Offensive line integral to football
Though they may not receive the recognition and glory of quarterbacks, running backs, or wide receivers, the offensive line is an integral part of any football team and can make all the difference for an offense.
The Utah State University offensive line showed this on Saturday against the University of Wyoming by not allowing any sacks against quarterback Jose Fuentes and blocking for tailback Emmett White who rushed for a game-high 274 yards and two touchdowns.
Contrary to what some believe about the role of an offensive lineman, they don’t just stand and block. On a typical offensive series, the line may be responsible for protecting the quarterback, blocking for running backs or even getting ahead of the wide receivers to block.
With such diverse responsibilities, practice is an important time for the players to work on their individual techniques as well as working as a unit.
“We start practice with individual drills and work on our technique, then as practice progresses we work on team things,” said senior offensive guard Jim Walker.
Walker said they watch film on their opponents and study the guy they’ll be lining up against in the game.
Along with having several different responsibilities on the field, offensive linemen play very specialized positions.
“The positions are pretty much specialized,” Walker said. “We did some switching last year because of depth problems, but you learn your position, know it inside out and [we’re] going to be a better football team because of it. This year there is not a lot of switching because we’ve got some depth.”
Though the positions have different responsibilities, neither Walker nor senior offensive center Ed Powell think one position is more difficult than the other. Powell said even though he has to snap the ball to the quarterback and block, he doesn’t think his position is tougher to play.
“We all have the same responsibilities, all the positions are hard,” Powell said. “I think I’ve got it easy because I’ve got these guys around me that already know their stuff.”
“If you’re surrounded by great players, you’re going to play great, and that’s what we’ve got,” Walker said.
Not only does the line play specialized positions, but they must use different techniques and formations for different plays. There is a big difference between running and passing plays.
“We use a different technique for running and passing plays. It is a lot more than just being there,” Walker said. “It is hard to really understand until you get involved.”
On a typical passing play, Walker said the first priority is to keep the defender off of the quarterback but then, depending on the play, the line has to direct the defense one way or the other.
“It depends on the way the quarterback sets up,” Walker said. “We’re going to want to steer the defense one way or another.”
An additional factor in blocking is knowing whom to block.
“With our formation, it depends on how they line up,” Powell said. “We are normally responsible for the guy in front of us, but we have to watch the backers.”
Due to the amount of things happening on the field at any one time, there is sometimes confusion on a play or the line may have difficulty hearing the quarterback.
“We don’t know what the defense is going to do, so we have to expect the unexpected,” Walker said.
“When the crowd is loud, it is hard to hear audibles,” Powell said.
For this reason, there will sometimes be situations where a team is seen trying to quiet their home crowd down.
This was the case near the end of Saturday’s game against Wyoming.
As the Aggies were driving to score, players and coaches on the sideline were seen trying to quiet the crowd.
Noise is great for defense, but on offense players need to be able to hear the quarterback.
One penalty common to see linemen pick up is holding. Walker said holding is just part of being a lineman.
“The better the guy, is the more you’re going to want to hold him,” Walker said.
“Even if you are playing a weaker player, you might use some lazy tendencies and play on their level when you should be playing better,” Powell said.
Though the offensive linemen are some of the biggest players on the field, they are still prone to injuries. According to the Utah State Football Media Guide, Powell is 6’2″ and 302 pounds and Walker is 6’3″ and 290 pounds.
“Linemen are more prone to injures because they are the ones hitting each other on every single play. They are the ones that are banging and are going to be more injury-prone,” Walker said.
Linemen also have to play differently for different quarterbacks.
“It is different for me when snapping the ball because quarterbacks have different hand placements,” Powell said. “When the score is close, I have to just make sure I get him the ball.”
“It is different for the other guys too,” Walker said. “Some quarterbacks may take more time in the pocket while others like to drop back and deliver the ball.”
Linemen may not be the most well-known players on the field but this doesn’t always mean they are overlooked.
“Some people overlook us, some don’t,” Walker said. “I think the people that understand football and know what it is about understand the importance of the offensive line.”
The team definitely understands the importance of the offensive line.
Every week the coaching staff selects different team captains, and in Saturday’s game, Walker was chosen to represent the team as a captain.
“Being a captain doesn’t make me any better than the other players. Everyone wants to play hard and distinguish themselves in a game,” Walker said. “I had a good game last week and I’m sure there will be someone different next week.”