1 COACHING THE POSITION

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2 1 COACHING THE POSITION T here is no other position in football that is harder to coach in my opinion. As an offensive line coach, you have the most players who all have to be on the same page every single play. If one misses a block, the play is either blown up, yards are lost, or someone gets hurt. You have to be the toughest coach on the field; there is no time for finesse and casual conversation. This position is for mean people. This is one thing as a coach you will have to instill not only in yourself, but in your players. Make sure that they understand the toughness of this position. Fingers will get bent; knees twisted, feet stomped on, wrists bent backward and bruises all over your body. Those who cannot withstand the physical nature will not survive the position. It is an unrelenting, unforgiving position. However, if it is done right, it is also the most rewarding position on the football field. Nowhere else will you see tighter friendships and group accountability. They need to demand the best out of one another and they need to be able to anticipate what each is going to do on every play. Coaching this position takes a lot of time and effort, but I am confident the fundamentals and techniques I will teach you in this book can help you become a successful offensive line coach at any level. If you have never played or coached the position before, don t worry. Follow the tools in this book and coach them with confidence. Once the players see that they work, the buy-in will happen. If you are a veteran of the position group, I hope that you may find new tools to use to help your offensive line become the best position group in your area. Here are some keys to coaching the position I feel will help you get established. Set Expectations When you start a new year, you have a new group of players. Every offensive line group will have a different personality. No matter the personality, that group will need expectations set forth by you. As their coach, you have to demand the most of a group that gets the least amount of attention. Be where you are supposed to be, when you are supposed to be there. This was given to me by my offensive line coach when I played at Kent State. It is something that I have followed by. Emphasize your expectations and the importance of being on time. There is no room for excuses as an offensive lineman. Therefore, they need to be on time and be ready to go. 1

3 2 PREPARING FOR PRACTICE Summer T he summer months are filled with lifting, running, and team conditioning that will help everyone get ready for the demands of the fall. Many schools will tack on some type of positional work in these days as well. During the summer, you will be assessing your players and discovering who you can count on and who you can t. You will need to look at that intangibles and see if they are holding up their end of your expectations. How do they lead? Where do they finish in drills? Are they giving everything they have, every day? If you are finding that they are doing all those things that you are looking for, then those players are on their way. Keep assessing and discovering who else can step up. A great way to get a head start on the upcoming season is to end your conditioning days with some technique and fundamental work. Some coaches may tend to over coach in the summer months. By that, I mean they will spend countless hours working on drills and hypotheticals to the point of confusion. I don t believe in that. I believe in the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Give your players simple, easy techniques and fundamentals that are easily workable in t-shirts and shorts. This is the time where you can develop sound trusting relationships with your players and you have an opportunity to really evaluate who you have. It is important to focus on the basics. You can add more indepth drills as the players become more comfortable with you and the expectations. First and foremost, you have to drill, drill, and drill. You need to create that muscle memory and establish the two or three daily drills so the offensive line knows exactly what to do. It should be so engrained that they could run the drills for you if you were not there. Two-a-Days Two-a-days is the most critical point of the season, as this is where the OL will have real opportunities to gel and you as the coach will be able to evaluate the talent. During two-a-days, you should get more individual and group time, and as a part of that, you should continue to work the fundamentals and techniques as much as you can. Remember that reps are still very important here. The more reps that you can accomplish, the more muscle memory you can create. As you graduate from daily 2

4 3 Run Game Drills STANCE A n offensive lineman s stance is the foundation for effective play and maneuverability. An offensive lineman needs to be flexible and have the ability to adjust their stance based on the play call. Their stance should be the same, every play, with only making slight adjustments that no one else could detect. The stance is where the success all begins. Focus on the insteps of the feet, make sure linemen are not on the balls of their feet. This drill should be drilled slowly at first and check for mastery. Then move to a rapid fire; keep them in their stance for as long as possible to help build muscle memory Feet should be shoulder-width apart with a stagger dependent on position and good knee bend (Look for the Z in the knee) o Center: even stagger o Guard: toe-to-instep stagger o Tackle: toe-to-heel stagger (some may feel more comfortable with toe-to-instep as well) o Eyes and head should be up, scanning the field and seeing where their target is Weight should be distributed based on play called in huddle o I always tell my linemen to flex their quad depending on the leg they need to push off of. For example, for a left tackle that is cutting off a 3 technique, he should put more weight on his left leg and flex that quad to be able to explode off the ball. For a right guard pass setting, he should put more weight on his right leg, which is where his post foot would be setting. Place hand down directly in front of you; avoid placing weight on the ground as this will cause you to lean forward. Head should be up and eyes should be looking at the target o You should be able to pick your hand up freely off the ground and move it around; this will tell you if the OL have proper weight distribution 3

