Pass Protection The Cone Drill

Pass Protection The Cone Drill (offensive tackles)

By Jim Hanifan, former NFL Offensive Line Coach

Overview:

The single biggest mistake that an offensive tackle can make in pass protection is to bend forward at the waist. But the second-biggest mistake is to turn your shoulders as you explode back off the line of scrimmage. And incredibly, this was actually taught by coaches at one time! They’d tell the tackle “keep your butt turned to the quarterback.”

NO!	YES
NO! An offensive tackle must NEVER turn his shoulders out on his pass set!	YES Keep your shoulders square to the line of scrimmage, come back 1 ½ to 3 yards depth.

The problem with turning is that after you turn even a little, a defensive end can beat you easily with an outside speed move on you or an inside club or swim move. He can take his pick. So it’s very important to keep your shoulders square with the line of scrimmage until you’re at 1 ½ to 3 yards back. The Cone Drill forces the offensive tackles to keep their shoulders square with the line of scrimmage in pass-pro.

Setup: (Right Offensive tackles)

Utilize the yard marker line and hash marks or paint lines and arrange seven small traffic cones as shown in the figure below. At first glance, this may look complicated but it’s really not. You’re only placing cones that leave a straight lane back for both feet. This will restrict the player from stepping in or out. He’ll have to back up in three straight steps. Be sure he drives hard off his foot for each step.

Arrange cones as shown for right tackles. Use a yard marker line and hash marks or paint lines on an area of grass. Place a cone centered for player alignment. Place two cones just inside and behind the shoes. Place cones outside of the right shoe. (Optional: You can just use a marker line). Place two more cones further back and in the inside as shown.

Let’s Do It!

Have each right offensive tackle perform this drill. Take three steps back and make the movement explosive. First, drive off that left foot and step back with the right. Then step back with the left foot. Finally, take that third step back with your right foot. If you do this correctly, your shoulders will stay square with the line of scrimmage and you won’t step on or knock over any of the cones.

Setup: (Left Offensive tackles)

Now set up the same thing for the left offensive tackles. Everything is exactly reversed from the right tackle drill.

The setup for the left offensive tackles is the exact reverse of that for the right tackles. Place the cones as shown here to create two lanes straight back from the player’s feet. You can eliminate the outside cones on the left and just use a marked line.

Just like the drill with the right offensive tackle, the left tackles will explode back with three steps. First, drive off that right foot and step back with the left. Then step back with the right foot. Finally, take that 3^rd step back with your left foot. If you do this correctly, your shoulders will stay square with the line of scrimmage and you won’t step on or knock over any of the cones.

Whether you’re doing this drill for the right or left tackles, they must have the palms of their hands up and ready to strike the defender.

The Mental Part of this Drill:

Ok, as an offensive tackle, you’ve learned to explode back for three steps while keeping your shoulders square and your body in a good football hitting position. Now what?

It’s important to note here that within these three steps, the defender will need to commit to the move he’s going to use. He has three choices:

1. 1.      Bull Rush
2. 2.      Club/Underarm or Club/Swim
3. 3.      Outside Pure Speed Rush

1.   Bull Rush – The number 1 responsibility of any offensive lineman is to be ready to neutralize the bull rush. That’s because it’s this move by the defender that sets up all his other moves. He’s going to come directly at your chest and try to knock you back into the quarterback. Even if he doesn’t get there before the pass is thrown, a collapsing pocket causes the quarterback all kinds of problems.

As the offensive lineman, you must neutralize the forward momentum of the defender. The way to do that is to make a hard jab step forward to his crotch. When he gets close, strike him UP and HARD into his chest. This blow needs to be powerful, starting from your feet, up through your knees and legs, through your body and finally to your arms. Do that right and you’ll get him on his heels and he’ll have to hesitate to regain his balance.

2.         Club/Underarm or Club/Swim – If the defender drives to the inside, he will utilize one of two different moves. He may club you with his inside arm on the shoulder, and then follow-up with an underarm punch with his other arm. Or, he may club you with one arm and come high over the top with the other in a “Swim Move.”

As I think of these Club and Swim moves, I can’t help but recall two guys who played defensive end against teams I coached that did it better than anyone else; Reggie White and Jack Youngblood. They perfected these techniques and it’s a good part of the reason they’re both in the NFL Hall of Fame. Any player, young or veteran, would do well to study any video you can find of those two guys to see what they did. They were a handful and a half. But when you learn to deal with guys like Reggie and Jack, trust me, you will not have problems with anybody else.

Whether a Club/Underarm or Club/Swim move, your reaction needs to be to jab step toward the defender’s crotch and deliver a hard, upward blow. That will keep him from getting to your inside and opening a gap to the quarterback.

The goal here is simple; jab-step toward the middle of his body (crotch) and strike him hard with an upward blow with your arms in. That’s power. Step and strike, step and strike.

Remember, I teach my linemen to be aggressive and strike, not to just be knocked around. It is a much better thing psychologically and it really works.

3.   Be Ready for the Outside Speed Rush – Defensive ends are usually the best athletes in the defensive line. It’s the offensive tackle’s responsibility to handle their quickness on an outside speed rush. If the defender makes a quick move outside and is trying to get around you that way, keep your outside arm in a position ready to strike. Do not bend forward, have your knees bent, and your butt under you. Keep your shoulders square to the line of scrimmage for the first two to three yards.

When the defender is two or three yards upfield, and away from the quarterback, you can turn and place your inside hand on his inside hip. Drive him hard to the outside and deep upfield.

 

 

 

Jim Hanifan is arguably the most successful offensive line coach in NFL history. “The Cone Drill” is an excerpt from his book, “Offensive Line Play.” The book is available at http://jimhanifan.com and amazon.com. The article is reprinted with the permission of the publisher.