A special team is the group of players who take the field during kickoffs, free kicks, punts, and field goal attempts.

A variety of strategic plays can be attempted during kickoffs, punts, and field goals—to surprise the opposition and score points, gain yardage or first downs, or A kickoff occurs at the beginning of each half, overtime period (not in college), and following each touchdown, successful field goal, or The "no punting" strategy is one that forsakes the practice of punting and instead attempts to make fourth down conversions on as many plays as possible. Most special teams are made up of players who act as backups or substitutes on the team's offensive and defensive units. The eagle is most successful with above-average cornerbacks who can play man-to-man defense. are the ways in which plays are called. (This is understood to be players on the line other than at the ends; also referred to as "interior linemen".

Also, the nose tackle can neutralize the center’s pass-blocking attempts by constantly shoving his strong head and shoulders to the ground or moving the center sideways, thus negating his effectiveness as a blocker.The 3-4 eagle puts another linebacker in the role of the nose tackle in the 3-4 front. The safeties guard against receivers running downfield to catch long passes.Meanwhile, the area between the line of scrimmage and the deep part of the field is divided into five small zones, each of which is the responsibility of a cornerback or linebacker. The goal of defensive strategy is to prevent the opposing offense from gaining yards and scoring points, either by preventing the offense from advancing the ball beyond the line of scrimmage or by the defense taking the ball away from the offense (referred to as a turnover) and scoring points themselves. The defense lines up differently, for example, when it’s making a goal-line stand or when it’s defending against a long pass. To help you recognize different defensive strategies, here are a handful of common lineups that defenses use to keep the offense in check. Rather than cover receivers man to man, the defensive side of the field is divided into zones, with each zone the responsibility of a safety, cornerback, or linebacker.

Whereas precision and timing are among the most important parts of offensive strategy, defensive strategies often emphasize aggressiveness and the ability to react to plays as they develop. A defender is always directly opposite the tight end in both of these defenses.The cover two defense was devised to stop the West Coast offense, which relies on short passing routes and running backs coming out of the backfield to catch passes. Not all backs fall into the wide receiver category below.) In both cases, the offensive line's main job is to run block, preventing the defensive players from tackling the ball carrier. Basically, this defense allows the safeties to cheat, to overplay one aspect of the offense when they anticipate the play correctly.From a base 3-4 alignment, the defense overloads one side of the offense by placing as many as three of the four linebackers to that side. Their intent is to occupy these players and give them the impression that they may be rushing the quarterback. This defense can be very effective against a team running the West Coast offense, especially one that has a versatile running back who can damage a defense with his receiving as well as his running ability.The 3-4 eagle puts another linebacker in the role of the nose tackle in the 3-4 front. They might stick a cornerback there, too, or put a safety there in place of a linebacker. If a player who is not an Using a combination of passing plays and running plays, the offense tries to gain the yards needed for a first down, touchdown, or field goal.

One general rule teams must take into account when creating their passing strategy is that only certain players are allowed to catch forward passes.