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A diagram of the linemen, with defensive linemen (in 4-3 formation) in red and offensive linemen in green.

In American football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A number of NFL rules specifically address restrictions and requirements for the offensive line. The defensive line is covered by the same rules that apply to all defensive players. Linemen are usually the largest players on the field in both height and weight, since their positions usually require less running and more strength than skill positions.

Offensive line[link]

The interior offensive line consists of the center, who is responsible for snapping the ball into play, two guards who flank the center, and two offensive tackles who flank the guards; NFL rules require that a team have all five of these interior linemen on the field for every offensive play. In addition to the interior line, a full offensive line may also include a tight end outside one or both of the tackles.

Interior offensive linemen are not eligible to catch forward passes, and are not allowed to have advanced past the line of scrimmage at the time a pass is thrown unless they are in contact with a defensive player. However, tight ends are eligible to catch passes.

On running plays, the primary job of the offensive line is to create space for the ball carrier to run, either by pushing all defensive players backwards past the line of scrimmage, or by pushing defensive players to the side to allow the ball carrier to run past them. On some running plays, an offensive lineman will pull by backing out of his initial position and running behind the other offensive linemen to engage a defensive player beyond the initial width of the offensive line; in modern games this duty usually falls to guards.

On passing plays the offensive line is responsible for stopping defensive players from tackling the quarterback before he has thrown the ball. Stopping these players indefinitely is usually not possible, so the main objective of the offensive line is to slow them down, providing the quarterback with several seconds to identify an open receiver and throw the ball.

An offensive lineman's motion during a play is often limited to just a few quick steps to establish position, followed by a wrestling match similar to sumo. Offensive linemen thus tend to be the largest players on the field, with excellent agility and balance but limited straight-line running speed.

When an offensive linemen knocks a player down on a block without falling down themselves, it is often known as a pancake block.^[1]

Defensive line[link]

Defensive lineman Vince Wilfork of the New England Patriots

The defensive line consists of one or two defensive tackles and two defensive ends who play outside the defensive tackles. The defensive line works with the linebackers to try to control the line of scrimmage. The 4-3 defensive formation, most commonly used in the NFL, employs two defensive tackles (and a defensive line of four men, with three linebackers behind them), while the 3-4 formation uses just a single defensive tackle, called the nose tackle (and a defensive line of three men, with four linebackers behind them). However, defensive ends in a typical 3-4 have responsibilities more similar to a 4-3 defensive tackle than 4-3 defensive ends.

On running plays, the goal is to tackle the ball carrier. The defensive line attempts to maintain their original formation (even spacing without holes), but also to prevent any members of the opposing offensive line from successfully engaging the linebackers, who chase down the ball carrier. The defensive tackles are usually the most skilled run defenders on the team.

On passing plays, the defensive line tries to reach the quarterback. Ideally, the defensive players are able to tackle the quarterback for a loss (a sack), but in practice the quarterback will usually manage to throw the ball before an actual tackle is made; the goal is thus to put pressure on the quarterback as quickly as possible to force him to throw the ball before he can find an open receiver. Defensive ends are usually the most skilled pass rushers on the team. In order to increase the pressure on the quarterback, teams will often have players other than the defensive line attempt to tackle the quarterback; this is called a blitz.

Because the defense does not know whether the offense is attempting to run a passing play or a running play (or whether a quarterback will give up on an attempt to pass and instead run with the ball), they must balance passing and running strategies: running around offensive linemen and avoiding contact may allow faster pressure on a quarterback, but it also leaves a hole in the defensive line and frees an offensive lineman to engage a linebacker, enabling a big running play.

Defensive linemen--particularly defensive ends--are called upon to do more running than offensive linemen, thus they usually tend to be somewhat smaller and faster.

References[link]

Alan Stuart Veingrad, now known as Shlomo Veingrad (born July 24, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York) is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League.^[1]

Veingrad played for the Green Bay Packers for five seasons, and two seasons for the Dallas Cowboys (who won Super Bowl XXVII), playing in a total of 86 games.

Early life[link]

Veingrad was born in Brooklyn and lived in New Jersey from ages 3 to 9, before moving to Miami. He went to Miami Sunset High School, and grew up in a Jewish household, but never embraced religion until a later point in his life.^[2]

College career[link]

He played college football on scholarship at East Texas State University (now Texas A&M University–Commerce), where he was an All-American and also won National Strength and Conditioning All-America honors. He was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in October 2006.^[3]

NFL career[link]

In 1986, Veingrad made the Green Bay Packers as the opening day starting offensive tackle.^[1]

Veingrad played for the Green Bay Packers for five seasons, from 1986–90, and two seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, 1991–92, who won Super Bowl XXVII on January 31, 1993, playing in a total of 86 games.

National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

Alan "Shlomo" Veingrad was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday, April 19, 2010. The ceremony was held at at the Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center in Commack, New York. The organization chronicles and celebrates Jewish involvement in all sports, and includes Jewish sports legends such as Sandy Koufax, Red Auerbach, Kerri Strug, and Hank Greenberg.^[4]

Retirement and Jewish roots[link]

When Veingrad had begun his NFL career with Green Bay, a local Jewish man who ran a shoe store had reached out to him and asked him to join his family for the Rosh Hashana services at K'nesses Israel, a synagogue near the site of the Packers’ original home field, City Stadium.^[1] Veingrad had not spent much time in shul.^[1] “But when I heard the Hebrew,” he said, “I felt a pull.”^[1]

Following the Super Bowl win, Veingrad retired from football back to Florida. He rediscovered his Jewish roots, and became an observant Jew, affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. He now uses his Hebrew first name, Shlomo, wears a kippah and ritual fringes called tzitzit, and travels around the country giving inspirational talks about his spiritual transformation.^[1][5]

Veingrad lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he is employed in commercial real estate lending by a major national firm.^[6][7]

Tailgate Party[link]

He and fellow Chabad-Lubavitch adherent, Rabbi Shais Taub, made headlines by hosting a "kosher tailgate party" at Lambeau Field during the 2007 season.^[8]

See also[link]

• List of select Jewish football players

External links[link]

References[link]

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Rabbi Doug is the host of the "TAPED WITH... RABBI DOUG" television show.^[1] It is locally produced in Chicago, Illinois (the mid-western United States). The show airs weekly on TV (with public funding) and airs on YouTube and on the TV show's website.

Biography[link]

Rabbi Doug is rabbi of a congregation in Chicago, a chaplain, and he is also a school teacher. He is a frequent guest on a number of other television & radio shows, and Rabbi Doug writes a Torah column in the Chicago Jewish News. His TV show has been airing since 1996.

References[link]

External links[link]

• youtube link
• tvrabbi.com
• cantv.org