In the early days of football, the rules were such that the team on defense was favored over the team with the ball. The game emphasized stout defenses. A great many contests were decided by a lone score.
Certainly one of the top thrills in a football game occurs when a team makes a successful “goal-line stand.” Such a defensive stand has turned the tide of many a game. It is not a matter of luck and it is not accidental. It is the result of the defensive players knowing and performing the following fundamentals.
Tackling
Whenever football talk turns to the defensive part of the game, the main topic of discussion is the tackling ability of each member of the team. The main point, of course, is to stop the progress of the other team’s ball carrier. You want to accomplish this as soon as possible after he has the ball.