Panthers quarterback Cam Newton Associated Press

The NFL's emphasis on tactics is unlike any sport in the world. A linebacker lining up on the left side of the field instead of the right can change the course of the season. Coaches spend 100 hours a week crafting the perfect play to beat the other team's perfect play.

Even the most subtle tactics can mean everything. In February, when the Baltimore Ravens toppled the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, it all came down to one decision. With 1:50 left, the 49ers faced a fourth-and-goal, down five points. The Ravens put just two linemen on the field, but they sent seven players to rush the passer. Mike Iupati, the 49ers' left guard, chose to block Ray Lewis instead of Dannell Ellerbe, who forced Colin Kaepernick to rush his throw. The pass sailed long, the 49ers turned the ball over on downs and Baltimore won the game.

In a league where talent is spread so evenly, tactics such as this determine nearly everything. With the NFL season set to kick off on Thursday, here is a look at the specialty:

Arizona Cardinals

Defensive lineman Calais Campbell lines up on the outside shoulder of the offensive guard and, upon the snap, moves to his left or right, causing two opposing linemen to panic and shift over. At 6 feet 8 and 300 pounds, Campbell creates a hole for blitzing linebacker Daryl Washington to have a clear path on every play.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons' dirty little secret? They always run the same basic play. Look for wide receiver Julio Jones running straight ahead near the sideline, while fellow receiver Roddy White curls over the middle and tight end Tony Gonzalez tears through the middle. One of them is always open. Jones is supposed to be the decoy for others to get single-coverage—except he got open enough last season to catch nearly five passes per game.

Baltimore Ravens

The Super Bowl champions are known for their 3-4 defense, but it is a 3-4 in name only. The Ravens often have just two down linemen, and they use two linebackers as additional linemen. That keeps the opposition's guards from taking on the Ravens' inside linebackers, meaning Baltimore can get away with deploying smaller, more-athletic inside linebackers. The result? Everyone is fast, save 340-pound tackle Haloti Ngata.

Buffalo Bills

New Bills coach Doug Marrone ran a typical one-back offense at Syracuse and mixed in variations of the no-huddle and read option. For now, Buffalo's objective is modest: Don't get blown out.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers' top maneuver is to snugly align the running back, tight end and best linemen (the left side) within a few feet of quarterback Cam Newton, in shotgun formation. The linemen power straight ahead, the tight end blocks a linebacker and the running back—to whom Newton fakes a handoff, freezing the defense—blocks the only defender between Newton and a first down.

Chicago Bears

New coach Marc Trestman, a Canadian Football League import, likes to throw curveballs like unbalanced formations (extra tackles on one side of the ball), but don't be fooled. It's all window dressing for the same tactics: passing routes of medium depth, executed with quarterback Jay Cutler getting the ball out quickly and finding his tall receivers on the outside.

Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals defensive lineman Geno Atkins. Associated Press

The Bengals' habit of lining up their defensive ends on the outside shoulder of the opposition's offensive tackles makes one of Cincinnati's outside pass rushers a target of double teams. The reason this works for the Bengals: Interior lineman Geno Atkins is one of the most agile 300-pounders in the game. Sacks ensue.

Cleveland Browns

A new coaching staff had inevitably led to plenty of questions. But one certainty? New defensive coordinator Ray Horton will use his specialty: two inside linebackers crisscrossing to blitz the interior of the line, behind one 300-pound lineman taking on the center and guard. Someone is getting free.

Dallas Cowboys

Pass rusher DeMarcus Ware may be the best in the game at simply running around an offensive line—but he is best when lining up on the outside shoulder of the tackle, then running inside toward the offensive line. That takes the linemen on one side out of the play, allowing a safety or a cornerback to sneak in.

Denver Broncos

Denver's cornerbacks play tight man-to-man coverage that even disrupts teams with four wide receivers. The result is freedom for linebackers such as Von Miller to crush the quarterback or stay in the middle of the field for a potential interception.

Detroit Lions

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford Associated Press

Quarterback Matthew Stafford must roll out to his right to give receiver Calvin Johnson four to five seconds to sprint down half the field. The Lions secret? Unusually strong offensive linemen that can move their feet and create a moving circle around Stafford as he finds the time.

Green Bay Packers

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers likes throwing to receivers running "go" routes (straight ahead). He lives by one rule: If a good receiver on the outside is running a deep route and has single coverage, throw it even if the receiver isn't open. He will be by the time the pass lands.

Houston Texans

The Texans' offense relies on a zone-blocking scheme that uses misdirection perfectly. When the ball is snapped, everyone—the linemen, the quarterback, the hot-dog guy—goes left, mauling any opponent in that direction. The running back goes left, too—before breaking right and seeing open field.

Indianapolis Colts

They want to run more this year, but they won't scrap quarterback Andrew Luck's specialty: spreading out five wide receivers ("stacking" some, with one lining up behind the other) and then hitting a deep man on the outside or a shifty wideout over the middle.

Jacksonville Jaguars

New coach Gus Bradley will import his "LEO" position defensive end. That means having three enormous defensive linemen take up space, with one player lined up wide on the weak side (that is, the side of the field the tight end isn't on). That defender's job? Use his speed to beat the tackle in single coverage and nail the quarterback.

