Letter From the Editor

A legendary coach was once asked, ‘if you could have your best athlete play one particlular position – offense or defense – what position would that be?’ Without batting an eyelash, the coach responded, ‘middle linebacker – he sets the tone and leads our defense.’ The interesting part is that the coach didn’t say an offensive position – quarterback or running back – but inferred that linebacker may be, in his view, the most important position on the field. From that the old adage comes: offense is for show, but defense wins championships. In this issue of American Football Monthly, the theme is defense. Out September issue concentrated on offense; October stresses defense in both general and specific ways. Three features summarize ways to counter different types of offense, one pits a specific offense vs. a defense, and another article reflects on a legendary