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Positions
Teams are usually divided into three specialist groups: offense, defense and special teams. The offense plays when the team has possession of the ball and attempts to score: the other team's defense attempts to stop them. Special teams are generally involved in kicking situations, either to score points or for field position. Summaries of positions are given below: more detail can be found on individual pages.
Offense
- Quarterback: Usually the 'leader' on offense, the quarterback or QB is the first player to handle the ball after the beginning of a play. He generally either passes the ball to a receiver or hands it off to a running back.
- Halfback: One of the running back positions. Halfbacks are usually the main runners on their team and often also act as short-yardage receivers. Note that, in different formations, the running backpositions may have specialized names -- there is not necessarily a Halfback or Fullback player on the field during every offensive play.
- Fullback: The other running back position; the fullback usually does a bit of running, a bit of receiving and a bit of blocking, either to defend the quarterback or to open up holes for another running back.
- Tight end: The tight end is a mixture of receiver and offensive lineman who may be called upon to block or to catch passes.
- Wide receiver: Speedy players whose job is to catch passes from the quarterback.
- Offensive Tackle: The lineman at the end of the line. Generally his job is to protect the quarterback from defenders coming around tthe outside of the line or open up holes for running backs.
- Guard: Offensive linemen who play inside the tackles. Again, they protect the quarterback and open up holes for running backs. Guards may sometimes also be expected to pull, or move to the opposite side of the line, in support of certain kinds of plays.
- Center: This player's position is between the two guards. In addition to the usual duties of linemen, he snaps the ball to the quarterback or the punter to start a play.
Defense
- Defensive end: One of the two defensive line positions. Defensive ends play on the outside of the defensive line and are supposed to stop outside rushing plays and to put pressure on the quarterback on passing plays.
- Defensive tackle: The interior defensive line position. Defensive tackles have similar duties to defensive ends but with the emphasis on stopping inside rushing plays.
- Linebacker: Linebackers play behind the defensive line and may perform various duties, including tackling running backs who make it past the defensive line, tackling receivers after short passes and pressuring the quarterback.
- Cornerback: The cornerback's main duty is to stop receivers, either by preventing them from catching passes or else tackling them after a catch.
- Safety: Traditionally the last line of defense, although safeties are often brought up close to the line of scrimmage against teams with strong running backs. The Safeties usually play deep down the field, hoping to stop long passing plays by cutting off the Wide Receivers.
- Most teams will have several special players on special teams, including a place kicker who handles kickoffs, and maybe another one who handles field goal attempts, a holder, a long snapper, a punter, a punt returner and a kick returner.