Safety (
S) is a position in
American and
Canadian football, played by a member of the defense. The safeties are
defensive backs who line up from ten to fifteen yards in front of the
line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position in a typical American formation, the
free safety (
FS) and the
strong safety (
SS). Their duties depend on the defensive scheme. The defensive responsibilities of the safety and
cornerback usually involve pass coverage towards the middle and sidelines of the field, respectively. While American (11-player) formations generally use two safeties, Canadian (12-player) formations generally have one safety and two
defensive halfbacks, a position not used in the American game. As professional and
college football have become more focused on the passing game, safeties have become more involved in covering the eligible pass receivers.