Defensive Lineman

Defensive line positions consist of defensive ends, defensive tackles, and nose tackles. Defensive ends are two players that line up at both ends of the defensive line. Their job is to rush the passer and to stop running plays coming to the outside. Defensive tackles are the two players that line up inside next to the defensive ends. Their job is to rush the passer and to stop any running plays that come up the middle. Nose tackle is a player that lines up nose to nose with the center. His job is similar to the defensive tackle, create a pass rush and stop any thing from coming up the middle. How these defensive players line up depends on what defensive formation they are in. Teams usually run a basic defense consisting of four down linemen, two defensive ends and two defensive tackles. Two other popular formations are when a team uses three man and five man defensive lines. In a three line formation there is two defensive ends and one nose tackle. In a five man line formation (usually used on goal defense) there are two ends two tackles and a nose tackle. To be a good defensive lineman there are certain traits he must have, they are size, strength, quickness, durability, and mental toughness. Defensive linemen must have size and strength to defeat the offensive lineman in front of him. He must have speed and quickness to rush the quarterback. He must also be durable and posses’ mental toughness in order to take a pounding play after play.


CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD DEFENSIVE LINEMAN

1. Must have the size, most defensive linemen in the NFL are at least 270 pounds. on a football team the defensive tackles and nose guards are usually the biggest and strongest players on the defensive unit. The defensive ends are usually the next biggest players on the defense.
2. Must have Explosiveness, defensive linemen have to be able to come out of their stance with plenty of speed and power.
3. Must be mentally tough and durable, defensive lineman will make contact with offensive players on almost every play.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

The National Football League (NFL) playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. The NFL consists of two conferences the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Six teams from each of the leagues conferences qualify for the play offs based on their regular season record. The tournament ends with the winner of the NFLs championship game, which is called the Super Bowl.

TIGHT END

The tight end is a player on the offensive unit that lines up between the wide receiver and the offensive tackle. Usually there is only one tight end on the playing field at a time, and he could be lined up on either side of the offensive line. The tight ends main responsibilites are to block like and offensive linemen, and to be a sure handed receiver. When the play requires him to run a pass pattern, he must be able to do it and focus on catching the football. When the play requires him to block, he must do it as if the team has an extra offensive lineman on the field. It is critical for a tight end to be good at both blocking and receiving, if he is not then he should find another position. A player must be able to combine size, brute strengh, and grace to be good at this position.


CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD TIGHT END

1. Must have the size to play tight end. Tight ends are usually between 6 feet 2 to 6 feet 5 inches tall, and are between 250 t0 300 pounds.
2. Must be able to block, a good tight end needs to be able to block like an extra offensive linemen. He is expected to block defensive linemen, linbackers,and defensive backs.
3. Must know every running play in the playbook. He must know every aspect of his team's running game. He must know who to block on each play.
4. Must know every passing play in the playbook. He must know when to stay in and pass block, and when to run his pass patterns.
5. Must be able to run routes effectively. Tight ends are not usually the fastest guys on the team, so running precise pass patterns is very important.
6. Must have good hands, a good tight end should be able to a hit and still hold onto the football.
7. Must be mentaly tough, he has to take on a duel role as an offensive linemen and receiver.

TIGHT END TIPS

1. All of the tips that applied to the wide receiver, also applies to the tight end.
2. Practice blocking drills with the offensive linemen. When called to block, tight ends should be able to block just like an offensive linemen.
3. Practice running routes and catching the football with the wide receivers. Tight ends are not expected to be as fast as wide receivers, but they are expected to run precise patterns, and to catch the football like a wide receiver.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN

Defensive line positions consist of defensive ends, defensive tackles, and nose tackles. Defensive ends are two players that line up at both ends of the defensive line. Their job is to rush the passer and to stop running plays coming to the outside. Defensive tackles are the two players that line up inside next to the defensive ends. Their job is to rush the passer and to stop any running plays that come up the middle. Nose tackle is a player that lines up nose to nose with the center. His job is similar to the defensive tackle, create a pass rush and stop any thing from coming up the middle. How these defensive players line up depends on what defensive formation they are in. Teams usually run a basic defense consisting of four down linemen, two defensive ends and two defensive tackles. Two other popular formations are when a team uses three man and five man defensive lines. In a three line formation there is two defensive ends and one nose tackle. In a five man line formation (usually used on goal defense) there are two ends two tackles and a nose tackle. To be a good defensive lineman there are certain traits he must have, they are size, strength, quickness, durability, and mental toughness. Defensive linemen must have size and strength to defeat the offensive lineman in front of him. He must have speed and quickness to rush the quarterback. He must also be durable and posses’ mental toughness in order to take a pounding play after play.


CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD DEFENSIVE LINEMAN

1. Must have the size, most defensive linemen in the NFL are at least 270 pounds. on a football team the defensive tackles and nose guards are usually the biggest and strongest players on the defensive unit. The defensive ends are usually the next biggest players on the defense.
2. Must have Explosiveness, defensive linemen have to be able to come out of their stance with plenty of speed and power.
3. Must be mentally tough and durable, defensive lineman will make contact with offensive players on almost every play.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN

The offensive line is players that line up on the line of scrimmage, whose primary job is to block the defensive players. The offensive line consists of a center, two guards, and two offensive tackles. The center lines up in the middle of the line; he is the one who snaps the ball to the quarterback. The two guards line up directly on both sides of the center and inside the tackles. The offensive tackles play on the outside of both guards. The offensive line usually consists of some of the biggest and strongest guys on the team. For example the average size for an offensive lineman in the NFL is around 6 feet 4 inches tall and 300 pounds. These guys use their size and strength to protect the quarterback, and to open up holes for the running back. The offensive line is one of the most important parts of a football team. You could have the best quarterback and running back in the world, but without a good offensive line they would not be successful. Even though the offensive line is one of the most important parts of a football team, they usually go unnoticed. In fact the only few times they are noticed, is when an official calls a penalty on one of them.


CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD OFFENSIVE LINEMAN

1. Must have the size and strength to play on the offensive line.
2. Must have quickness, offensive linemen are not the fastest guys on the team, but they must have quick movement for the first 5 to 10 yards.
3. Must know how to play all of the offensive line positions. A good offensive lineman should be able to fill in at tackle, guard, or center.
4. Must have intelligence, a good offensive lineman should know what he and the other linemen are supposed to do. He should also be able to anticipate what the defense is going to do before the play begins.
5. Must be aware on the playing field, besides the quarterback the offensive line needs to be the most aware player on the field. They must know overall game plan, game situation, and know how to recognize multiple defenses.
6. Must have determination and mental toughness, a good offensive lineman must be able to take a pounding series after series. He must give a maximum effort play after play, because he knows it will pay off late in the game.

LINEBACKER

Linebackers are defensive players that lines up behind the defensive lineman, and in front of the defensive backfield. Linebackers are usually positioned 3 to 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage, and are standing upright in a two point stance. Teams usually play two types of variations for their linebackers; they either play two outside linebackers with one in the middle, or two outside linebackers with two in the middle. The outside linebacker’s job is to stop any running plays coming to the outside, and to cover any receiver in his area. The middle linebacker’s job is to stop running plays coming up the middle, and to cover any receiver in his area. The linebackers on a defensive unit are the second line of defense.


CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD LINEBACKER

1. Must have size and strength to play linebacker.
2. Must be able to cover tight ends and running backs.
3. Must Must Must Must be a good tackler; a good linebacker should be able to tackle the intended target with ferocity.
4. Must play with relentless pursuit, linebackers must play with great effort and intensity while pursuing the offensive player with the football.
5. Must be mentally and physically tough, a good linebacker will be involved in most of the tackles on defense. He needs to be mentally and physically prepared to take a pounding game after game.
6. Must have intelligence, a good linebacker should know all the defensive plays, and what everyone on defense is suppose to do.

WIDE RECEIVER

A wide receiver is a player on an offensive unit in football, whom positions himself at the end of the offensive line. There are usually two of them on a playing field at the same time on opposite ends of the line. The wide receivers main function is to run pass patterns and catch passes thrown to them from the quarterback. On some rare occasions a team will try a trick play where the receiver can throw the ball, take a hand off from the QB, or catch a pass from a RB. Wide receivers are usually the most elusive and fastest players on the team, but there is room for players at the position who are not blessed with speed and quickness. Players not blessed with tremendous speed, but are willing to work hard on running proper pass patterns and catching the football, can still be productive wide receivers. One of the best wide receivers to play in the NFL was Jim Zorn and he did not have tremendous speed.


CHARACTERISTICS FOR A GOOD WIDE RECEIVER

1. Run at top speed throughout your pass pattern.
2. Run precise pass patterns.
3. Must be in good condition, must be able to run routes play after play.
4. Must be able to concentrate, he must concentrate on his routes, the other teams defense, and catching the football.
5. Must block defenders, your block can be the one that breaks another offensive player free.
6. Must be prepared to take a hit after catch, as a wide receiver your going to get hit.

WIDE RECEIVER TIPS

1. Catch the football with your hands not your body.
2. Look the ball in, use your eyes and focus on the football all the way into your hands.
3. Always catch the football at its highest point.
4. Control the football before trying to run with it. Many wide receivers fumble the football because they try to make a move before they secure the football.
5. Know exactly what routs you are to run.