The Right Guys for Your O Line Positions | FBCP S11E14

The offensive line could be considered the most important “team” to take the field on Friday nights. Sure, special teams is one side of the ball and defense wins championships, but you can’t win 0-0 and the offense goes as your O-line goes. Piecing that team together can be a daunting task, especially for small schools where you may or may not have five guys that look the part.

On this episode Joe and Daniel are joined by Coach Jack Dingus and Coach Matt Allen to discuss the personnel of perfect O Line positions, and what the “right guy” looks like for each one.

What does the “right guy” mean for your O Line Positions?

• All coaches on the panel agreed that the best guys at O Line positions WANT to be there. Life in the trenches is different from any other position and it takes the right mindset to play there.
• Coach Dingus said he likes his offensive linemen to be a little crazy and detail oriented. 
• Coach Allen rephrased crazy  to gritty, wanting a player to bring enthusiasm to O Line position

What system/scheme do the panel coaches run?

• Coach Dingus coaches a mix of gap and zone play schemes and prefers that his O Line Positions do not swap from play to play. 
• Coach Allen used Quick Side and Strong Side O Line positions in the past, but found they made it easier to game plan against his teams. He currently coaches primarily zone schemes.
• Coach Daniel uses the Pistol Power Offense and mixes both gap and zone schemes, which favors a different direction from year to year based on personnel. He also doesn’t have a Strong Side and Quick Side of the line, but does usually have a “best” side to run to.

What is the ONE trait you’re looking for for your O Line Positions? Is there just one?

• Coach Daniel believes that size and strength are “absolutes” when you’re talking about the ideal offensive linemen. However, the ability to communicate effectively is a rare and super beneficial trait.
• All coaches on the panel placed intensity and effort in their top traits to look for. Intensity can make up for size, speed, and athleticism. 
• Competitiveness and discipline rounded out the list of key traits for any O Line Positions 

Do offseason workouts foster the grittiness mentality?

• Workouts that are successful, bring about confidence in players. Once they are confident in their abilities, they tend to settle into their roles and start doing the little things right, like communication and decision making.
• Once a player is comfortable with what he’s doing, he will do it faster and with more personality, which is where the grittiness stems from.
• Workouts and Drills should lead to the WANT to win at everything. Building competitiveness in a player will lead to a culture of winning every time the ball is snapped, which will transfer to Friday nights against an opponent, with added violence.

What does the “right guy” look like at center?

• The ability to snap the ball is the only thing some coaches look for here. However, there are plenty of attributes and skills you need from a center.
• The center needs to be football smart. He’s often dissecting the defensive front to call out the Mike Backer, directing traffic in pass protection, and much more.
• He has to be able to communicate and it helps if he’s a natural leader. Those on each side of him need to take his guidance and act accordingly.
• Like every O Line position, he needs to be good to great with his footwork. The requirement to snap the ball and then execute his block is tough, but can be nearly impossible for someone with poor footwork. 

What does the “right guy” look like at guard?

• The guards are the guys that most need to have a “bad attitude” towards the opponent. Especially in pulling schemes, they need the guts to be kick-out/swap blockers. Any hesitation can lead to closed gaps and bouncing the ball outside.
• Their physical appearance is the least set in stone. Tall, short, round, jacked… whatever body type can give you the performance you need on Friday night will fit here. 
• Needs to be able to communicate with his cohorts, but doesn’t have to talk a lot. Uncovered Guards calling a combo in the zone game, and counting off their pass protection assignment will suffice. 
• If down blocking is your game, you may find a limitation in how small of a player you can get away with. You’ll need the mass to crush a large DT.

What does the “right guy” look like at tackle?

• Tackles should be the largest ATHLETE on the field. Especially if you’re passing the ball
• The LG should probably be your best Guard. The blind side blocker is critical for your offense’s performance… and your QB’s confidence.
• Agility and versatility are key factors here. Must be able to mirror the Defensive End’s pass rush games, and have the intelligence to read the DE and feel out what’s coming
• Your Tackles should have long limbs to help to set the edge in pass protection, along with good footwork to keep himself balanced and effective.
• Often described as the 3rd String TE (maybe 2nd if you’re never using a 2nd anyways)

Related Links

• If you are still piecing together your o line positions, or have them in place but they’re young and inexperienced, listen to this episode from Season 10 about using RPOs to help your O-Line.
• Wanting to work on your O-Line’s footwork? Need to really hammer out those first 2 to 3 steps? This episode from Season 7 talks all about making average players great (and bad players average) by focusing on just their footwork.
• Pass protection footwork isn’t left out here, we know they’re both important. Listen to this episode from Season 3 to hear Joe talk about pass pro and how to make your O-Line better at it, starting with their feet.