his position on the weakside, Will does not often have to face large interior linemen one on one unless one is pulling. In coverage, Will often covers the back that attacks his side of the field first in man coverage, while covering the weak flat or hook/curl areas in zone coverage. In a 3-4 defense the "Will" Linebacker plays on the "weakside" of the two middle Linebacker positions and a 4th Linebacker comes in to play the weakside. Known as a "Rush", "Rover", and/or "Buck" Linebacker, their responsibility is more pass rush based but often is called into run stop (gap control) and pass coverage.

Middle/Inside linebacker

Typically the middle linebacker (MLB), or "Mike", is responsible for calling the defensive play and communicating with the coach. The middle linebacker's primary responsibility is to be the lead tackler and shut down the opposition's running attack. In some defenses, Mike is responsible for a specific gap, while in others he's given more freedom. Due to his position directly over the ball, Mike must be able to effectively shed blocks coming from interior linemen but must also possess the range and speed to cover backs and shut down wide runs. Intense aggressiveness is often a desirable characteristic in a middle linebacker as hesitation of any duration can be fatal at this position. In the 3-4 defense, there are 2 different inside linebackers that occupy the middle, therefore the one closer to the strong side is called the "Mike", while the weak side is called "Will" and less often "Buck" or "Jack". Also Middle and Inside linebackers are known as LILB or RILB, which stands for Left Inside Linebacker and Right Inside Linebacker. This just depends on whether or not a linebacker is put in for the Middle Linebacker position when they usually play Outside Linebacker.

In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with In accordance with the Manual of Style (see) Canadian English is used throughout this article (see Canadian_English#Spelling) In sports offense or offence (see American and British English spelling differences; pronounced with first-syllable stress also known as attack, is the In many team Sports defense or defence (see spelling differences) is the action of preventing an opponent from scoring In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time Lineman in American football. (See also American and Canadian football position names. In American and Canadian football, a guard ( G) is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line In American and Canadian football, offensive tackles ( OT, T) are a part of the Offensive line. Center ( C) is a position in American football and Canadian football ( spelled centre in Canadian English) Lineman in American football. (See also American and Canadian football position names. Defensive tackle ( DT) is a position on the defensive line in American and Canadian football. Defensive end ( DE) is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football. Definition The nose tackle is a defensive alignment position for a Defensive lineman in American and Canadian football Placekicker, or simply kicker ( PK or K) is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the A punter ( P) in American or Canadian football is a Special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and Kickoff specialist ( KOS) is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterback ( QB) is a position in American and Canadian football. In American football and Canadian football, the term long snapper refers to a player who is a specialized center (though he could also be a tackle guard In American football the holder is the player who receives the Snap during field goal and Extra point attempts A running back ( RB) is the position of a player on an American or Canadian football team who usually lines up in the offensive backfield. A halfback or tailback is an offensive position in American, and College football who lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible In American football, a fullback ( FB) is a position in the offensive backfield An H-Back (not to be confused with a Half-Back) is an offensive position in American football, and is also known as F-Back. In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage they A cornerback ( CB) (also referred to as a corner) is a positional role played by a member of the defensive team in American and Canadian Safety ( S) is an American and Canadian football position played by a member of the defense. Punt returner ( PR) is a position on Special teams in American football. In American and Canadian football, a kick returner ( KR) is the player on Special teams who is primarily responsible to catch Kickoffs A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football The tight end ( TE) is a position in American football on the Offensive team. In accordance with the Manual of Style (see) Canadian English is used throughout this article (see Canadian_English#Spelling) In American football, a nickelback is a Cornerback who serves as the fifth (in addition to the typical four defensive backs on the defense In American football, a dimeback is a Cornerback who serves as the sixth defensive back (fourth cornerback on defense In American football, a gunner (also often referred to as a "shooter" is a player on kickoffs and punts who specializes in running down the sideline very A formation in American football refers to the position players line up in before the start of a down. Part of the confusion with American Football position names is that they are based on the role the player normally has in the offense rather than necessarily his position at the start

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