Blocking Schemes

[Schobel94]

it seems that this decade the bills just can't get a top notch offensive line on there team(however i am really excited for this year). I see team after team doing the same thing...developing the pocket...why?

 

I have played football(yes it was only highschool) but being in the trenches gives you more knowledge than just tape. I played guard so i didn't have to worry about it too much, but when they switched me to tackle i couldn't keep up with the faster guys(and neither could the kid who played their before me). so instead of revamping everything my coach switched me back to guard and the kid who played left tackle blocked differently.

 

Why is it that elite pass rushing defensive ends tend to not do well in the run game?...because the tackles fire out and meet them. on running plays you are allowed to go down field as much as you want so no problem. On passing plays however the tackles shuffle back at least 5-7 yards to form the pocket...? to me this seems stupid. on passing plays you can go five yards down field anyway(even on running plays most defensive lines are not pushed back 5 yards). this 5-7 yard gap between you and the DE gives him a lot of room to build up speed to either go around or inside you. my coach had us fire out and meet the DE before he could get his speed and pop him on his first step. also if you fire out and remain one solid line he can only go one way because next to you is another blocker on your inside. with this solid line of blockers in front of him the quarterback can see everything and won't need to worry about getting stripped from behind and the running back, if he needs to pick up a block say from the outside can get there easier). overall this allows for less athletic guys (walker) to at least play on par with some of the people in our division. its much less likely that they will get beat since the offensive line knows the snap count and should be able to move 8-10 inches over by taking a step.

 

we can pretty much all agree that there are two types of DE, those with strength and those with speed. now reggie white was an extremely strong individual, but it was magnified by the fact that he got that burst and used his legs to drive people. most football players can lift the same weight so to say that one is significantly stronger than another so much as to dominate them purely on strength is absurd.

 

If you face a speed rusher, you don't want him getting that burst to go around you either so for either kind it works. now i know that i am just a fan, but i am speaking from experience when i say that this blocking scheme is a hell of a lot easier than letting a 250 pound professional athlete slam into you.

 

let me know what you think (and please if you disagree with me, give reasons why!)

[Trader]

it seems that this decade the bills just can't get a top notch offensive line on there team(however i am really excited for this year). I see team after team doing the same thing...developing the pocket...why?

 

I have played football(yes it was only highschool) but being in the trenches gives you more knowledge than just tape. I played guard so i didn't have to worry about it too much, but when they switched me to tackle i couldn't keep up with the faster guys(and neither could the kid who played their before me). so instead of revamping everything my coach switched me back to guard and the kid who played left tackle blocked differently.

 

Why is it that elite pass rushing defensive ends tend to not do well in the run game?...because the tackles fire out and meet them. on running plays you are allowed to go down field as much as you want so no problem. On passing plays however the tackles shuffle back at least 5-7 yards to form the pocket...? to me this seems stupid. on passing plays you can go five yards down field anyway(even on running plays most defensive lines are not pushed back 5 yards). this 5-7 yard gap between you and the DE gives him a lot of room to build up speed to either go around or inside you. my coach had us fire out and meet the DE before he could get his speed and pop him on his first step. also if you fire out and remain one solid line he can only go one way because next to you is another blocker on your inside. with this solid line of blockers in front of him the quarterback can see everything and won't need to worry about getting stripped from behind and the running back, if he needs to pick up a block say from the outside can get there easier). overall this allows for less athletic guys (walker) to at least play on par with some of the people in our division. its much less likely that they will get beat since the offensive line knows the snap count and should be able to move 8-10 inches over by taking a step.

 

we can pretty much all agree that there are two types of DE, those with strength and those with speed. now reggie white was an extremely strong individual, but it was magnified by the fact that he got that burst and used his legs to drive people. most football players can lift the same weight so to say that one is significantly stronger than another so much as to dominate them purely on strength is absurd.

 

If you face a speed rusher, you don't want him getting that burst to go around you either so for either kind it works. now i know that i am just a fan, but i am speaking from experience when i say that this blocking scheme is a hell of a lot easier than letting a 250 pound professional athlete slam into you.

 

let me know what you think (and please if you disagree with me, give reasons why!)

 

 

there is a web site called something like "the cool clinic"? all over line play you might want to check it out.

 

Back in the day whey offensive linemen were smaller and more athletic than now. There was a technique perfected by guys like Billy Shaw where the lineman would fire out deliver a blow and then quickly retreat. into a pass blocking stance. I do not see that anymore. In those days linemen were 250lbs not 350 lbs.

 

Truthfully I would like to see the NFL go back to the lineman as athlete. I think these guys are going to have very serious health issues. It's bad enough we lose ex players in their 50's I fear it will be much younger than that.

[Hossage]

Coaches have largely abandoned trying to coach these behemoths technique because they come into the league knowing so little, they are afforded a very limited time to teach technique by the players union, and because turnover in the league is so high. More players than ever come from smaller schools and the south that are not traditional powers producing polished players.

 

It is also less fatiguing for the linemen. The patriots are the best example of a well coached offensive line that we have all likely seen. They give less ground to rushers than other teams do. They tend to disguise plays by changing their first steps (a dead giveaway of the play type to a veteran player). Big guys give ground because they would rather their qb have 3 seconds to throw consistently rather than risk getting unbalanced with an aggressive move when they know they are unlikely to get bull rushed by a speed guy. I had the chance to work with some top offensive coaches, although I have never played offensive line