In football there are many phrases and terms that all players, coaches and fans should be familiar with. A common term that you’ll hear throughout a game is a safety. It’s important to understand what a safety is and how it impacts the game of football.
The term safety in football can mean one of two things. A scoring play or a defensive position. A safety in football that is a scoring play occurs when the offensive team commits a foul or is tackled in their own end zone. The scoring team is then awarded two points and will receive a punt from the opposing team.
On the other hand, the term safety is also used when talking about a defensive position. A safety on the defense is two positions (SS, FS) who line up about ten to fifteen yards behind the line of scrimmage. They are the last line of defense and are typically responsible for pass coverage and providing run support.
In this article we will discuss in more detail what a safety is and why these two different meanings are important in the game of football.
Let’s get started.
What Is a Safety in Football?
As mentioned above the term safety in football can either mean a scoring play that occurs in the offenses end zone or it can also mean a defensive back positon.
Here is a quick overview of the differences:
Safety Scoring Play
A safety is a scoring play in football that happens when an offensive player retreats back into their own end zone and is either tackled or the offense commits a foul in their own end zone.
When a safety occurs the defensive team will be awarded two points and will then receive the ball from the opposing team via a punt.
Safety Position
The other meaning of a safety in football is when its used to describe a position on the defense. There are two different safety positions, a free safety (FS) and a strong safety (SS).
The safeties are defensive backs that are typically lined up behind the line backers and are about ten to fifteen feet behind the line of scrimmage. They are usually the last line of defense.
Now that we have a basic understanding of these two safety football terms, let’s discuss each one in more detail.
Safety (Scoring Play)
Perhaps the most common way that the term safety is used in football is when a scoring play happens. A safety is one of the few ways that a defense can score points in a football game.
A safety occurs when an offensive player commits a foul while in their own end zone or retreats back into their own end zone after the ball is snapped and is tackled or runs out of bounds.
For more insight, let’s take a look at what the official NFL rulebooks says about a safety:
It is a safety when offense commits a foul in its own end zone or; when an impetus by a team sends the ball behind its own goal line, and the ball is dead in the end zone in its possession or the ball is out of bounds behind the goal line. (Source: operations.nfl.com)
As you can see, anytime an offensive player commits a foul while in their end zone or retreats back into their own end zone after the ball is snapped and is either tackled or if they run out of bounds. It’s considered a safety.
When a safety does happen the defensive team will be given two points and will receive the ball via a punt by the opposing team.
After a safety, the offensive team that was scored upon must then punt, dropkick, or placekick the ball to the other team from their own 20-yard line.
For this play an artificial tee cannot be used. For this reason, most teams will elect to punt the ball.
Safeties are fairly rare, but when they do happen they can give the scoring team a huge advantage over the other in a big way.
The Safety Position
Not only is a safety a scoring play where the defense can score two points, but it is also a position on the defense.
The safety position (S) are defensive backs and are the last line of defense. They will typically line up about ten to fifteen yards behind the line of scrimmage and will cover wide receivers, running backs, tight ends and will come up and support the run on running plays.
There are two different safety positions, a strong safety (SS) and a free safety (FS). Although they are very similar there are some key differences regarding their role on the defense that are important to understand.
Strong Safety
A strong safety is considered a hybrid from a linebacker and a corner and they typically cover running backs on passing plays and are better built to stop the run.
The strong safety lines up on the “strong side” of the offense and tends to play closer to the line of scrimmage. This allows them to be ready to help stop the run, but also cover running back and h backs.
Most strong safeties are usually bigger and more powerful than free safeties. This strength and power allows them to shed blocks and ensure no runners get by them.
They also need to be fast so they can cover a lot of field and help support the run when needed. They are one of the most important positions on defense.
Free Safety
The free safety position on the other hand are typically players that are smaller and faster when compared to the strong safety and linebacker positions.
A free safety is the defensive player that would “cover” the quarterback on a passing play. Since the QB typically remains in the pocket the free safety is “free” to either blitz or help support other players in coverage.
The free safety will line up about ten to fifteen yards behind the line of scrimmage and can have a number of responsibilities depending upon the defensive play and scheme.
Free safeties or best known for their pass coverage and are the last line of defense on the football field. They tend to sit back, survey the field and attack where needed.
However, they also are important for stopping the run and will be required to come up and attack running plays, as they often go unblocked.
For more information about the two different types of safeties check out this article: Strong Safety vs. Free Safety (Full Explanation).
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Final Thoughts
In the game of football there are a lot of terms and rules that every fan, player, team and coach should understand and be familiar with.
As we discussed in this post, a safety can either mean a scoring play made in the offenses end zone or it could also mean a defensive position. Either a free safety or a strong safety.
I hope this article has helped you better understand what a safety is and how it impacts the game of football.