5 o Coaching Point: OL block with their feet, not their hands; OL need to be able to move laterally and vertically and need to be able to move quickly off the ball Move around as the OL are in a stance and swipe their hand out from them. If they fall down, they have too much weight on their hand; if they rock back when you swipe, it will tell you the same thing Make sure feet are flat and weight is on the insteps and not on the toes Check for flat back and head up Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 4

6 RUN GAME These drills are not exclusive to just the summer time. Depending on your time you can use them all year round and hone in on specific skills and styles. These drills will cover three basic styles of run play: 1) Zone/Inside Zone, 2) Stretch/Pin and Pull, and 3) Counter/Gap. Many coaches will use this time for more chalk talk, but I recommend as many reps as possible. There will be more time to work through individual talk, but in the summer time, your goal is to perform as many reps as possible. You are trying to train muscle memory, and repetitions will do that. Footwork, hat placement and hitting the target with the feet will be key areas you will want to concentrate on. Below I have listed my techniques and fundamental drills. They are listed in order of progression. The run drills will be listed first, followed by the pass game. These are drills that I introduce all of my players. Depending on the group that I have and the offense that is being run, that will determine what type of drills that I perform. Feel free to mix and match, use all, or use some. Don t move on to another one until you have seen mastery. Boards Boards provide an excellent visual on where the feet should be and where the base should be for your OL. There are two types of boards that I have used over my coaching experience. For the six inch blocks, I would normally go to Lowe s and buy one 12 foot 2x4 and had it cut in six inch increments. This would allow for enough blocks for the entire offensive line. Six inch 2x4 block Used for zone and stretch based plays Place length-wise in front of play side foot of OL, and then turn 90 degrees. This provides a six inch step These can be used in many of the daily drills or individual drills throughout the year 5

7 Play side Hip / Next Level Description This blocking scheme is used when we have to make a ZORRO call and every blocker has to check the play side hip, and then climb to the next level. This is a very useful drill as it focuses the blockers eyes on the defenders hip. If the hip either stays on the blocker next to him or goes away, the blocker should climb at an angle to the play side LB. If the hip comes to the blocker, he should block it. This drill should be used with the long boards Use this drill with bags or defensive players In the Zone Game, front side players should block the defenders OUT, using the Zone Kick Out footwork In the Stretch / Pin and Pull Zone Game, the front side players should work to REACH the defenders This drill is focused on the HS level Instructions Line up defensive players on an angled board in a gap Line up offensive players on the other side of the board On the coach s command, the offensive player will take their bucket step to reach the defender, either right or left If the defender comes up the field, the blocker should stay on the defender If the defender crosses the blocker s face, the blocker should work up to the next level The key is to bucket step with an open hip to reach the defender backside Coaching Point: Focus on the eyes and where the hips of the defender go. The blockers must make the right decision, but it has to be quick in order to release to the LB in time. o Make sure the ZORRO call gets communicated all the way down the line, this is usually the biggest culprit for a busted play when pressure comes off the edge Inside Zone 6

