There is no greater experience than coaching the offensive line. Nothing demands more attention to detail. From size and speed to techniques and movement, it is a tremendous but rewarding challenge as a coach. Offensive line is a “make it or break it” position. It is one that determines your offensive success or failure. Therefore, it must be priority number one for any offensive staff.
I enjoy all the approaches to blocking the run and pass. There is so much to learn from all the different schemes and strategies and there is some great information in football today. That being said, one can not say enough about all the “little things” that can put your offensive line over the top. I truly believe success is not primarily schemes or plays; it is finding and perfecting specific techniques that make your offensive line successful. Let’s look closer at several aspects or “little things” of an offensive lineman’s football world. To begin, we need to look at some general principals that need to be applied to the run game, pass game, and overall mental, physical, and psychological framework of your linemen.
Basic Principles:
• Always be in a position to do damage – LEVERAGE, BASE, AND POWER.
• Have a working vocabulary that bridges into every aspect of practice – UNCONSCIOUS/ MENTAL.
• Incorporate multiple joint movements and direction change in all drill work – SURFACE
AND MOTION.
• Develop tough, quick hands; hands that talk to the rest of the body – PHYSICAL.
• Practice efficiently and in realistic environments - PSYCHOLOGICAL.
• SEE ALL – RESPOND TO ALL – END THE DANCE (finish your job).
The “little things” of run blocking:
Run blocking involves a burst of speed from a fundamentally sound position at the contact point. Many times players are fast to the point and hit the wall. Worse yet, on a quick hit, they tend to drop step before actual impact and downfield movement. This can be corrected by blocking drills without a neutral zone, placing an object behind their heels, and verbally commanding them through the acceleration of the block – “hyper accelerate!” In addition, players should condition and warm-up actively with variations in movement and speeds that simulate blocking paths.
Weight distribution is not an all-out commitment in a single direction. No block progresses like it is drawn on the board. Linemen must start with coiled energy and power in their hips through to the ground (this must also be maintained throughout most of the block). As this energy is unleashed, it is controlled violence, specifically as it transitions to the movement with both bodies engaged. Beware the leaner as well as the lineman who transitions his base and feet to a narrow forward-only demeanor. Base and energy can also be an issue on lateral and angled movements. It is a key fundamental to remain in a position to do damage at all times. Drills incorporating multi-directional flexed demeanor movements, fit drills, and sled work are useful ways to achieve what is necessary.
Efficient movements are paramount to success. Linemen who drift lose their specific tracks or move in a manner which allows defensive energy to control the interactions. This destroys the integrity of any block or combination of blocks. These failures are seen on second- level paths, short and long traps, and various zone movements. It is important to devote time to explaining and drilling proper angles and downhill tracks from the first step. A word of caution - do not get hung up on a “one step at a time” mentality as you will sacrifice speed and game-like movement all for “one good step”.
Another aspect of this is the element of visualization. What is your lineman seeing? First and foremost, you must create a fast and active environment to drill in. One-on-one situations are great introducers for run blocking, but the real world is crowded, ever-changing, and full of visual stimulation. Aiming points, second-level reads, downfield opportunities, are all aspects that need to be built in to the “real world” of your drill. Watch your lineman’s head in relation to his body and you will see how much he is limiting his visual environment or how much he is trying to take too much in. From a coaching standpoint, face your linemen and, if needed, give them visual cues to instill the importance of seeing their world. Also, film is an excellent tool to stress the need for good vision.
The “little things” of pass protection:
The feet are the first thing to tell a story when it comes to effective pass protection. As with the run, maintaining a staggered base with the inside or “post” foot up and the outside foot “staggered” back is vital for movement, protecting the inside, leverage, and strength. In addition, pass protection involves a burst out of an offensive stance giving the offensive linemen the opportunity to read and react. Their feet will show you the good, bad, and ugly. Things to look for include -
• Parallel feet on a bull or inside rush kills a protector and is a very common problem for moving linemen.
• Stagger (outside foot) opening too much to create a soft shoulder vs. an outside rush.
• Drop or lose the post foot as a defender counters inside. This opens the door for the defender.
• Crossing feet for lateral movement which puts the offensive lineman in a “bad” position.
• Lifting the feet during the set (movement) and losing surface. This also creates a “bad” position.
• Maintaining weight on the insteps to maximize surface – not transitioning to toes or heels in any movement.
• Drills should emphasize maintaining a consistent post/stagger relationship being mindful of players who “switch” feet. In addition, drills should include multiple movements, not just an initial set and punch. Combining three or four movements of attacks creates higher-level reaction by an offensive lineman.
Closely related to foot movement is leverage or flexion in the hip area. THE HIPS DON’T LIE! Maintaining leverage is mentally and physically tough throughout the course of a game and a good defensive lineman will look to the hips in deciding where and how to strike. Emphasis during any drill work, conditioning, or skill building, must be performed in a power or flexed stance. If an O-lineman works out of a three-point stance, attention must be given to getting out of his stance quickly into a leverage position and transitioning through the block in a strong leverage position. Other points of emphasis include -
• Maintaining leverage on the “punch” or first contact in order to transition to a reaction phase of a block.
• Not allowing a defender to gain leverage and get underneath the pads of an offensive lineman.
• Not absorbing the impact of an initial defensive charge.
• Beware “chasing” a wide or outside attack and losing leverage in the movement.
• Avoid “sinking” into a solid flexed position on the snap of the ball (from a two- point stance).
