Football 101: Defense Positional Breakdown

If you're the parent of a child playing football for the first time—or simply trying out a new position—fall can be a stressful experience. Whether playing on offense or defense, learning the responsibilities of a position for the first time can be challenging.

Use the following positional breakdown as a point of reference and encourage your child to try out any positions that seem to be a fit. The skillset necessary for some positions on opposite sides of the ball—for example, wide receiver and cornerback—is very similar. Fostering an interest in both sides of the ball will only open more opportunities for your little superstar to get on the field.

Think of the linebacker as the quarterback of the defense. A typical defensive formation will have 2 to 3 linebackers lined up 3 to 5 yards from the line of scrimmage. The middle linebacker receives the defensive play call from the sideline and relays the call to the rest of the defense. It is also his responsibility to audible in the event that the offense does something unexpected pre-snap.

A linebacker must be supremely versatile; strong and sturdy enough to support in the run game, while also athletic and agile enough to cover receivers in the pass game. Linebackers are the most common blitzers in the defense—which is to say that they often act as additional pass rushers on a given play.