Description

Safety (S) is an American and Canadian football position played by a member of the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up from ten to fifteen yards behind the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position in a typical formation, the free safety (FS) and the strong safety (SS). Their duties depend on the defensive scheme. The defensive responsibilities of the safety and cornerback usually involve pass coverage towards the middle and sidelines of the field, respectively.

Safeties are the last line of defense, and are thus expected to be sure tacklers. In fact, many safeties rank among the hardest hitters in football history.

As professional and college football have become more focused on the passing game, safeties have become more involved in covering receivers.

Strong Safety

The strong safety has a lot of responsibility on the defensive side of the ball. The strong safety tends to be a bit larger and stronger than the free safety. He is tasked to handle the "strong side" of the offense, the side where the tight end lines up. The strong safety tends to play closer to the line and assist in stopping the run. He may also be responsible for covering a player, such as a running back or fullback or h-back, who goes in motion in the backfield and then out for a pass.

Free Safety

The free safety tends to be smaller and faster than the strong safety. His job tends to be to stay back a bit, watch the play unfold, and follow the ball. On pass plays, the free safety is expected to close down the receiver by the time the ball gets to him. Offenses tend to call play action passes 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. If the offense puts a receiver in the slot, then the free safety may be called upon to cover that receiver. Free safeties occasionally blitz as well. When this happens, the pressure is often very severe since a blitz by a defensive back is not usually anticipated.

CFL

Warriors