8 Stretch / Pin and Pull Center Play side hip/next level Hip goes away climb to next level Center engages with LB 7

9 Move and Pry Description This is a two-man blocking scheme and can be used in the counter/gap game and vertical zone game. This technique uses a strong shoulder and forearm to get movement on a defensive lineman, specifically a 3 technique or a nose guard. This drill can be used on bags or players Very effective used with a 2 man pan sled This is a highly effective drill for vertical zone game and gap running game Feel the down, see the backer Another term for double team, but this is more square and vertical This drill can be done at the Y, MS, and HS level Instructions Step 1 First Step (Move) Align two offensive linemen against one defensive lineman or bag placed in the middle of the two OL The two OL need to identify who they are moving to (Making an US call) Coaching Point: Demand that the OL POINT to who they are going to (ex: US to #2) o OL needs to identify where they are traveling to On the coach s command, the left OL steps with his right foot and the right OL steps with his left foot Coaching Point: The key here is to close the gap you want to have the OL be hip-to-hip of each other Coaching Quote: OL should be two Christmas Hams with hips adjoined Each step by the OL should be a six-inch step forward and 2 inches inside Step 2: Second Step (Pry) Once the first step is down, both OL should step with their outside feet Left OL should throw right forearm and shoulder into DL, right OL should throw left forearm and shoulder into DL Both OL should drive straight ahead, with both keying where the linebacker is going 8

10 Coaching Point: Patience is the key here. Too many times OL want to leave the double team early and they leave their buddy hanging out to dry o The OL should take the DL all the way to the LB this will muddy the read for the LB and cause a delay o Look for false steps as well. Many times when the blockers take their first step inside, they have a tendency to false step backward. If the LB moves inside to the left, the left OL should peel off and block the LB; if the LB moves outside to the right, the right OL should peel off and block the LB RG/RT Move & Pry Hip-to-hip and vertical push Driving to assigned LB LB flows over top, RT engages 9

11 4 Run Game schemes & Calls Blocking Combinations H aving a collection of drills can only take you so far as a coach. Knowing the angles, directions, and assignments for your linemen are the lifeblood to a strong offensive line. This is where they will need to be on the same page, and blocker needs to know the role of the guy next to him. The blocking calls and combinations of each lineman will be similar in direction, yet different in purpose. The purpose of each scheme is different. Some will be for movement; some will be just moving the defender to another gap. Communication Communication is the most important aspect of the running game for the offensive line. I believe this is what can make or break a unit. The lower the level, the more difficult it is to get players to open up and communicate. No matter what level you coach at, stress communication. No other position group relies on each other as much as the offensive line. Even the high school level players struggle with the ability to communicate. No matter though, once they begin talking and calling out blocking schemes with one another, you will know that you are headed in the right direction. The best advice to bring out their inner voices is to demand it out of them. I usually tell my players that I don t want librarians; they are not supposed to be quiet. They need to be loud and confident. Stress that with your players and expect it out of them. When it comes to making calls on the offensive line, I try to keep it very simple. Different coaches have different philosophies and that is okay. However, I never liked have fifty different calls based on lining up at a particular position. I have tried to simplify it as much as possible. I wish I could take credit for it, but this terminology came from my offensive line coach in college. This term I use mainly for our inside zone running game. The call is an US call. It is a two-man combination block where two play side or back side blockers make an US call, and then points to the LB they are working to. The beauty of this scheme is it is used across the line. I do not believe in specific calls for tackles and 10

12 Look at the inside zone blocking scheme below. Each US call can have a different element to it. Here in the first photo, the right guard has an outside technique (3 technique) in the first block. The right guard would orignally lock on the 3 technique, but the center makes an US call, which overrides the LOCK call. In the next photo, the right guard has an inside technique (2i), and now he can work more vertical with the center to the LB. This combination concept will take some time for your players to develop, so rep it every single day. It is not a difficult concept, but what is important is getting your players confident enough to shout out their responsibilities and communicate effectively with the guy next to him. I think that is what is so unique about this position; the idea that one has to develop a trust and accountability with one another to know that each will do their job. All of the following diagrams and information is related to the Inside Zone scheme. US US 4-2 Over Front #2 #1 11

13 4-2 Under Front #2 #1 Calls RT: LOCK RG/Center: US to #1 LB LGT/LT: US to #2 LB Direction of Play Calls RT: LOCK RG: LOCK on #1 LB Center/LG: US to #2 LB LT: LOCK/Thick Sift 3-4 Base Defense #2 #1 Direction of Play 12

