Defensive end (DE) is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years. Eleven-time pro bowler and National Football League Hall of Famer Bruce Smith of the Buffalo Bills, usually considered one of the best defensive ends ever, is the all-time lea...
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Defensive end (DE) is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years. Eleven-time pro bowler and National Football League Hall of Famer Bruce Smith of the Buffalo Bills, usually considered one of the best defensive ends ever, is the all-time leader in career sacks with 200.
Early formations, with six- and seven-man lines, used the end as a containment player, whose job was first to prevent an "end run" around his position, then secondarily to force plays inside.
When most teams adopted a five-man line, two different styles of end play developed: "crashing" ends, who rushed into the backfield to disrupt plays, and "stand-up" or "waiting" ends, who played the more traditional containment style. Some teams would use both styles of end play, depending on game situations.
Traditionally,...
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