Conventional wisdom dictates skill players get all the press. Whether you’re an elite playing the “most important position on the field” like a member of the Manning clan or just someone who got paid too much money on the strength of your supporting cast, it’s an expectation that you not only get paid tens of millions, but that you are in posters, print, and popular TV commercials. It used to be that off the football field O and D Linemen alike would unite on the fact these “pretty”, “so-called” skill players get all the face time. Heck, the very use of the term skill player is demeaning when you think about it (because players with numbers between 50 and 79 can’t read defenses?). But this common ground was tainted when anyone within earshot or line of sight from a radio or TV is barraged by yet another instance of Lions Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh, Hall of Fame Defensive End Michael Strahan, or 2-time Super Bowl winning Giants Defensive End Justin Tuck reminding us to go to Subway and “Eat Fresh”. While I give Strahan a pass from judgment as a retired player turned day-time talk show co-host, Suh and Tuck both had down years on the field in 2012. Yet I don’t see any of the offensive linemen responsible for these performance declines getting an opportunity to rub elbows with Jared.
Despite the lack of prestige, the importance of the big men up front can be illustrated by 2013′s Super Bowl participants. The San Francisco 49ers’Left Tackle Joe Staley and Guard Mike Iupati were both voted as Pro Bowl starters while their Center Jonathan Goodwin is among the Highest paid at his position in the league. Could the Niners have made the number #2 spot in the NFC (even with help from the Packers losing to the Vikings in Week 17) without a solid O-line?
The Baltimore Ravens had a Pro Bowl guard as well in Marshal Yanda, a storied right tackle, Michael Oher, along with a possible Hall of Fame Candidate in Center Matt Birk. Quaterback Joe Flacco may have become the highest paid player in the NFL, but without Birk, Yanda, Oher, and company, Flacco doesn’t get a ring nor his controversial contract. (Nor does RB Ray Rice convert 4th and 29 that kept them alive to even make the playoffs).
Since offensive linemen are essential for a team’s success, at draft time many teams find themselves debating what types of players and skills (That’s right — I said skills) are necessary in building a Super Bowl caliber squad. Conventional wisdom stated that if a linemen was a member of a solid running team or National Championship contender in college while having around 30 reps on the bench press, they are a shoe in to succeed in the NFL. The problem is as more and more defenses feature J.J. Watt-types, Jason Pierre-Paul-types, or Haloti Gnata-types who focus on speed as an element of their game, being merely an immovable object has ceased being the standard for O-linemen but rather the 1st of several traits necessary. These characteristics are varied among the different spots along the trench, but the basics for any NFL linemen start with agility and technique. What form of agility that takes and the individual school of technique to be executed may differ among the guard, tackle and center.
A team’s offensive tackle corps should hold among the top athletes over 300 lbs on any roster. They typically have to be taller guys so they have long enough arms to tangle with pass rushers on the edge of the trenches and keep them there. This means they must have a strong central muscular core to get low despite their to keep the correct center of gravity to repel both speed and bull rushes. The agility needed must be met by the player’s kick step. The ability to zip straight back (not toward to defender) while keeping balance against some of the better pound-for-pound athletes in the world is a must for an exemplary pass protector.
Should a tackle become a master of these essential skills, then he’s still not a complete player. Gauging the ability to move sideways and seal for runs to the outside or to push to the second level for blocks down field answers the question of why tackles run the shuttle drill and the 40 yard dash. NFL offenses need to not only be versatile with balance between running and passing but they must be able to attack different ways when they do run. A truly solid tackle can help a team do that by allowing running to the outside as a viable option.
The guard spot demands a bit less agility and more raw power than the other line positions. Guards of the NFL are being asked to keep 400 pound defensive tackles and nose guards at bay on most plays armed only with the snap count, knowledge of where the play is going, and occasional assistance from a running back or the center. Where the agility and technique come into play is recognizing line backer and safety blitzes. Being able to shift to pick it up without revealing a clear path for a delayed blitz is key to protecting any passer. The shortest path to the backfield, after all, is through the middle to not only sack the QB, but blow up the run for a loss as well.
Not only must guards pass protect in small spaces, but they must open running lanes in the same cramped area. With traps emerging as a central part of several ground assaults in the NFL, they either must shift about in a five-by-five yards of space occupied by 5-6 players of at least 270 lbs and do it with a precision to provide an opening for a run. But in a trap or other running plays, there will be occasion where guards are asked to block better athletes than they are downfield. Yet other place for technique to be used for proper execution as they must block moving to where they predict the 2nd level defender will be.
Finally, the center position is the one among the 3 where technique is most important. Blocking opponents where they are regularly giving up a significant weight advantage upfront means that the center must be able to stay low, keep their feet and arms moving to maintain the advantage against whoever they engage and gain said advantage where their initial push is essentially one-handed as they are also snapping the ball to start every play. As much as QBs are associated with camping out in film rooms, so too must the center in order to be able to forecast dangerous situations for the offense and shift the line’s strategy accordingly to pick up whatever the defense is throwing down be it a run or pass play.
The agility comes into play at this spot simply because the center has to move fast enough to place himself where technique requires. Be it a chip to help a guard, blasting a linebacker who would clog the running lane, or both on the same play, a center is an athlete who looks faster than he is based on quicker arrival to a spot thanks to knowledge gained from film study.
For those who still doubt that a truly solid O-line made up of large yet versatile set of athletes is essential to every successful offense, remember those who claim the QB spot is most important because he’s the only player that touches the ball every play. This platitude is only partially true. The center also touches the ball every snap, and doesn’t get to take a breather on handoffs as a field general would. Not to say that the Mannings, Tom Brady, and other QB poster boys aren’t important — they just rely on their O-line to stay productive . . . and always will.
Written By:
Kyle Nash
Founder and host of The Student of the Game show, Lead NFL Writer for The Sports Chronicles, Senior Contributor for Football Reports Online and Special Contributor for Pro Player Insiders.
