Linebacker (ILB, OLB)
What it is
The second-level defenders who fit the run, drop into coverage, and are the most common conflict players.
Why it matters
A linebacker's day is a series of two-step decisions: read the guard or the backfield, fit the correct gap with the correct shoulder, and get to a landmark if it is a pass. Because he owns both a run fit and a pass drop, he is the defender modern offenses aim at — the RPO exists to make his first step wrong. Downhill conviction and coverage discipline pull in opposite directions, which is the position in a sentence.
Also called
Programs call this LB, Mike, Will, Sam, backer or second level. 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.