by MeMeME

Created on: March 19, 2009   Last Updated: March 20, 2009

A good, solid defense is an asset to any football team. In a nutshell, the job of a football team's defense is to keep the offense from scoring; the further along the defense lets the offense get to their end zone, the more likely they are to score points. To understand how a defense gets their job done, you only need to learn a few basic concepts.

POSITION

Just as an offense does, the defense keeps eleven players on the field at a time. These players are generally in one of three groups: defensive linemen, which are on the front lines of any defensive formation; linebackers, who line up behind the linemen; and defensive backs, which are typically in the back of most formations. Linemen include the defensive tackles and defensive ends- these players mainly focus on stopping an offense from running the ball, but great defensive ends are also able to rush the quarterback.

Linebackers consist of middle (also known as inside) linebackers, and outside linebackers. The middle linebacker generally stops the offense's running game, and the outside linebackers must be fast and versatile enough to stop the run and provide pass coverage if necessary.

Defensive backs are made up of cornerbacks, strong safeties, and free safeties. Speed is essential to defensive backs because their main job is to provide pass coverage, preventing the offense's wide receivers (and sometimes tight ends and running backs, if they're catching passes) from scoring touchdowns and progressing down the field. The best defensive backs are able to tackle runners who get downfield too.

FORMATIONS

Defensive formations vary depending on how the defensive play callers interpret the offense. There are formations to stop the run, formations to provide pass coverage, ones that accomplish both, and formations meant for blitzing. The defense can line up anywhere in the neutral zone, and can shift anytime before the ball is snapped; when a defensive player moves outside of the neutral zone, it causes a common penalty known as being "offside". This penalty can be committed by the offense as well.

No matter which formation is chosen, defensive players will usually be in the "box", which is within five yards of the line of scrimmage, or in the "secondary", which is the area behind the linebackers. The defensive linemen and linebackers are the players in the box, while the cornerbacks are positioned outside of the box, matched up against the offense's receivers; the safeties are positioned behind the box in the secondary, ready to provide pass coverage.

Some of the most common defensive formations are the 4-3, 3-4, 46, nickel, and dime formations. Those numbers may seem confusing, but as long as you remember the job each position is primarily responsible for while you're watching football, the way the defensive players line up will start to make sense.

SCORING

While a defense primarily prevents the offense from scoring, they are also capable of putting points on the board. Defensive players can recover fumbles and run them in for touchdowns, catch interceptions (an interception occurs when the quarterback throws the ball meaning for an offensive player to catch it, but instead it gets caught by a defensive player), and cause safeties, which occur when a player in possession of the football is tackled in their own end zone. Safeties are rare, especially in professional football, but they are worth two points.

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