I will try to convince you in this post, or at least explain my position, that the safety is the most important position on your youth football defense. Our defensive scheme relies on our safety to be a run stopper, pass defender, rusher and “the final hope”. Our safety needs to be have speed, smarts and be an overall leader on the field. He needs to understand the game plan better than everyone else since he is the last line of defense. The safety needs to be able to identify all eligible receivers in whatever formation the offense comes out in and relay it to the entire defense.
If you ask most youth defensive coordinators, they will tell you that the most important position in their defense will be the inside linebacker or defensive ends.
The inside linebacker will be the run stopper for your youth football defense. He will be one of the better athletes on your team. The inside youth football linebacker will be one of the smartest and physical players. He will also be one of the team’s better tacklers.
The defensive ends have outside containment responsibilities in many youth football defenses. Since the youth football offense, is all about speed, outside containment is important. This player will be one of the most disciplined athletes.
In most of my defensive schemes the Safety is just as, if not more, important than the inside linebackers and the defensive ends. My safeties have run responsibilities as well as containment. They have to be smart enough to read a play, and be quick enough to react to it. My safeties must be studs, since they are the key to many of the different schemes.
