SAM and MIC

[Mailman]

Can someone please translate the coachspeak into English for me? What do these acronyms mean and, more importantly, what are the responsibilities of each position?

[Lucky]

Sam refers to the strong side LB, usually lining up over the TE. Some teams switch their LBs across the formation, depending on which side the TE lines up. Others, like the Texans, don't.

Mic, or Mike, refers to the middle LB. Like DeMeco, Urlacher, or Ray Lewis. They usually lineup behind the defensive line across from the center in a 43 defense.

[Ole Miss Texan]

You'll also hear them say WILL, which is the Weakside Linebacker.

[Hardcore Texan]

Originally Posted by Ole Miss Texan

You'll also hear them say WILL, which is the Weakside Linebacker.

Weak side meaning opposite side that the TE is lined up on. But as Lucky said, the Texans don't flop their Sam and Will LB's around based on what the TE does. Typical strong side is the right side, when the TE lines up outside the RT, you have an extra blocker or guy on the line of scrimmage, making it the strong side.

Sometimes you have two TE's sets as well, I don't recall the Texans using this too much.

[YoungTexanFan]

Originally Posted by Hardcore Texan

Weak side meaning opposite side that the TE is lined up on. But as Lucky said, the Texans don't flop their Sam and Will LB's around based on what the TE does. Typical strong side is the right side, when the TE lines up outside the RT, you have an extra blocker or guy on the line of scrimmage, making it the strong side.

Sometimes you have two TE's sets as well, I don't recall the Texans using this too much.

Two TE sets are great. In HS we ran an overload type play with 2 TE's on the field:

TE TE LT LG C RG RT

We even used our LT in goal line situations, so we would run a formation like this:
TE TE RT LT LG C RG

The defense has a pretty good idea of what to expect, but stopping a 305 pound ball carier with 6 blockers in front of him with 2 yards to go is pretty dang tough, even if you know it's coming.

[76Texan]

[quote=Hardcore Texan;923239]Weak side meaning opposite side that the TE is lined up on. But as Lucky said, the Texans don't flop their Sam and Will LB's around based on what the TE does. Typical strong side is the right side, when the TE lines up outside the RT, you have an extra blocker or guy on the line of scrimmage, making it the strong side.

Sometimes you have two TE's sets as well, I don't recall the Texans using this too much.[/QUOTE]
Depends on how you define what is "too much" or "not much".

We used the 2-TE set a fair number of time.
As I had noted last year, on one play I even noticed that our two TEs lined up as outside receivers and the two receivers went into the slots.
On another play, we ran a 3-TE set with all 3 lined up on the strong side, I guess you can classify one of them as a H-back.

[Mailman]

Originally Posted by Lucky

Sam refers to the strong side LB, usually lining up over the TE. Some teams switch their LBs across the formation, depending on which side the TE lines up. Others, like the Texans, don't.

Mic, or Mike, refers to the middle LB. Like DeMeco, Urlacher, or Ray Lewis. They usually lineup behind the defensive line across from the center in a 43 defense.

Thanks, this is what I suspected. But what's the story with the acronyms?

[76Texan]

Originally Posted by YoungTexanFan

Two TE sets are great. In HS we ran an overload type play with 2 TE's on the field:

TE TE LT LG C RG RT

We even used our LT in goal line situations, so we would run a formation like this:
TE TE RT LT LG C RG

The defense has a pretty good idea of what to expect, but stopping a 305 pound ball carier with 6 blockers in front of him with 2 yards to go is pretty dang tough, even if you know it's coming.

Remember William Perry?


In 1985, he was selected in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. Nicknamed “The Refrigerator” for his gargantuan, square-like frame, Perry was 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) and weighed 382 lbs (173.4 kg). at his peak weight. While he was not a superstar on paper (only 29.5 sacks through his entire career), he quickly became a favorite of the Chicago Bears fans.

Perry became famous for his prowess as a defensive lineman. In addition, Perry was used as a fullback when his team was near the opponents' goal line, either as a ball carrier or a lead blocker for running back Walter Payton. During his rookie season, Perry rushed for 2 touchdowns and caught a pass for one. Perry was once used in a surprise play during a Pro Bowl game as an offensive lineman.

Perry even had the opportunity to run the ball during Super Bowl XX, as a nod to his popularity and contributions to the team's success. The first time he got the ball, he was tackled for a one-yard loss while attempting to throw his first NFL pass on a halfback option play. But the second time he got the ball, he scored a touchdown; as a result, Walter Payton was denied an easy scoring opportunity.

[IlliniJen]

Originally Posted by Mailman

Thanks, this is what I suspected. But what's the story with the acronyms?

Will for Weak
Sam for Strong
Mike for Middle

I suspect that they're just used to shorten the term, no other reason.

[Brandon420tx]

Originally Posted by Mailman

Thanks, this is what I suspected. But what's the story with the acronyms?

Because when Pop Warner got his first team, his strongest slowest linebacker was on the left, his name was Sam, his fastest weakest linebacker was on the right, named Will, and his smartest most balanced athleticly linebacker was in the middle, his name was Mickenoluskie ... or Mike for short.

[The Pencil Neck]

[quote=76Texan;923698]

Originally Posted by Hardcore Texan

Weak side meaning opposite side that the TE is lined up on. But as Lucky said, the Texans don't flop their Sam and Will LB's around based on what the TE does. Typical strong side is the right side, when the TE lines up outside the RT, you have an extra blocker or guy on the line of scrimmage, making it the strong side.

Sometimes you have two TE's sets as well, I don't recall the Texans using this too much.[/QUOTE]
Depends on how you define what is "too much" or "not much".

We used the 2-TE set a fair number of time.
As I had noted last year, on one play I even noticed that our two TEs lined up as outside receivers and the two receivers went into the slots.
On another play, we ran a 3-TE set with all 3 lined up on the strong side, I guess you can classify one of them as a H-back.

Chiefs game, AJ to the Hizzy. He was the only WR on the field on that play.

IIRC, Schaub's passer rating was highest with 2 or more TE's on the field. That's when teams really bit on the run fake and Schaub tore 'em up.