In the three lines of defense, the Linebackers are typically the middle, or surrounded by Cornerbacks, as seen in this defensive lineup. The most central player on the defense is the Middle Linebacker which is like the quarterback of the defense; reading the offense, shouting the plays, and getting his side of the line ready for attack. In fact, look at the back of his helmet, and he will have a bright circle sticker, which signals to the officials, and to us fans, that he has headphones in his helmet enabling him to receive play calls from the sideline. The only other player with headphones in his helmet is the quarterback.
The primary job of the Linebacker is to stop the passing and running plays. If a receiver gets past them, there is only one more line of defense between them and the goal line…bad news.
These players are quick, nimble and able to react to anything thrown at them. And Scott Fujita, linebacker for the recent Superbowl Champs, New Orleans Saints it able to react to anything both on and off the field. Check out this insightful and intelligent article in the New York Times about Scott standing up for two hot topics in the 2009′s Super Bowl commercials. A football players standing up for gay rights? Yes! And no, he is not gay, he is married, and is simply standing up in full-force for our right to speak out in what we believe. Nice!
