In American football, the two teams line up facing each other at the start of a play. The players at the very front are “the line.” A linebacker stands just behind his own line.

In American football在美式足球裡 the two teams line up facing each other at the start of a play每次進攻開始前，兩隊會面對面排好隊形。The players at the very front最前排的球員 are "the line"就叫做「the line」（前鋒線）。A linebacker一個linebacker（線衛） stands just behind his own line就站在自己這條前鋒線的正後方。

His job is to stop the other team: he may rush in and tackle the person carrying the ball, or drop back and try to stop a pass. There are usually several linebackers, and they have to be both strong and quick — they are the ones who read the play and plug holes.

His job他的工作 is to stop the other team就是阻止對方進攻：he may rush in and tackle the person carrying the ball他可能會衝上去擒抱帶球的人，or drop back and try to stop a pass或是往後退，試著擋下一次傳球。There are usually several linebackers通常會有好幾個線衛，and they have to be both strong and quick他們必須又壯又靈活——they are the ones who read the play and plug holes是負責看懂戰術、堵住漏洞的人。

This is a sports word. You will hear it on American-football broadcasts and in sports news, not in everyday talk in Taiwan.

This is這是 a sports word一個運動用語。on American-football broadcasts and in sports news在美式足球的轉播和體育新聞裡，You will hear it你會聽到這個字，not in everyday talk in Taiwan在台灣的日常對話裡不會用到。

People sometimes stretch it, a bit jokey, for someone whose job is to stop trouble just behind the front; that is rare. It is not the quarterback (who leads the attack) and not a lineman (who stands on the line itself).

People sometimes stretch it有時候大家會把它用得更寬，a bit jokey帶點開玩笑的語氣，for someone whose job is to stop trouble just behind the front用來形容一個工作是「在前線後方擋麻煩」的人；that is rare不過這種用法很少見。It是 not the quarterback不是quarterback（四分衛，負責帶領進攻）(who leads the attack)，and not a lineman也不是lineman（前鋒） (who stands on the line itself站在前鋒線上的人)。