Linebackers
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Linebackers are the heart and soul of a defence. In the hectic middle of the football field, they fly around to stop the offence. Linebackers are the ’do-it-all’ players between the linemen and DBs. They have to stop the run, and cover the pass. They rush the quarterback and call the plays and adjustments. Sometimes they are referred to as the quarterbacks of the defence, but while this is true in regards to the play calling and responsibilities for lining the defense up correctly, there is also a huge difference. The Contact. Linebackers are surrounded by collisions; they thrive on big hits and live to punish ball carriers. They attempt to strike fear and hopelessness into the running back, by hitting him hard and fast every time he breaks through a hole in the line. They must also help cover and intimidate the receivers from running shorter routes across the middle of the field. And finally they get to blitz – rushing the quarterback and surprising the offence with sudden and violent pressure.
Linebackers can be divided into two categories: outside and inside backers.
The outside backers are typically a little faster, and must be good at tackling in the open field and covering the space from sideline to sideline. Sometimes an outside linebacker is a pass rush specialist, who is great at blitzing, this gives the defence an extra weapon and creates tremendous problems for the offence, A guy like Lawrence Taylor from the New York Giants was a feared pass rushing linebacker, who was named the NFL defensive MVP (most valuable player) because of his ability to disrupt and terrorize quarterbacks.
The inside or middle linebackers are field generals, they are in a position where they can practically reach any point on the field to make a tackle. And if you watch the 49ers Patrick Willis play you’ll see exactly that happening. But in order to play like that, the middle linebacker must be strong enough to fight through blockers and quick enough to catch running backs.
What it takes
As you can understand linebackers are usually among the best athletes on the team, they have to have a good combination of speed and strength to do their job. But equally important is the ability to recognize which play the offence is trying to run. If a linebacker falls for the offensive tricks and fakes too often, then being big and fast won’t help. This is really the hardest part about the position, since reading and reacting correctly to plays with huge bodies flying at you is very difficult.
Of course strong tackling is the most important skill for a linebacker – after all they hope to do it on almost every play.
Overall
Playing linebacker is an exiting and challenging position, which suits aggressive and determined individuals.
Quotes
“A linebacker's job is to knock out running backs, to knock out receivers, to chase the football."
Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens Linebacker
“When I played pro football, I never set out to hurt anyone deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something.”
Dick Butkus, Chicago Bears legendary Hall of Fame Linebacker
“Pain is only temporary, no matter how long it lasts. “
Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens Linebacker