Slotback

Slotback (SB) is an offensive position in gridiron football responsible for covering a ''slot,'' the playing area between the⁣⁣ offensive tackle and the wide receiver. A player who lines up between those two players and behind the line of scrimmage fills that "slot". The position requires a versatile player who must combine the receiving skills of a wide receiver, blocking skills of a tight end and the ball-carrying skills of a running back. The slotback is a fixture of Canadian football and indoor football, primarily as an extra receiver. The position is also used in American football. In the modern NFL, the slotback is often referred to as the "flex". Slotbacks can line up as far as 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. In both Canadian and indoor football, slotbacks can make a running start toward the line of scrimmage before the snap. In the NFL, this would be called illegal motion. However, other American football leagues, such as the World Football League and the XFL, have allowed forward motion.