Halfback (American football)
When not running or catching the ball, 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.
In the past few decades the role of the halfback has gone through a great shift as most offensive game plans are now fueled by creativity and finesse instead of raw force.
This system focused on a physical run attack concentrated in the inside of the field, and therefore depended on a skilled "power back."
There was a focus on physicality over finesse, with this type of playing style earning the modern-day moniker "smash mouth" football.
Back Willie Heston of Fielding Yost's "point-a-minute" Michigan team has been acknowledged as the first to play at what later was designated as the tailback position on offense.
[8]Heston's charging ability and open-field running have also been credited with leading to the origin of the "seven man line and a diamond on defense.
"[8] Minnesota's College Football Hall of Fame coaching staff of Henry L. Williams and Pudge Heffelfinger devised the strategy in 1903 to stop Heston.
[8] The sport's first triple threat, Bradbury Robinson of St. Louis University, ran, passed, received and punted out of the halfback position.
It was as a halfback that Robinson threw the first legal forward pass to teammate Jack Schneider in a game at Carroll College on September 5, 1906.
Halfbacks are expected to have good on-field "vision", allowing them to identify open rushing lanes and avoid tackles.
Hall-of-Famer Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys and Le'Veon Bell of the Kansas City Chiefs, for example, are renowned for their patient running styles and ability to quickly identify lanes created by blockers, despite not being known for their speed.
In the 1970s, Minnesota Vikings running back Chuck Foreman was one of the first halfbacks to establish himself as an elite threat in the receiving game.
A great early example of a system that combined accomplished rushing skills with receiving ability is the offense of the San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s and 1990s under Bill Walsh and George Seifert.
Their teams featured two Pro Bowl running backs who also had excellent receiving skills in Roger Craig and Ricky Watters.
[10] Recent examples of these third down backs include Nyheim Hines of the Buffalo Bills, Eno Benjamin of the Arizona Cardinals, J.D.
Halfbacks will often block blitzing linebackers or safeties on passing plays when the offensive line is occupied with the defensive linemen.
"Scat backs" still active in the NFL include Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles, D'Andre Swift of the Chicago Bears, Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers and Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints.
This type of running back has grown in demand due to changes in offensive play calling, style, and tempo.
More recent examples include Marshawn Lynch, Frank Gore, Leonard Fournette,[12] Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns and Derrick Henry of the Baltimore Ravens.
The "every-down" designation comes from a running back's ability to perform important functions beyond rushing on the ever-increasing number of passing plays such as receiving the ball and pass-blocking for their quarterback.
More recent examples include Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings, Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts and Melvin Gordon of the Denver Broncos.
Normally when an offense gets inside the 5-yard line they send in their goal-line formation which usually includes eight blockers, a quarterback, a halfback, and a fullback.
Although this is most often done by wide receivers and defensive backs, such as cornerbacks (because they are generally the fastest players on the team), some halfbacks have enough speed and talent to perform this role.
