In professional football, the elephant is a hybrid of the defensive end and the linebacker, usually one of the quickest of the front seven, who roams along the defensive line. The elephant's primary job is to find gaps in the line and rush the quarterback, although he's sometimes responsible for pass coverage in zone blitz packages. Undersized compared to the regular ends, the elephant will often remain in a two point stance rather than set as a down lineman, using speed rather than power to get by the offensive line. The term 'elephant' was coined by 49ers defensive coordinator Bill McPherson, who thought defensive end Fred Dean resembled an elephant.
Other noted elephants include Willie McGinest, who became a Pro Bowler playing the position under the regimes of Bill Parcells and Pete Carroll. Pro Bowlers Chris Slade, Joe Johnson, and Charles Haley have also lined up as elephants during their careers. Terrell Suggs of Arizona State plays the elephant, and Lavar Arrington excelled in the role at Penn State. The most dominant elephant in the NFL today is Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila of the Green Bay Packers. KGB is the prototypical elephant, amassing 25½ sacks over the past two seasons.