Cleveland Browns: Spread offenses hurt offensive linemen, too

First, playing offensive line is unnatural. Think about it. When you were a kid did you go outside with a football and pretend to be an offensive lineman making the game-winning block? Did you get down in a three-point stance, fire off the ball and pretend to drive your opponent into the ground? Most kids pretend to be their favorite quarterback making the touchdown pass, or their favorite receiver catching the ball in the back of the end zone. Nobody pretends to play offensive line.

At an early age, kids are learning to throw, run routes and “put moves on” their opponents. It is just a natural part of playing football outside. Nobody pretends to be an offensive lineman. As a result, effective offensive line play requires more coaching than other positions to be done correctly.

Which, secondly, brings us back to spread offenses. Learning the nuances of offensive line play is difficult enough on its own. But spread offenses do not rely on good offensive line play to be effective. Therefore, good offensive line play is not taught in those systems.

Imagine an offensive lineman who plays in a spread system in high school and college. After eight (maybe less) seasons he will know how to get in a two-point stance (assuming this is not a center). He will know how to drop three steps back into pass protection and grab a defender in order to prevent a sack. Sadly, film proves this to be the norm. He will also know how to push a defender any direction the defender wants to go so the running back can make a cut off his block in zone-run schemes.

Yes, these are broad generalizations. There are exceptions to the rule, very good exceptions in fact. But exceptions prove the rule. For every Joel Bitonio or Zack Martin there are a dozen Greg Robinsons, Eric Fishers and Luke Joekels in the NFL. Once considered a safe pick in the draft, offensive line is now one of the riskiest picks.

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