Hand strength, hand movement, and hand placement are other keys to success in pass protection. From a toughness standpoint, there are many activities that can be part of the off-season program. Rice or bean buckets (working hands through large buckets), medicine ball work, punching bags, handball, wide bars, bare handed softball catches, and ropes, are excellent ways to toughen up the hands.
When it comes to using your hands, linemen need to develop a mentality that their hands are another set of “eyes”. Many coaches find success in actually blindfolding players for tactile drills early on in training. First, hands need to be up and active at the snap of the ball. Aiming points are numerous so in drilling hand work, players need to come out of stances ready to handle a variety of situations. The hands need to be inside the framework of the chest area with the butt of the hand ready to strike. Common mistakes include -
• Hands and arms too low or wide which open the chest area for the defender.
• Extending the hands to a point where there is no muscle mass behind them.
• Keeping hands too close and inside the framework, allowing shoulder exposure.
• Holding hands upright with the elbows pointing downward to a point where the hands need to drop before initiating a punch.
Punching with the hands is the “stun” before the reaction phase of pass protection. Players must understand that this is not the T.K.O. of the battle, but is important because it allows you to make a read and forces the defender to think and react. This in turn gives the offensive lineman the opportunity to respond. Players must punch hard and make a deliberate jab. In most cases, the punch will immediately transition to the reaction phase of the block, demanding the hands adjust to the changing environment. As previously stated, offensive linemen must maintain their stagger and flexed stance as they initiate the punch. Other concerns include -
• Keeping their head out of the punch.
• Recoil so as to not leave arms extended for a defender to grab.
• Avoid the “bear hug” whereas a player latches on to the defenders outside shoulders.
• Freezing footwork to initiate a punch.
• Limiting the aiming point and not getting enough surface to be effective.
• Absorbing the defender after the punch.
• Reaching before the defender enters the “strike zone” (point at which a punch will do its job).
• Linemen must be able at any time to transition to a drive block.
Visualization is an ongoing process throughout pass protection. It starts on the line of scrimmage with the two levels of the front. Linemen should identify both levels as well as threats from the secondary. Next, they will evaluate their immediate environment and “close their world” down to their initial responsibility. On the snap and set, the lineman’s vision is centralized on reacting to eyes (bull rush), hands (grab for counter), or shoulders (veer or loop). If they are engaged in a slide or combination scheme they must still be aware of the forces lurking in front of them as well as the threats from outside the trenches.
Visualizing also demands that linemen communicate about what they see and need to do. Establish a vocabulary (a sample is at end of this article) to identify the fronts and stunts as well as blitz potential. Make sure that linemen and even running backs are echoing the calls. Incorporate a daily front and stunt period in practice before you go in to any team session. Review fronts in film sessions and develop a basic stunt repertoire so that there are no “surprises” along the way.
Intangibles complete the list of “little things” that will give your linemen an edge. Taking time to set up drill work and emphasis on small but important aspects of the game could be the one advantage needed to break a big play or prevent a breakdown. It also breeds confidence. The following are a few “intangibles” along with drill explanations that are easy to work in to a practice periodically -
• Pass protection in a scrambling situation.
• Moving the quarterback as well as extending the blocking duration allows linemen to get a feel for reactions by defenders when the launch point changes or breaks down. It also helps in the QB/offensive line relationship in terms of habits, run-pass reaction, and may even prevent those drive-killing penalties.
• Fall-offs are when a defensive player drops into coverage from a rush movement, or when a defensive player softens his rush in order to attempt to jump and block the throw or throwing lane.
• Work these into pass set drills, one on one drills, and inside situations. It really comes down to having good vision with the eyes and, as stated before, “seeing with the hands”. If a defender soft rushes on a three-step read, he must pay for it. If the defender drops out, the lineman must transition to a secondary role in the scheme.
• Firing down field after the pass is away.
• A much overlooked aspect to pass protection is getting linemen downfield. Obviously, it cannot be a “running of the bulls” as many linemen are battling throughout the play. There are, however, significant advantages in creating the mentality of getting offensive linemen downfield as the ball is thrown (This is also an important emphasis in the run game). Again, this can be drilled in many aspects of “small” game situations such as one-on-one, inside time, or blitz review. It also can be emphasized in team by yelling “fire” when the ball is away.
• Linemen will learn to get moving, learn to block in the open field, and enjoy getting some tremendous hits on secondary players.
As mentioned earlier, creating a quick and efficient vocabulary is useful in all aspects of your program. It allows you to coach during live action, cuts down on talk during film sessions, helps linemen communicate with each other, and gives quick and immediate feedback. Some basic terms we include are:
RUN TERMS PASS TERMS
Aim Point Extended Gather Yourself
Drop Step Turnstile Leaning
Press-Press Caught Absorbed
Hyper-accelerate Head Out Turned
Feet-Feet Pulled Head Out
High Sit-Sit Post-Post
Buzz Feet Catching
Hips
To be great, offensive linemen must be offensive linemen every day. Their workouts, i.e., movements, conditioning, physical and psychological development, all need to take their job into consideration. It is very important to train as a team, but you owe it to your linemen to recreate their environment as much as possible. That way they will play with confidence and efficiency. They will carry your team and make it easy for your specialists – and for your offensive coordinator.
About the Author: Kurt Faust began his second tour of duty with Alma College last fall. He previously coached the Scots from 1999-2002. From 2004-2009, Faust was the head coach at Dow High School in Midland, MI. He is now in his 25th year as a coach.