14 5 pass Game Drills D efending against the pass rush is one of the most difficult aspects of playing the offensive line. Offensive linemen are charged with the task of protecting the quarterback against countless ways of defensive blitzes, twists, and pressures. What makes it so difficult is linemen must be passively aggressive. Offensive linemen are retreating from their stance only to engage in a heavy battle with a defender coming out of a full speed stance. Linemen who can grasp the concept of strong pass game fundamentals will be the ones who can sit in the trenches and battle with the best defensive players around. I see the pass set as the biggest weakness for many offensive linemen. Confidence always seems to lack here, because of the basic fear of getting beat around the edge. Many young players, especially at the high school level will turn their shoulders and hips to the outside and open themselves up to inside moves because they feel that is their only opportunity to protect in the pocket. I have some of my best drills listed below along with some of the keys to sound pass protection. All of these drills should be worked for both sides of the ball, right and left sided players. Here are some basic keys to working a great pass set: Keep your head and shoulders back and out of the block START A FIGHT! You must be physical and violent Eye your target and react to that target Understand the angles of the block you need to make o Quick set, angle set, vertical set, post set Low hips and feet can end a pass rush Keep majority of your weight on your inside (post) foot o 80% for tackles o 65% for guards o 50% for centers Responsibilities for each position: o Tackles set the depth of the pocket o Guards and Centers set the width of the pocket 13

15 Demeanor Drill Description This drill is more of a quick feet simulation and is used to work the feet and develop a demeanor to pass setting. This drill can be used with long boards This drill can be done at the Y, MS, and HS level Instruction Place blocker in a 3 point stance There are four directions that a blocker can go: o Kick slide out (angle block), kick slide back vertical, post laterally, post up vertical On the coach s command, blockers will kick or post according to the direction that the coach gives This should be performed in a rapid fire succession with the coach giving multiple directions in short bursts Coaching Point: Make sure that the OL is keeping their weight on their inside foot and weight is not transferring to the outside foot. Emphasize fast feet with eyes up and hands in striking position Perform this 5-6 times to develop muscle memory Tackles Guards Center 14

16 Quick Set Description This drill can be used for any of the three positions Long boards can be used in this drill, or you can use the white line of the football field Cones can also be used to mark an end point Have a defender using a bag to simulate the rush The key for this drill is to kick vertically back This drill can be done at the Y, MS, and HS level Instructions Step 1 One Kick Place the blocker in a 3 point stance Coaching Point: Emphasize to the blocker about keeping their weight on the inside foot o Stress head and shoulders back o Many high school players tend to automatically widen out of their stance for fear of getting beat around the edge. This drill can be advanced upon to work a longer vertical set On the coach s command, the blocker will kick vertically for one kick with eyes on the DE target When the defender gets to an arm s length away, the blocker should jam the inside shoulder to keep inside/out leverage Work this drill for both left and right side Step 2- Two Kicks After one kick has been repped, transition to two kicks Emphasize to the blocker to strike by the second kick and jam the inside shoulder 1. Left Tackle 2. One Kick Quick Set 15

17 3. Engaging Defender 4. Lock out with head back 16

18 Bag drills The following drills are all associated with using a bag. These drills will work hand placement and work independent movement of the eyes and hands. It works two basic concepts: joint hand placement and independent hand placement associated with a target. All of the bag drills listed here can be done at the youth, middle school, and high school level. Straight Punch Description This works a two-hand punch Instruction Put blocker in a 2 point stance with head back and on the balls of their feet On the coach s command, the blocker will drive his hands into the middle of the bag and recoil as fast and as hard as possible This should be done for time between 15 and 20 seconds as quickly as possible Coaching Point: Make sure that the head and shoulders are staying out of the block o Players will tend to stand up, ensure they are squatting down and in a good football position 17

