Protecting the Passer
The game of football is made up of many important aspects
and multiple aspects must align in every snap to have a strong passing and
rushing game. One of these aspects is the pass protection. The offensive line
(the blockers), plays a key part in the pass protection. For your team to have
a good chance at a strong air attack (passing the football), your blockers must
give the quarterback and receivers time to both get open and pass the ball. Coaches
can try and improve their air attack, but the protection is the foundation of
the passing game as Gonzalez says, “Any passing scheme is only as good as the
protection afforded by the protection unit” (Gonzalez 46). If you want a solid
offense you must start by winning the battle in the trenches with your
offensive line to allow your offensive scheme to develop and perform to its
peak level. From this I can learn that the game of football is won in the line
of scrimmage, if your blockers don’t give you enough time for your play to
develop, there is no possible way that your game plan works the way it was meant
to work. Without your protection, your game scheme falls apart.
(OLB: Outside Linebacker, MLB: Middle Linebacker, DE:
Defensive End, DT: Defensive Tackle, LT: Left Tackle, LG: Left Guard, C:
Center, RG: Right Guard, RT: Right Tackle, QB: Quarterback, RB: Running back)
To improve your protection scheme, you can adjust and change
many parts of your game plan. Strong teams figure out multiple ways to gain the
advantage on their opposition. The quarterback is in charge to read the defense
on every play and make sure his offense is ready to execute their play as best
as possible. As Dan Gonzalez said in his book, “Concept Passing: Teaching the Modern Passing Game” each
quarterback is taught the protection system. He is to reassign protectors in a
certain scheme which will both enhance and sharpen the execution of each and
every play (Gonzalez 46). For your team to perform well, everyone must be
prepared- especially the quarterback. The quarterback is the leader in the team
huddle when your team is on offense. The quarterback’s job at the line of
scrimmage is to make sure your offensive scheme is ready to dominate your
opponent. If he sees something he doesn’t like, he should adjust the play so
the team has best opportunity at performing well on the play. From this I can
take in why the quarterback position is so vital to the game of football. The quarterback
is like the brain of the offense; without a good quarterback your offense will
shamble apart. Your quarterback and the protection you give him are vital to
the success you will have on the field.
Do you think the protection duty is more on the blockers
doing their job or the quarterback adjusting the play? Why?
Gonzalez, Dan. Concept
Passing: Teaching the Modern Passing Game. Monterrey, California: Coaches Choice,
2009. Print.
I have played football since i was very young, I have always been on the line(especially Offensive Line), and I have been to many camps learning from a wide range of coaches. I have learned that you can't have a good football team without a good O-line, I believe in the end it is up to the line to do their job and give the QB time to throw. Sometimes the QB doesn't see what the line does and thus we have to adjust ourselves, whether it is a blitzing linebacker, a shift in the defensive scheme or if they only rush three guys.
ReplyDeleteHi James, I personally think that the offensive line plays a key part of the offense in a good football team. But I think that the quarterback can be an even bigger part to the team's success. We saw this last season (2015-2016) with the Dallas Cowboys which have one of the top offensive lines in all of football. Eventually, the Cowboys ended up with a 4-12 record due to poor quarterback play. This goes to show how key a good quarterback is the success of a football team. I have never played football for a team but I agree with you that without a solid O-line, you can't have a good football team. Thanks for your input and comment!
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