Tackle (American football)
Encyclopedia
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
. Historically, in the one-platoon system
One-platoon system
The one-platoon system, also known as iron man football, was a system in American football where players played on both offense and defense. It was the result of rules that limited player substitutions. The alternative system is known as the "two-platoon system", or simply the "platoon system",...
a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions.
Offensive tackle
The offensive tackle (OT, T) is a position of the offensive line, left and right. Like other offensive linemen, their job is to block
Blocking (American football)
In American football, blocking is a legal move occurring when one player obstructs another player's path with his body. The purpose of blocking is to prevent defensive players tackling the ball carrier, or to protect the quarterback while attempting to pass or hand-off the ball...
: to physically keep defenders away from the offensive player who has the football. The term "tackle" is a vestige of an earlier era of football, in which the same players played both offense and defense.
A tackle is the strong position on the offensive line. They power their blocks with quick steps and maneuverability. The tackles are mostly in charge of the outside protection. If the tight end goes out for a pass
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
, the tackle must cover everyone that his guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
doesn’t, plus whoever the tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
isn’t covering. Usually they defend against defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
s. In the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, offensive tackles often measure over 6 in 4 in (193.04 cm) and 300 pounds (136.1 kg).
According to Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
football journalist Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman
Paul Zimmerman
Paul Lionel Zimmerman is the son of Charles S. Zimmerman and Rose Zimmerman. Zimmerman, also known to readers as "Dr. Z", is an American football sportswriter who wrote for the weekly magazine Sports Illustrated, as well as the magazine's website, SI.com. He is sometimes confused with Paul D...
, Offensive Tackles consistently achieve the highest scores, relative to the other positional groups, on the Wonderlic Test
Wonderlic Test
The Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test is a twelve-minute, fifty-question test used to assess the aptitude of prospective employees for learning and problem-solving in a range of occupations. The test was developed by industrial psychologist Eldon F. Wonderlic...
, with an average of 26. The Wonderlic is taken before the draft to assess each player's aptitude for learning and problem solving; a score of 26 is estimated to correspond with an IQ of 112.
Right tackle
The right tackle (RT) is usually the team's best run blocker. Most running plays are towards the strong side (the side with the tight endTight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
) of the offensive line. Consequently the right tackle will face the defending team's best run stoppers. He must be able to gain traction in his blocks so that the running back can find a hole to run through.
Left tackle
The left tackle (LT) is usually the team's best pass blocker. Of the two tackles, the left tackles will often have better footwork and agility than the right tackle in order to counteract the pass rush of defensive ends. Most quarterbacks are right-handed and in order to throw, they stand with their left shoulders facing down field, closer to the line of scrimmage. Thus, they turn their backs to defenders coming from the left side, creating a vulnerable "blind side" that the left tackle must protect. (Conversely, teams with left-handed quarterbacks tend to have their better pass blockers at right tackle for the same reason.)A 2006 book by Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis (author)
Michael Lewis is an American non-fiction author and financial journalist. His bestselling books include The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, Liar's Poker, The New New Thing, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, Panic and Home Game: An...
, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game is a book by Michael Lewis released in 2006 about American football.-Plot:It features two dominant storylines...
, sheds much light on the workings of the left tackle position. The book discusses how the annual salary of left tackles in the NFL skyrocketed in the mid-90's. Premier left tackles are now highly sought after commodities, and are often the second highest paid players on a roster after the quarterback; at least one left tackle is almost always picked with one of the first five positions in the NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
. Recent examples include Trent Williams
Trent Williams
-Washington Redskins:Williams was drafted fourth overall by the Washington Redskins and agreed to a six-year, $60 million contract on July 30, 2010.-External links:**...
(2010, 4th overall pick), Jake Long
Jake Long
Jake Edward Long is an American football offensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Dolphins first overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan...
(2008, 1st overall pick), and Joe Thomas (2007, 3rd overall pick).
Defensive tackle
A defensive tackle (abbreviated "DT") is typically the largest and strongest of the defensive players. The defensive tackle typically lines up opposite one of the offensive guards
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
. Depending on a team's individual defensive scheme, a defensive tackle may be called upon to fill several different roles. These roles may include merely holding the point of attack by refusing to be moved, or penetrating a certain gap between offensive linemen to break up a play in the opponent's backfield. If a defensive tackle reads a pass play, his primary responsibility is to pursue the quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, or simply knock the pass down at the line if it's within arm's reach. Other responsibilities of the defensive tackle may be to pursue the screen pass
Screen pass
A screen pass is a type of play in American football. During a screen pass, a number of things happen concurrently in order to fool the defense into thinking a long pass is being thrown, when in fact the pass is merely a short one, just beyond the defensive linemen. Screens are usually deployed...
or drop into coverage in a zone blitz
Zone blitz
The zone blitz is a common method of defensive pressure applied in American football, usually at the collegiate and professional levels. It exists in nearly limitless permutations, all of which share the common theme of confusing the offensive line by dropping pass-rushers into coverage, while at...
scheme. In a traditional 4-3 defensive set
4-3 defense
In American football, a 4–3 defense is a defensive alignment consisting of four down linemen and three linebackers. It is probably the most commonly used defense in modern American football and especially in the National Football League. NFL teams that use the 4–3 defense as of 2011 include the...
