'''Bump and run coverage''' is a strategy oftenformerly widely used by [[defensive back]]s in [[American football]] in which a defensive player lineslined up directly in front of a [[wide receiver]] and triestried 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 anumerous rule changechanges (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.
