Football is a game that requires skill, strength, and coordination to achieve success. A football team's defensive line plays a critical role in stopping the opposing team. A key position on the defensive line is the defensive tackle.
Defensive tackles are some of the largest players on the football field. They need to have a combination of size and strength to hold the line of scrimmage and stop the run. The ideal physical size for a defensive tackle is around 6'2" to 6'4" in height and weighs between 300 and 330 pounds.
However, it is important to note that size is not the only factor that determines a defensive tackle's success. Players need to have the speed and agility to move quickly and effectively through the offensive line. Therefore, players who are too heavy may not be as effective in this position.
Tackles are key to stopping the run game. They use many techniques to control their assigned gap and disrupt the offensive line.
Get Off the Ball Quickly: The first step for a defensive tackle is to get off the ball quickly. This means they need to explode out of their stance and quickly move towards their assigned gap. By doing this, they can quickly disrupt the offensive line and prevent the ball carrier from gaining yardage.
Proper Hand Placement: Hand placement is a critical aspect of playing defensive tackle. A player needs to have precise hand placement to control their opponent and maintain their position. The defensive tackle should aim to get their hands inside the offensive lineman's shoulder pads and use their arms to control their opponent's movements.
Maintain Gap Control: Gap control is another critical aspect of playing defensive tackle. The player needs to stay in their assigned gap and prevent the ball carrier from gaining yardage. They can do this by reading the offensive line and reacting quickly to any gaps that open up.
Shed Blocks: To stop the run, a defensive tackle must be able to shed blocks. This means they need to quickly disengage from their opponent and make a tackle on the ball carrier. To do this, they can use a variety of techniques, such as the swim move or the rip move, to get past the offensive line and make a tackle.
Pursue the Ball Carrier: Finally, a defensive tackle needs to pursue the ball carrier. This means they need to be able to quickly change direction and pursue the ball carrier if they get past the initial line of defense. Pursuing the ball carrier can prevent big gains and force the opposing team to punt the ball.
In addition to stopping the run game, defensive tackles are key to rushing the quarterback and disrupting the passing game. A defensive tackle uses several key techniques that allow them to get past the offensive line and put pressure on the quarterback. Just like above, proper hand placement is very important as it allows the tackle to have better control over the lineman trying to block them. They also need to master a few other things as well.
Quickness and Agility: Rushing the quarterback requires a combination of size, strength, quickness, and agility. A defensive tackle needs to be able to quickly move laterally and change direction to get past the offensive line and put pressure on the quarterback.
Pass Rush Moves: To get past the offensive line, a defensive tackle needs to use a variety of pass rush moves. These include the bull rush, swim move, spin move, and rip move. Each of these moves requires quickness, agility, and proper technique.
Collapse the Pocket: One of the primary goals of a defensive tackle is to collapse the pocket. This means they need to push the offensive lineman back and create pressure on the quarterback. By doing this, they can force the quarterback to make a quick decision or throw the ball away.
Pursue the Quarterback: Finally, a defensive tackle needs to pursue the quarterback. If they are not able to get to the quarterback immediately, they need to continue to pursue the quarterback and disrupt their passing lanes. By doing this, they can force the quarterback into making mistakes and create opportunities for their team.
Most of the pass rush moves are very similar to those used by D Ends and Edge Rushers. Pure speed moves are rarely used in the interior of the D line, though. Let’s take a little deeper look at the pass rush moves of the defensive tackle.
Bull Rush: Bread and butter. The bull rush is a simple but effective move. The defensive tackle lines up in front of the offensive lineman and uses their strength to push them back into the quarterback. The key to a successful bull rush is to keep the offensive lineman off balance and maintain leverage by staying low.
Swim Move: The swim move is a more finesse-oriented pass rush move. The defensive tackle uses a quick, circular motion with their arm to get past the offensive lineman and reach the quarterback. The swim move requires quickness, agility, and precise timing to be effective. A tackle using the swim move must keep his swimming arm very tight to the top of the OL’s shoulder. The higher the swim arm goes, the longer the move takes, and the more likely the DT will find himself being leveraged away from the play by the offensive lineman who got his hand in the tackles armpit.
Spin Move: The spin move is a pass rush move that requires the tackle to rotate their body quickly and get past the offensive lineman. The defensive tackle uses their momentum to spin around the offensive lineman and get to the quarterback. This move requires excellent timing, footwork, and agility to be effective. The tackle will often have to set this move up with other moves earlier in the game. A lot of OLs can pick up a simple spin move and shut it down.
Rip Move: The rip move involves the defensive tackle using their arm to rip past the offensive lineman and get to the quarterback. The defensive tackle uses one arm to get under the same side arm of the offensive linemen. The DT then rips his arm skyward to unbalance the offensive lineman and get past him to the quarterback. The rip move requires good technique and the ability to quickly get past the offensive lineman.
Club Move: The club move involves the defensive tackle using their arm to club the offensive lineman's same side shoulder/upper arm to get the OL off balance. The club move requires strength and the timing and can be more difficult in the confined spaces in the interior of the line.
Here are some great plays from one of the best to ever play DT: Aaron Donald
Defensive tackles are crucial in stopping the run game and disrupting the passing game. It takes more than just being big to do this. You have to be able to get off the ball quickly, read the offensive linemen to determine if they are run blocking or pass blocking, use proper hand placement, maintain gap control, shed blocks, or use pass rush moves, collapse the pocket, and pursue the quarterback. It takes good strength, quickness, and agility to do all of this.
Defensive Tackles look great in Savage style gear
. 