Linebacker

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Linebackers are a special breed. They like to torture small animals, drink blood and eat children for breakfast. Linebackers are often quite famous: Ray Nitschke, Dick Butkus, Lawrence Taylor, Mike Singletary, Ray Lewis. These guys are the "enforcers" of the defense. Their job is to make sure that nothing good happens for the offense in the middle of the field, and that the running back has trouble sleeping tonight due to his many bruises and pains.

There are three linebackers, each with a slightly different job. The middle linebacker, ML in the diagram above, is the quarterback of the defense. It's his job to make sure all the other defensive players are lined up correctly and know what scheme they're going to use on the next play to try to stymie the offence. The middle linebacker will also be responsible to see that the running back has no success running between the tackles. In the passing game, if the running back or full back comes into the middle of the field to be an outlet receiver, the middle linebacker's job is to disrupt the pass and make the back regret every coming into his territory. Middle linebackers rarely have all of their teeth. To a middle linebacker, this is a point of pride. The middle linebacker is often called "Mike," where M is for middle. A middle linebacker will typically weigh 245 to 255 pounds. He has to be a very good runner, as his responsibility on a running play is to be where ever the ball is, either making the tackle or helping.

The strong side linebacker, SL in the diagram above, is to help contain the running back on the strong side of the field. To do this, he must take on the tight end on nearly every play. The strong side linebacker is also responsible to see that the tight end never catches a pass, or if he happens to he winds up regretting it. The strong side linebacker will typically be about as big as the middle linebacker, about 245 to 255 pounds. The strong side linebacker is often called "Sam," where S is for strong side.

The weak side linebacker, WL in the diagram above, is normally a bit lighter and faster than the other two linebackers. He does not wrestle with 265 pound tight ends, or 250 pound straight-ahead running backs like the Sam and Mike linebackers do. His job is to contain cut back running backs who come over to the weak side. He will also help out with coverage in the passing game. Frequently a running back or fullback will come out of the backfield as an outlet receiver. In this case, it will often be the weak side linebacker's responsibility to cover this guy and prevent a pass, or at least tackle the guy immediately. The weak side linebacker is often called "Will," where W is for weak side.