Jake Kuresa’s O-line X’s and O’s (this is good stuff)

Photo by Mark Philbrick

Good stuff Quinn!! For all you fans and readers….. what a privilege. This is the first time I’ve looked at the sight and he really knows his stuff. I had the opportunity to play offensive line at BYU and Quinn pretty much nailed it on the head, with a couple of exceptions. The QB DOES NOT have the most difficult job on the field! LOL He does get the most scrutiny but at least he is recognized when he plays well.

As an O lineman you need to understand that if you ever hear your name or read your name there is a 99% chance you messed up really bad. And if you make the block of your life it could still be a bad throw or a dropped pass.

but don’t feel bad for them……. they love it.
Now for schematics. There is usually 3 parts to every play.

1- PRE SNAP READ. ( Read the defenses and understand all blitz possibilities that you may see). A 3-4 is very different from a 4-3 and has very different possibilities. And you better have been in the film room if your going to see a 3-3-5!!

All linemen must recognize the defense no matter how well it is disguised and be ready to execute any of the 4 to 5 blocking schemes when they hear the call. You will have about 1 to 2 seconds after the word before the ball is snapped. So even though the Centers job is very hard, any good lineman will be saying the call in his mind and know his threats before a peep comes out of the center. Keep in mind a large portion of this goes out the window when you play Utah because they will bring 6 or 7 of the most unlikely guys, just because they know they can’t get pressure any other way. I think they brought some people from the stands my senior year. LOL. And we still picked it up.

2- The second thing is CALLING OUT THE BLOCKING SCHEME. (a word that lets all linemen RBs and QB know how we will go about stopping the four down lineman and the most dangerous or most likely linebacker/safety blitz threat. Like I mentioned before you will have 1- 2 seconds before the ball is snapped.

This call is based on film study and the game plan installed by Anae, Reynolds, and Weber. This step includes the guard pointing directly at the man the RB is responsible for. I’m sure you’ve all seen Travis Bright do it. Could we make their job any easier?? LOL. The Lineman can only block 5 and the RB accounts for the 6th -the man that is pointed to and if he drops the RB will glance at a 2nd threat- usually a safety. Now if a 7th was going to come he’ll usually be responsible for covering the receiver out of the backfield and that is why you will see Harvey and Fui hit that swing route so often. The 7th rusher is the QBs man and he knows that and gets rid of the ball quickly. If only 5 come the line needs to figure out a way to block those 5 even if others were responsible when the ball is snapped. Then the back can release and that causes a lot of problems for the secondary. Ask Quinn.

In order to do this each lineman MUST know his first threat his second threat and where to go help if both threats drop into coverage so the back can release.

If we have two tackles locked man -one on one, the guards and center on a single nose guard and the RB blocking a safety, they are occupying 6 blockers with 4 rushers……. smells like a 3 and out! LOL
Again…..this just comes down to preparation. 6 blocking 5 is OK but a good offense should never have 2 double teams. We need that back out and getting open to really move the ball like BYU should.

If BYU continues to get their 5 on 5 match-ups throughout the game… then look for the scoreboard to light up!

3- Now for the easy part. BLOCKING YOUR MAN. Once you know which guy you are responsible for have to stop him. It will usually go something like this; DE #94, good speed rusher, has 6 sacks this year, loves the spin move, and an outside arm over. If he is stunting inside his weight will give it away plus his alignment will be tighter, and the linebacker will be a touch wider because he is the contain player. Look for his right hand at his side on the 3rd or 4th step because that’s when he spins. Hardly ever bull-rushes so you can give up power to get your feet in the right position. Don’t lean, balanced feet and never get beat inside.

Ok so now you just stopped the best spin move in the league. Max throws a TD and everyone cheers for him and Austin. They might even say something like wow….max really knows how to step up into the pocket, or it’s a good thing Austin is so fast or the pressure would have gotten there. LOL

Those pretty boys understand their role and they love it and they do it as well as anyone in the country.

What a great game. I can’t begin to tell you how much I miss it. Hopefully that was a little insight for you all into the mind of an O Lineman, and I hope everyone recognizes how good our O-line is and how hard they work. If you watch closely you will see things just as impressive as one handed catches and quick moves.

Written by Jake Kuresa