Running back

The running back (RB) is a playing position in the offense of American football. Two different types of running backs are the fullback and the halfback. In the past, the halfback was often referred to as the tailback.

The running back is the player primarily responsible for the running game. Unlike the quarterback, who mainly tries to drive his team forward with passes, the running back takes the ball in his hands and tries to make his way through the opposing defense. After the center's snap to the quarterback, the quarterback hands the ball off to the running back, who is the furthest back in the offense when he starts. Now the running back must first try to get past the defensive line. He is helped in this by his offensive line (center, guards, tackles, and tight end(s)), who are supposed to block his way. After that, the running back has to avoid the linebackers and safeties. If he succeeds and makes it into the open field, then he runs into the end zone to score a touchdown. In addition to the running game, running backs are also occasionally used as pass receivers.

A good running back is characterized by his speed, the height is not decisive. Smaller players are usually more agile, so they can dodge faster and are harder to tackle by the opponent because of their smaller attacking surface. Tall running backs, on the other hand, have the advantage that their bulk often allows them to gain some extra yards at the end of a run by throwing themselves powerfully forward into the opponent's defense. Also, big, heavy players are usually harder to bring down than lighter players. A good running attempt is said to be one that gains about four yards of space. At four yards per attempt, the running back needs no more than the available three attempts to gain a new first down. With regularity, however, you can see runs that gain 20 or more yards of space. In a very good game, the running back gets the ball between 20 and 30 times on average and gains over 100 yards.

The worst thing for a running back is a fumble. He loses the ball before at least one of his knees or elbows touches the ground. The team that picks up the ball then has the right of attack at this point. Very rarely, the running back may also throw a pass. Trick plays like this are an attempt to throw the opponent off the scent. However, such a forward pass may only be made behind the line of scrimmage, just as with the quarterback.

Running backs are usually divided into halfbacks and fullbacks. The halfback is typically more agile and nimble, while the heavier, more powerful fullback can also be used as a pre-blocker. A special case are the so-called "third down backs", who are used when a passing rather than a running play is recommended on third down (e.g. when the distance to the new first down is four or more yards): These running backs specialize in catching the opponent's pass rush against the quarterback and in catching a throw to the new first down in a dense scrum.