'''Bump and run coverage''' is a strategy formerly widely used by [[defensive back]]s in [[NFL|American professional football]] in which a defensive playerdefender lined up directly in front of a [[wide receiver]] and tried to impede him with arms, hands, or entire body and disrupt his intended route. This originated in the [[American Football League]] in the 1960s, one of whose earliest experts was [[Willie Brown (American football)|Willie Brown]] of the [[Oakland Raiders]]. [[Mel Blount]] of the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] specialized in this coverage to such a point as to cause numerous rule changes (see below) strictly limiting when and where a defender may make contact with a potential receiver in order to make it easier for receivers to run their routes and increase scoring.
In contrast, under [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] rules, contact is allowed anywhere on the field as long as contact is in front of the defender and a pass is not in the air.
