In
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
, the upback (also known as the punt protector or personal protector) is a blocking back who lines up approximately 1–3 yards behind the
line of scrimmage
In gridiron football, a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line (across the width of the field) beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun. Its location is based on the spot where the ball is placed after the end o ...
in
punting situations.
Because the
punter plays so far back, the upback frequently makes the line calls and calls for the
snap to be received by the punter. Their primary role is to act as the last line of defense for the punter. Upbacks may occasionally receive the snap instead of the punter on
fake punt
A fake punt is a trick play in gridiron football. It involves a running or passing play run out of a punt formation.Examples include:
A fake punt can take a number of different forms. The punter may simply take the snap and look to throw a fo ...
s. Upbacks receiving the snap normally run the ball, but they may throw it. An upback is typically played by a back-up for another position, mostly a
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...
,
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Th ...
, or a
fullback. This position is usually referred to simply as a
special teamer
In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...
, or even a
gunner (though that word is used more often for a different position). A notable upback is
Nate Ebner, formerly of the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The P ...
. A former
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...
player, Ebner uses his versatility in order to execute fake punts and protect the punter.
References
{{American football positions
American football positions