Cleveland Browns: Can Austin Pasztor be fixed?

Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Austin Pasztor has been the subject of much angst for Browns fans. He has problems in pass protection. Can they be fixed?

Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Austin Pasztor has been the brunt of many Browns fans’ frustration. His play this season has been less than stellar and fans have a legitimate reason to be frustrated. Against the Miami Dolphins, he had the unenviable task of blocking Cameron Wake, who made Mitchell Schwartz look silly a few years ago.

For all of Pasztor’s problems in pass protection he does provide an adequate push in the running game. His presence has helped the Browns become the fourth best rushing team in the NFL. So for all negative that comes in the passing game, the silver lining is his run blocking.

But can Pasztor’s troubles in pass protection be fixed? Before we can examine this question, we must first have a basic understanding of rules of pass protection. This will allow us to have a trained eye when examining his flaws.

LeCharles Bentley explicates the three most important rules of pass protection. Austin Pasztor should be following these basic rules in pass protection.

Get out of the stance

The first rule is to get out of the three-point stance and into a pass protection position. This may seem overtly basic, however, most offensive linemen who played in spread system in college exclusively use a two-point stance. If these same linemen played in a spread system in high school, they will need a lot of coaching by the time they reach the NFL. (The same can be said for the use of leverage in run blocking as well.)

Coming out of a three-point stance, the lineman’s back should be curved, upright and he should be bending at the knees in order to stay under the defender. Staying under the defender is important for gaining leverage when punching.

In the tweet above, Pasztor fails to get into a set stance before engaging the defender. As a result, he never regains his balance and the defender is able to overpower him on the way to the quarterback. Notice also lack of bend in his knees, this robs him of power in his punch. Pasztor struggles with linemen who can convert speed to power because he is not in position to punch with leverage at the point of engagement.

Can this be fixed? Absolutely. Pasztor needs to be quicker off the ball. He needs to be in position to engage the defender from a stance that will provide leverage.