What's the difference between H-Back, Half back, and tailback?

[touborg]

From what i understand they are all the same thing, just different terms used for them. For example in college they call one of their receivers a "Flanker" , which is a term they dont use in the NFL ...well anymore.

Well I still think it exists as a term, just not used very often.

the setup would be:

Split end and flanker are terms for the two wide recievers, split end lining up opposite to the TE, and flanker to the right of the TE.

 

[saves]

Well I still think it exists as a term, just not used very often.

the setup would be:

Split end and flanker are terms for the two wide recievers, split end lining up opposite to the TE, and flanker to the right of the TE.

Yea, I would think using the term flanker would just be outta preference. I know in highschool we used to used Split and Flanker, but I've noticed alot of college teams use Y, X, and Z recievers. It's all preference I guess.

 

[ChambersWI]

H-Backs are basically big FBs/Small TEs

 

[T tes]

H-back is short for half-back. They all are the same thing, its just a different way of saying it.

 

[Maynard the Hammer]

H-back - Mix between full back and a tight end. Often lines up at TE position, sometimes on a two-point stance and possibly gets motioned to the backfield as a (lead)blocker. Team that uses classical H-back is Joe Gibbs' Redskins, who play Chris Cooley in that role.

Halfback - basically old term for tailback. Lines up behind QB and FB on I-formation type of sets or next to FB on Pro-set type of formations.

Tailback - basically new term for halfback. Means back who is meant to be as the main ball carrier behind the full back or as a singleback in that type of formation.

exactly,

the H-Back is not usually a skill player. kinda like a motion tight end that mostly blocks and may catch a short pass

i just think they use tailback cause it makes more sense. continuing to call a position that lines up behind a full-back a half-back doesnt make sense

 

[brech10]

Ask 8 different coaches and you'll get 8 different answers. I think the confusion has come because different coaches have different terminologies and definitions.

 

[DolfanDaveInMI]

H-back is a motion tight end. Sometimes they will go out in pass patterns, sometimes they will lead block for the halfback. Unlike a fullback, an H-back will never run the ball. Minnesota (Kleinsasser) and Tennessee (Wycheck) are the most notable teams for use of H-backs.

 

[wonderl33t]

From what i understand they are all the same thing, just different terms used for them. For example in college they call one of their receivers a "Flanker" , which is a term they dont use in the NFL ...well anymore. This was an old school term used back in the day. Tailback and Hback are the same thing with "Hback being a contraction of Half back.Just different terminology. In the old days they called QB's and HB's all "backs". Just evolution of the terms. Hope this helped. Cheers.

I remember Jerry Rice being introduced as "flanker" for the 1994 super bowl... very wierd

I am curious about the H-back designation as well, because I heard it at least 10 times in reference to Matt Jones, but I had never heard it used at the pro level before

 

[Muck]

Flanker generally lines up a step back off the LOS, whereas the split end lines up on the LOS. Flanker usually lines up on the TE side. Your faster/deep threat guys usually line up as flankers.

 

[PHINATIC13]

I thought Keith Byars(example) was a H-back tweener of FB and TE ?

 

[Krush]

Half back is and tailback are the same, H back could be a tight end lining up in the back field behind a guard and primiraly a blocker on running plays.

 

[zodiak]

There is a difference between H-Back & Half Back/Tailback as posted earlier the H-Back is a hybrid position FB/TE used mostly in blocking schemes.

The H-Back is often used in pass plays as an extra blocker, often the H-Back will be sent in motion from one side of the offensive formation to the other and again either to run block( wham blocks or trap blocks ) or to be assisting the OT with pass blocking on either a DE or LB.

The difference (if any) between HB and TB is mostly terminoligy however in theory the HB is what many west coast offense's call their running back.
Tailback is what most " I " formation teams call their running back.

Simple example:
80's 49ers (west coast offense) RB- Roger Craig was called a HALFBACK
70's USC Trojans ( " I " formation offense ) RB Marcus Allen was called a TAILBACK

Halfback normally(not always) aligns in a split set opposite the FB
Tailback normally aligns directly behind the FB.

 

[Boomer]

H-back is short for half-back. They all are the same thing, its just a different way of saying it.

Wrong

 

[Surferosa]

http://www.explore-football.com/football/O/Offensive_team.html

tight end - tight ends play on either side of, and immediately next to, the tackles. They are a mix between a blocker and a pass receiver. If an end moves away from the tackle, he is called a split end. Modern formations typically have one end tight, the other split. Many modern formations dispense with tight ends completely, replacing them with wide receivers. Sometimes a formation is referred to as having "three tight ends", which in reality means an additional blocker (a wingback or an eighth lineman) has substituted for a wide receiver, as in short-yardage situations.

fullback - positioned behind the middle of the line, a fullback may do some running, some blocking, and some short receiving. A classic fullback is more of a straight-ahead, "four yards and a cloud of dust" power runner than a halfback. Many modern formations do not use a fullback. Most plays utilizing the fullback call for him to block, generally by running up the middle of the line, clearing a path for a running back to use.

running back - the modern term for the position formerly called "halfback". "Fullback" is now regarded as a separate position from running back, with a substantially different role (especially in the NFL).

tailback - a running back that is positioned behind the middle of the line and deepest of all backs.

H-back - a position that was popularized by Joe Gibbs during his first tenure with the Washington Redskins; the H-back is a hybrid position that combines the skill sets of fullback, tight end, and even wide receiver. An H-back lines up similarly to a wingback, but deeper and not as wide, and frequently serves as a blocker for a more deeply positioned back.

wingback - a player positioned just outside of behind the outermost lineman who is not split from the rest of the line; if no linemen are split, then the wingback position is just outside of and behind the (tight) end.

 

[Surferosa]

Heres some history on the names from a Buccasnears website:

Have you ever seen one of those ‘illegal formation’ penalties where the offense is flagged for not having enough men on the line of scrimmage? Seven of the 11 players on offense have to be on the line. That usually consists of the five offensive lineman, the tight end and one of the two receivers.

The remaining four players are thus set up somewhere behind the line. In the early days, those players were mostly in the backfield in some running formation. They were named for how far they were behind the players on the line. The man farthest behind the line was fully back, so he was called the fullback. The runner in front of him was thought of as being halfway between the fullback and the line, so he (or they) got the term halfback.

Obviously, the player who took the snap from right under the center was between the halfback and the line, so he was termed the quarterback. Those terms persist today.

However, it’s interesting that the roles of the fullback and the halfback seem to have switched over time. The player we now call fullback usually lines up between the quarterback and the halfback. Perhaps that’s why the more generic term of running back is most often used for the man who is likely to take the handoff.

Hope that helps, Wes. Oh, and I hope you haven’t taught your son how to access the internet yet. Your cover might already be blown.