19 6 pass Game Schemes &calls T he passing game calls and concepts I teach are fairly simple. We have two main protections: 60s (6 man protection with the running back), and 50s (5 man protection). The calls would either be 60/61 or 50/51 protection. In 60s protection the back would work to the right, 61 the back would work left. Hot reads are dependent on the quarterback. I have taught two different styles of pass protection concepts being a zone/man scheme and a slide/man scheme. Both protections are effective, but they are only as good as the communication between the linemen. I will cover both types of schemes here. Slide Scheme This is the most basic of schemes that seems to be universal amongst high school, college, and the professional level. This scheme can be used with a running back or without one. The front side of the protection is the man side. If both the tackle and guard have a front side technique (5 and 3, respectively) they will be in BOB (big on big) protection. The first uncovered lineman starts the slide of the protection. The slide always goes away from the call. The running back will fit inside out on the play side of the call. The advantages of this protection provide interior linemen with more protection and allows for closer contact with each other. 60/61 Protection This is a slide protection away from the call, with a BOB or LOCK call front side BST: C gap responsibility (angle set) o if pressure shows outside, he needs to make a FAN call BSG: B gap responsibility (angle set) C: A gap responsibility (angle set) PSG: with 1 technique A gap responsibility (post set) o With 3 technique BOB call and angle set PST: BOB call vertical set on DE RB: Inside Out responsibility to the call side 18

20 60 Protection (4-2 Defense) Set and Calls LT: C gap (angle set) LG: B gap (angle set) C: A gap (angle set) RG: A gap (post set) RT: BOB (vertical set) RB: Inside - Out 61 Protection (4-2 Defense) Set and Calls LT: BOB (vertical set) LG: BOB (angle set) C: A gap (angle set) RG: B gap (angle set) RT: C gap (angle set) RB: Inside - Out 19

21 61 Protection (4-2 Defense) Set and Calls LT: BOB (vertical set) LG: BOB (angle set) C: A gap (angle set) RG: B gap (deeper angle set) RT: FAN! C gap (vertical set) Set and Calls 60 Protection (3-4 Defense) LT: C gap (angle set) If OLB declares on line, he needs to make a FAN call LG: B gap (angle set) C: A gap (angle set) RG: A gap (post set) RT: BOB (vertical set) RB: Inside - Out 20

22 61 Protection (3-4 Defense) Set and Calls LT: BOB (vertical set) LG: LION (dual read) C: BOB RG: RAM (dual read) RT: BOB (vertical set) 50 Protection (3-3 Stack) Set and Calls LT: BOB (vertical set) LG: LION (dual read) C: BOB RG: RAM (dual read) RT: BOB (vertical set) 21

23 7 Film breakdown P aul Brown revolutionized the way film was used and studied during his coaching years. This concept has since exploded into an everyday need, and coupled with technology, it has never been easier to watch, record and breakdown film. Film study is one of the most important aspects of the game and provides coaches and players with the angles to improve mistakes and exploit opponents weaknesses.. The level of play you are coaching will dictate the amount of film you utilize. Youth level play does not necessarily need any real film study. However, it would be good for youth coaches to study film to gain a good concept of different techniques and fundamentals. This manual is a great start! Poor coaches at the youth level can set up young players for bad habits by the time they get to high school. The critical teaching time for any player begins at the youth level. More middle school coaches are utilizing film review more than ever before, specifically after games. The ability to use it as a teaching tool can greatly improve the performance for the individual player and for the team. If you are going to use film to review games in middle school, keep it short and keep the critiquing short. Many middle school players will not grasp the whole picture yet. Instead, keep it simple, like focusing on the assignment and on one or two techniques. Be sure to bring to light important plays when a great block was made. Many kids still do not find playing the offensive line very attractive yet, so it is important to make those young players feel important. The high school level has exploded with film study. Depending on the amount of money a school has available will depend on the amount of film that is used. I am blessed to work at a district that has enough money in addition with the help of a strong booster club to provide the coaching staff with video and film equipment to help our players succeed. Our staff records every practice during the year, which we will watch and break down. Because many of us are teachers, we simply do not have the time to obsess over every detail in practice that could go wrong. In order to make any progress we focus on areas that demand immediate attention. We then make a playlist using Hudl and share it with our players accompanied with notes on areas that need improving. The ability to use film during practice has allowed our players to grow at an exponential rate. That is an important thing to think about when looking at film during the day, especially if you are a teacher. If you are not a teacher, you may have more or less time to 22