Running back

A running back, halfback or tailback is the position of a player on an American football team who lines up in the offensive backfield. Depending on the offensive formation, the halfback may be joined in the backfield by other backs, most commonly a fullback.

Halfback/Tailback

The halfback or tailback position is one of the more glamorous positions on the field, and is commonly viewed as a requirement for a team's success. They are responsible for carrying the ball on the majority of running plays, and may frequently be used as a receiver on short passing plays. Occasionally, they line up as additional wide receivers. When not serving either of these functions, the primary responsibility of a halfback is to aid the offensive linemen in blocking, either to protect the quarterback or another player carrying the football. On some rare occations, running backs are used to pass the ball on a halfback option play

Related Topics:
Quarterback - Halfback option play

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Unlike wide receivers, who cannot make big plays without the quarterback passing the ball to them (with the exception of the reverse play), the running back is often given full credit for every big play he makes. Also, a running back will generally have more rushing attempts then a receiver will have receptions.

Related Topics:
Wide receiver - Reverse play

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There is a great diversity in the types of football players that play the running back position. On one extreme are smaller and agile players. One such example is Warrick Dunn, who stands at only 5 ft 8 in and weighs 185 lb, a relatively small size for a football player. These types of running backs are often referred to as "speed backs" because they rely on speed and agility to evade defenders and gain yards. At the other extreme are bigger, stronger running backs such as Jerome Bettis, who weighs almost 260 lb (118 kg). These kinds of running backs are referred to as "power backs" because they rely on their strength and size to "truck through" defenders.

Related Topics:
Warrick Dunn - Jerome Bettis

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In addition to being great at running the ball, some running backs in the NFL are known for their prowess at catching passes. The role of the running back as a reciever out of the backfield has expanded greatly in the NFL over the years, and a versitile running back who provides his team good running and pass catching abilities is highly valued. Currently there are 2 running backs on the list of the NFL's all time top 20 leading pass catchers: Fullback Larry Centers and halfback Marshall Faulk. A good exaple of a daul threat running and pass catching running back is LaDainian Tomlinson, who currently plays for the San Diego Chargers. In 2003, Tomlinson rushed for 1,645 yards and caught 100 passes for 725 yards, giving him a whopping 2,370 totall yards from the line of scrimmage. He also set a record by becoming the first NFL player ever to rush for over 1,000 yards and catch 100 passes in a season.

Related Topics:
NFL - Larry Centers - Marshall Faulk - LaDainian Tomlinson - San Diego Chargers

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Some teams have a running back known as the "third down back", who is more skilled at catching passes then the starting running back on the team, and thus is often put in the game in third down and long situations where a pass is needed to pick up a first down. He can also be used to fool the defense by making them think he is put into the game on for a pass play, but the play is actually a run.

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