Glossary

Defensive tackle / nose (DT, NT)

DefensePositionDTNT

What it is

The interior defensive linemen, who control the inside gaps and occupy blockers so linebackers can run free.

Why it matters

The interior of a defensive line is graded on displacement rather than on statistics: a nose who holds a double team makes a tackle for someone else and appears nowhere on the stat sheet. The two archetypes are the penetrating three-technique, who wins by getting upfield, and the two-gapping nose, who wins by not moving — and a front is largely a decision about which of them you have.

Also called

Programs call this DT, NT, nose, three technique or interior D-line. The Coach answers to any of them.

Related

This entry is authored, not generated. It is one of 205 in the index that the AI-ssistant Coach retrieves from, and that Film Study tags clips against.