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Safety (S), historically known as asafetyman, is a position ingridiron football on thedefense. The safeties aredefensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from theline of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: thefree safety (FS) and thestrong safety (SS). Their duties depend on the defensive scheme. The defensive responsibilities of the safety andcornerback usually involve pass coverage towards the middle and sidelines of the field. While American (11-player) formations generally use two safeties, Canadian (12-player) formations generally have one safety and twodefensive halfbacks, a position not used in the American game.
As professional andcollege football have become more focused on the passing game, safeties have become more involved in covering theeligible pass receivers.[1]
Safeties are the last line of defense; they are expected to be reliable tacklers, and many safeties rank among the hardest hitters in football. Safety positions can also be convertedcornerbacks, either by design (Byron Jones) or as a cornerback ages (Rod andCharles Woodson,DeAngelo Hall,Lardarius Webb,Tramon Williams).
Historically, in the era of theone-platoon system, the safety was known as the defensivefullback (specifically the free safety; the strong safety would be adefensive halfback, a term still in Canadian parlance) orgoaltender.
The free safety tends to watch the play unfold and follow the ball as well as be the "defensive quarterback" of the backfield. The free safety is typically assigned to the quarterback inman coverage, but as the quarterback usually remains in thepocket, the free safety is "free" to cover another player. On pass plays, the free safety is expected to assist the cornerback on his side and to close the distance to the receiver by the time the ball reaches him. If the offense puts a receiver in theslot, then the free safety may be called upon to cover that receiver. Because of their speed and deep coverage, free safeties are especially likely to make interceptions.
Offenses tend to use theplay-action pass specifically to make the free safety expect a run play, which would draw him closer to the line of scrimmage, and reduce his effectiveness as a pass defender. Furthermore, quarterbacks often use a technique to "look off" a free safety, by looking away from the intended target receiver's side of the field during a pass play, with the intention to lure the free safety away from that side of the field. This phenomenon often tests how effective a free safety's savvy and athleticism are at defending long pass plays.
Free safeties occasionallyblitz as well. When this happens, the pressure on the quarterback can be severe since a blitz by a defensive back is not usually anticipated.
Current examples of free safeties active in the NFL[as of?] includeMinkah Fitzpatrick,Kevin Byard,Jessie Bates,Xavier McKinney,Antoine Winfield Jr.,Julian Love, andJevon Holland.
The wordstrong in strong safety is used because he is assigned to cover the "strong side" of the offense, the side on which thetight end, a typically big, powerful receiver, lines up on offensive plays. Often they are indeed stronger than the free safety, since the player’s assignment tends to require more power as opposed to agility.
The strong safety tends to play closer to the line than the free safety does, and assists in stopping the run. He may also cover a player, such as arunning back orfullback orH-back, who comes out of the backfield to receive a pass. A strong safety's duties are a hybrid of those belonging to alinebacker in a46 or3-4 defense and those of the other defensive backs, in that he both covers the pass and stops the run.
Current examples of strong safeties active in the NFL[as of?] includeKyle Hamilton,Harrison Smith,Budda Baker,Derwin James,Brian Branch,Talanoa Hufanga, andTre'von Moehrig. Strong safeties are not seen in the Canadian game; however, the strong side linebacker in Canadian football is assigned similar duties to the American football strong safety. As such, Canadian football strong side linebackers are often players who played strong safety in college or the NFL.