page_title: Halfback (American football)
section_title: Running
hierarchical_section_title: Halfback (American football) / Characteristics of a  halfback / Running
caption_attribution_description: English: American football player Harry Gilmer on a 1948 Bowman card.
context_page_description: A halfback is an offensive position in American football, whose duties involve lining up in the backfield and carrying the ball on most rushing plays, i.e. a running back. When the principal ball carrier lines up deep in the backfield, and especially when that player is placed behind another player, as in the I formation, that player is instead referred to as a tailback.
  The halfback position is one of the more glamorous positions on the field in modern football, and is commonly viewed as a requirement for a team's success. Sometimes the halfback can catch the ball from the backfield on short passing plays as he is an eligible receiver. Occasionally, they line up as additional wide receivers. When not running or catching the ball, the primary responsibility of a halfback is to aid the offensive linemen in blocking, either to protect the quarterback or another player carrying the football.
context_section_description: No position in American football can perform his duties successfully without the help of other players.  Like the wide receiver, who generally cannot make big plays without the quarterback passing to him (with the exception of the end-around play), the halfback needs good blocking from the offensive line and fullback to successfully gain yardage. Also, a halfback will generally have more rushing attempts than a receiver will have receptions. This is mainly because most football teams have one primary halfback to receive most of the carries, while successful passes will generally be spread between a number of different receivers (wide receivers, tight ends, running backs). The ability to protect the football on the run is the principal skill required of a running back. For an offense to succeed the ball has to be protected, and defensive attempts at stripping the ball will largely occur during runs on the inside of the playing field.
  Halfbacks are expected to have good on-field "vision" in that they can identify open lanes on the field to run through. Hall-of-Famer Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys and Le'Veon Bell of the New York Jets, for example, are renowned for their patient running styles and ability to quickly identify lanes created by blockers, despite not being known for their speed.
caption: Harry Gilmer catching a football.
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