In tackle football, the left end or LE is a defensive lineman that lines up directly in front of the opposing offense's right tackle at the line of scrimmage. Depending on the particular scheme a defense runs, a LE is usually a pass rusher whose primary responsibility is to sack the quarterback and help support against running plays.
Build
A defensive end is usually a leaner and quicker than interior defensive lineman. In professional football, the average defensive ends coming out of college stand at about 6 feet 4 inches and weigh anywhere from 260 to 280 pounds, making them considerably leaner than interior defensive linemen, who can weigh more than 300 pounds.
4-3 Defense
In a 4-3 defense where there are four down linemen and three linebackers, the LE is leaner than a defensive tackle, which lines up in between the right and left ends.The LE's responsibility in a 4-3 defense is to rush the quarterback on passing downs and contain the outside edge on running plays. For example, if a running back runs toward the right tackle, it is the LE's responsibility to make sure the running back cannot get outside of them, where he will gain more yardage. Instead, the LE wants to make sure the running back is funneled inside to the crowd of linemen and linebackers, where he will be slowed down and quickly stopped.
3-4 Defense
In a 3-4 defense that has three down linemen and four linebackers, the LE is heavier than most 4-3 LE's to mainly support stopping the run. For example, the Pittsburgh Steelers' LE Aaron Smith weighs about 300 pounds and plays in a 3-4 defensive scheme. Although a 3-4 defensive end may not record many statistics, he disrupts the play to let other defenders make a play, whether it is a sack or tackle for loss.
Famous LEs
In professional football, one of the most memorable LEs was Michael Strahan, who played from 1993 to 2007 for the New York Giants. He won a Super Bowl and also set the single-season record for quarterback sacks with 22.5 and retired with 141.5 career sacks, the career leader among all Giants players.
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