The 3 main defensive fronts that football coaches use are the under, over, stack, and tite front. The defensive line is the most important group of players on the defense. Stopping the offense’s running attack is the primary goal of the defense.

Defensive Fronts The front is the first line of defense against an opposing offense. The players closest to the line of scrimmage are called—appropriately enough—defensive line men. Slightly off the line of scrimmage, just behind the linemen, are the linebackers. They back up the linemen.

Football defensive schemes are the alignments a defense uses to counter offensive plays. Different fronts are named according to the number of defensive linemen and linebackers involved in the formation, and coverages more specifically describe the roles of defensive backs in a play.