ONE OF THE MOST FEARED plays of all time was the famous Packer sweep of the 1960s. Opposing teams knew the sweep was coming and they still couldn’t stop it. The sweep was a beautiful combination of perfect execution and overwhelming physical prowess.
Known as “Right 49”, the sweep was so successful that it would often set up a high-percentage pass when the defense over-compensated to stop it. The word “Right” stood for the direction of the sweep, 4 was the formation and 9 would designate the hole to hit. (9 is the hole closest to the right sideline.)
Line Alignment
Vince Lombardi would instruct the offensive linemen to take bigger splits than a normal set. He instructed them to line up 36-inches apart and often encouraged a split of 48-inches.
The tight end would be lined up 9-feet to the right of the tackle.
Assignments
Tight End: Although the sweep is famous for its pulling guards, the block of the TE was key to the play. On the snap, the TE (Gary Knafelc or Ron Kramer) quickly judged which direction the left outside linebacker could be moved and blocked him accordingly. The TE blocked the LB in whatever direction he moved. If the LB moved toward the inside, the TE had to stop him from penetrating the line of scrimmage and block him to the middle. If the LB moved to the outside, he’d force him to the corner and actually let the LB beat him wide around the end. By the time the LB beat the TE, he’d be out of the play.
Tackles: The right OT (Forrest Gregg) delivered a slam block on the left defensive end. The block would set the DE up for a follow-up block below the knees by the fullback (Jim Taylor). After that, the right OT would seek out the MLB and seal him off from the flow of the play.
The left OT (Bob Skoronski) pulled right, and would hit the first defender that came through the hole created by the pulling left OG.
Guards: On the snap, the OGs would swing their right arms back, do a cross over step and pull behind the LOS and toward the right sideline. The right OG (Jerry Kramer) would watch which way the TE forced the left OLB and would charge through the opening, blocking the first opposite colored jersey. The left OG (Fuzzy Thurston) followed behind the right OG from a point deeper in the backfield, with the ball carrier (Paul Hornung) trailing directly behind him. The left OG and the ball carrier were so close, that sometimes the the ball carrier would put his free hand on the OGs hip as they ran.
Center: The center (Jim Ringo) had the most difficult block to execute. After snapping the ball, he’d move quickly to his right and would hook the left DE to prevent him from getting into the backfield into the hole created by the right pulling OG.
Wideout/Flanker: The wideouts/flankers (Max McGee/Boyd Dowler) would take out the safeties and block them toward the middle of the play. At any time, they could release deep and the ball carrier could choose to throw an option pass. This forced the secondary to hesitate and by the time they’d recover, it would be too late.