Kansas City Chiefs

New coach Andy Reid's big change is the pistol offense, which features the quarterback and a running back lined up a few yards behind the center, with at least one additional runner behind the quarterback. The formation can produce any play, but it usually will just produce the same receiver routes Reid always runs: tight ends and strongside receivers crossing to the middle of the field.

Miami Dolphins

They never have to blitz since their four-man defensive line handles everything. Sack master Cameron Wake is the big name, but watch when defensive tackle Randy Starks, who lines up across from the guard, gets creative. If his first move to get by his man isn't successful, he bounces outside the line to pressure the quarterback.

Minnesota Vikings

Vikings center John Sullivan Associated Press

The key to the Vikings' running game—besides having Adrian Peterson—is center John Sullivan, who patrols the center of the field where Peterson's biggest runs happen. Watch him snap the ball and attack a defensive lineman until the lineman lunges—at which point Sullivan will pull back and the lineman will fall. Sullivan will move onto a linebacker, throwing the last block needed for a big run.

New England Patriots

This team was built around two tight ends (Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski) but is without both. The result will be a return to "underneath" routes from the slot, in which a receiver crosses in front of the quarterback's eyes. Expect plenty of them from receiver Danny Amendola.

New Orleans Saints

The key tactic for the Saints' high-powered offense is a play called four verticals, in which each receiver runs in a straight line as fast as he can. And they say coaching is complicated.

New York Giants

This team's calling card is the draw play. Quarterback Eli Manning takes the snap and holds it for a few seconds before tucking it into the arms of the back lined up to his side. With three receivers spread out, indicating a pass, this particularly works on first down when a pass from a shotgun formation seems likely.

New York Jets

The Jets still run some of the most creative blitzes in the game. Rex Ryan employs the "Bear front," in which three defensive linemen cover the center and two guards and allow maximum flexibility for the linebackers and safeties to come in through the outside edge. The Jets' physical cornerbacks bump receivers at the line, taking away deep passes.

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders have tailored the playbook for athletic, inexperienced quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Quick, easy passes over the middle will be the bulk of the passing plays, but more interesting are the receiver routes: Each play seems designed to clear out the right side of the field to leave it open for him to run.

Philadelphia Eagles

New coach Chip Kelly's fast offense will be fun to watch, but expect one hallmark strategy to be imported: Kelly will run the same play over and over again—perhaps an inside handoff from shotgun formation. The defense will assume he can't possibly run the same play again. Then another inside handoff is on the way.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Typically lining up with one receiver to the right and two to the left, the Steelers' offense has a simple task: Do their job well enough until quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is done scrambling in the backfield. One receiver typically runs a straight-ahead "go" route while the other two go deep and then cut into the middle, where Roethlisberger finds them.

San Diego Chargers

Chargers safety Eric Weddle Getty Images

Watch when the Chargers overload one side of their defensive line with two linemen and two linebackers. Just before the snap, safety Eric Weddle will sneak up to the line on the opposite side and plow through to pressure the quarterback.

San Francisco 49ers

In the 49ers' defensive scheme, a linebacker and a defensive tackle cross over each other and attack the offensive lineman diagonal to them—not in front of them. They typically do this with Ahmad Brooks and Justin Smith. The confusion paralyzes the offensive line.

Seattle Seahawks

Quarterback Russell Wilson's read option running play works for one reason: Tackle Russell Okung can ignore the player in front of him and bulldoze a linebacker. Tight end Zach Miller lines up on the opposite side, and after Wilson's handoff makes a defensive lineman hesitate, Miller crosses the field and knocks that lineman into 2015. This results in acres of running room.

St. Louis Rams

The Rams often play just two linebackers, and their defense can get creative—they are known to drop a 300-pound tackle into coverage against speedsters. But the key to their defense is their line opening massive holes while Jo-Lonn Dunbar and James Laurinaitis, their smart, agile linebackers, move laterally in synchronicity until the offense reveals the play—at which point they plug the ample hole.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers' throwback defense puts a safety, Mark Barron, at the line of scrimmage, which allows linebacker Mason Foster to rush the passer through the middle of the offensive line. Barron will be there in case it's a running play. And if it's a pass? New cornerback Darrelle Revis will take care of that.

Tennessee Titans

Titans running back Chris Johnson European Pressphoto Agency

Running back Chris Johnson, one of the fastest players in the NFL, can be inconsistent, but he can hit home runs when given the perfect play: namely, two tight ends lined up behind the offensive line, between the tackle and guard, with everyone moving right. The play-side tight end takes the outside block, while the other tight end dives through the middle for a block. Every defender will be blocked on one side except a safety—one that usually is playing five to 10 yards deeper than normal to guard against Johnson's long runs.

Washington Redskins

Robert Griffin will fake a handoff to a running back, who will be lined up behind him pre-snap. The running back, without the ball, will speed through the hole between Washington's center and a guard, and he will block anyone in the way. The fullback will fake a run to the right of the play, leaving both the middle and the right wide open for Griffin's runs. He won't need it. The linebackers will already be committed to the run and a wide receiver, running a diagonal route, will be open in the middle of the field with just one corner or a flat-footed safety to help.

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