, there is no nose tackle. Instead there is a left and right defensive tackle. In some 4-3 defensive schemes, there is a nose tackle, which lines up against the opposing center. The nose tackle in a 4-3 defensive scheme can either be the left or right defensive tackle.
Nose tackle
Line of scrimmage
In American and Canadian football a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun...
from the offense's center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
before the play begins in the "0-technique" position. In five-linemen situations, such as a goal-line formation, the nose guard is the innermost lineman, flanked on either side by a defensive tackle or defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
. The nose guard is also used in a 50 read defense. In this defense there is a nose guard, two defensive tackles, and two outside linebackers who can play on the line of scrimmage or off the line of scrimmage in a two point stance. The nose guard lines up head up on the center about six to eighteen inches off the ball. In a reading 50 defense, the nose guard's key is to read the offensive center to the ball. In run away, the nose guard's job is to shed the blocker and pursue down the line of scrimmage, taking an angle of pursuit. The primary responsibility of the nose tackle in this scheme is to absorb multiple blockers so that other players in the defensive front can attack ball carriers and rush the quarterback.
In order for a 3-4 to be effective, it needs a dominant nose tackle, which is very hard to find. Ted Washington
Ted Washington
Theodore Washington, Jr. is a former American football nose tackle. He was originally drafted out of Louisville by the San Francisco 49ers, 25th overall in the 1991 NFL Draft, but also played for the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders and Cleveland...
, who in his prime weighed around 350 pounds, is considered the prototypical 3-4 nose tackle of his era. A few examples of nose tackles in the NFL are Vince Wilfork
Vince Wilfork
-2004–06 seasons:The Patriots drafted Wilfork with the 21st overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. In his rookie 2004 season with the Patriots, he compiled two sacks, 42 tackles, and three deflected passes...
, Casey Hampton
Casey Hampton
Casey "Big Snack" Hampton, Jr. is an American football nose tackle who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League.-Early years:...
, Kelly Gregg
Kelly Gregg
Kelly Michael Gregg is an American football nose tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oklahoma.Gregg earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Baltimore...
, Jay Ratliff
Jay Ratliff
Jeremiah "Jay" Ratliff is an American football nose tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He played college football at Auburn.-Early years:...
, Jamal Williams
Jamal Williams
Jamal Williams is an American football nose tackle who is currently a free agent of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 1998 Supplemental Draft...
, Kyle Williams
Kyle Williams (defensive tackle)
Kyle Derrick Williams is an American football nose tackle who currently plays for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Bills in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at Louisiana State.-High school:Williams attended Ruston...
, Antonio Garay
Antonio Garay
Antonio Garay is an American football defensive tackle for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League.He played college football at Boston College...
, B. J. Raji
B. J. Raji
-Green Bay Packers:Raji was selected ninth overall by the Green Bay Packers in the 2009 NFL Draft. He was worked into defensive coordinator Dom Capers' brand new 3-4 scheme during the start of the Packers 2009 season, and was regarded as a defensive corner. Raji held out during the 2009 training...
, Aubrayo Franklin
Aubrayo Franklin
-Baltimore Ravens:In his rookie year, he only appeared in one game recording one tackle. In his second season with the Ravens, he contributed to the team by making six appearances and two tackles. In 2005, Franklin played in 15 games and notched up 20 tackles and his first career sack at the Denver...
, Sione Pouha
Sione Pouha
Sione Sonasi "Bo" Pouha is an American football nose tackle for the National Football League New York Jets. Pouha played college football at the University of Utah. He also is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints....
, Phil Taylor
Phil Taylor (American football)
Phillip Eugene "Phil" Taylor is an American football Nose tackle for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted 21st overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Baylor.-External links:**...
, and Terrence Cody
Terrence Cody
Terrence Bernard Cody, Jr. is an American football nose tackle for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was selected by the Ravens in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft out of the University of Alabama, where he was given the nickname "Mount Cody" for his gargantuan,...
among others.
The terms "nose guard" or "middle guard" were more commonly used with the five-man defensive line of the older 5-2 defense
5-2 defense
In American football, the 5-2 defense is a defensive alignment consisting of five down lineman and two linebackers.The defensive linemen almost always line up to the weak side, with the backside lineman on the outside shoulder of the end man on the offensive line of scrimmage.Because the extra...
. Effective against the inside run but not the short pass, the 5-2 was phased out of the pro game in the 1950s, but was still used by some major college programs into the 1980s. In the 4-3 defense
4-3 defense
In American football, a 4–3 defense is a defensive alignment consisting of four down linemen and three linebackers. It is probably the most commonly used defense in modern American football and especially in the National Football League. NFL teams that use the 4–3 defense as of 2011 include the...
, the upright middle linebacker replaced the middle guard.