In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A number of NFL rules specifically address restrictions and requirements for the offensive line, whose job is to help protect the quarterback from getting sacked for a loss, or worse, fumbling. The defensive line is covered by the same rules that apply to all defensive players. Linemen are usually the largest players on the field in both height and weight, since their positions usually require less running and more strength than skill positions.
Julius Frazier Peppers is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at North Carolina, where he was recognized as a unanimous All-American, and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers second overall in the 2002 NFL Draft, and also played for the Chicago Bears from 2010 through 2013 and the Green Bay Packers from 2014 to 2016. After rejoining the Panthers for the 2017 season, he retired after the 2018 NFL season.
Tedy Lacap Bruschi is a former professional American football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, who currently serves as the senior advisor to the head coach at University of Arizona. He played college football for the University of Arizona, and was a two-time consensus All-American. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and played his entire professional career with the Patriots. Bruschi won three Super Bowls and was a two-time second-team All-Pro selection.
Richard Vershaun Seymour is an American professional poker player and former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, and was drafted by the New England Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft.
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
Vincent Lamar Wilfork is a former American football nose tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the University of Miami and was drafted by the Patriots in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He also played two seasons for the Houston Texans before retiring following the 2016 season. Along with Tom Brady, he is the only New England Patriots player to win both Super Bowls XXXIX and XLIX.
Jason Paul Taylor is a former American football defensive end and outside linebacker who spent the majority of his career with the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Over the course of his 15-year career, Taylor played for the Dolphins in three stints, and also played a season each for the Washington Redskins (2008) and New York Jets (2010). Taylor has the fourth most forced fumbles of all time with 46. He is seventh on the all-time career sack list with 139.5 sacks and is the all-time leader in fumble return touchdowns with six, and interceptions returned for touchdowns by a defensive lineman with three, while his 246 fumble return yards are the fourth-highest total in NFL history. With nine career touchdowns scored, he is also the all-time leader in that category for defensive linemen. He officially announced his retirement on December 28, 2011.
In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitutions", meaning that they may change any number of players during any "dead ball" situation. This has resulted in the development of three task-specific "platoons" of players within any single team: the offense, the defense, and the so-called 'special teams'. Within these three separate "platoons", various positions exist depending on the jobs that the players are doing.
Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions, and the stand-alone term "tackle" refers to the offensive tackle position only. The offensive tackle is a position on the offensive line, left and right. Like other offensive linemen, their job is to block: to physically keep defenders away from the offensive player who has the football and enable him to advance the football and eventually score a touchdown. The term "tackle" is a vestige of an earlier era of football in which the same players played both offense and defense.
Glenn Jamon Dorsey is a former American football nose tackle. He played college football for Louisiana State University (LSU), received All-America honors twice, and was recognized as the top college defensive player of the 2007 season. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs with the fifth overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, and has played for the San Francisco 49ers later in his career as well.
In American football, the 3–4 defense is a common defensive alignment consisting of three down linemen and four linebackers. It is a called a "base defense" because it is the default defensive alignment used on "base downs". However, defenses will readily switch to other defensive alignments as circumstances change. Alternatively, some defenses use a 4–3 defense.
In American football, a 4–3 defense is a defensive alignment consisting of four down linemen and three linebackers. It is called a "base defense" because it is the default defensive alignment used on "base downs". However, defenses will readily switch to other defensive alignments as circumstances change. Alternatively, some defenses use a 3–4 defense.
Manti Malietau Louis Te'o is an American football linebacker who is a free agent.
Ndamukong Ngwa Suh is an American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at Nebraska, where he earned All-American honors, and was drafted by the Detroit Lions second overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. He also played for the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has played in two Super Bowls: Super Bowl LIII with the Rams and Super Bowl LV with the Buccaneers, winning the latter with a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cameron Phillip Heyward is an American football defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State. Heyward is the son of Pro Bowl NFL player Craig Heyward.
Luke August Kuechly is a former American football middle linebacker who played all eight seasons of his professional career with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Panthers ninth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. Kuechly played college football at Boston College where he was recognized twice as a consensus All-American.
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the largest and strongest of the defensive players. 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, or simply knock the pass down at the line if it is within arm's reach. Other responsibilities of the defensive tackle may be to pursue the screen pass or drop into coverage in a zone blitz scheme. In a traditional 4–3 defense, there is no nose tackle. Instead there is a left and right defensive tackle. Some teams, especially in the National Football League (NFL), have a nose tackle in this scheme, but most of them do not.
Aaron Charles Donald is an American football defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Pittsburgh, where he received unanimous All-American honors, and was selected by the Rams in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Regarded as one of the greatest defensive players of all time, he has received a record three Defensive Player of the Year Awards, Pro Bowl selections in all eight of his seasons, and seven first-team All-Pro honors. Donald was also a member of the team that won Super Bowl LVI. The longest-tenured player currently on the Rams roster, Donald is one of two players remaining who was with the team in St. Louis prior to moving to Los Angeles in 2016.
Matt Eberflus is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts from 2018 to 2021. Eberflus also previously served as the linebacker coach for the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys, as well as having coached at Toledo and Missouri.
Darius Shaquille Leonard is an American football middle linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina State and was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Colts. In his rookie season, Leonard led the league in tackles and was named a First-Team All-Pro and Defensive Rookie of the Year; he was also voted into the NFL Top 100 the following offseason. Leonard has been informally nicknamed "Maniac" due to his energetic and productive on-field play.
