Now that all the camps are in full bloom, someone’s finally mentioned the O-Line. Figures. All the glamor stories have been told so what else is there? The O-line, yea, let’s talk about them. Seems like an after thought, right. NOT.
That’s where the games going to be won this year if you ask me. Good flat backs, short choppy steps, lead with the face mask, head up, follow with the hands grabbing the opponents chest and jersey (always), accelerate the hips and rotate them simultaneously upon contact and keep driving the guy until the whistle blows….sounds easy right. Guess again.
The guy across from you usually runs faster and is suppose to be a better athlete, which I beg to differ. The smartest guys on the field play offensive line.
Now pass block a guy who’s running full speed at you while your moving backwards….yep backwards. Who’s the athlete now?? Try it sometime. Head back, squatted position, feet apart a little wider than shoulder width, chest out, hands up in the ready position, ready to slam into your opponents chest like a jack hammer to slow his speed or stalemate him in stride, grab everything inside you can get your hands on and be careful of the rip, or the opponent grabbing your hands off of them. This is the inside hand-fighting game that goes on every down. Also look for the leaning or the shoulder tilting as they may be preparing for a rip and spin move and know the arm bar may follow. Sometimes you give them the hands then take them away in a double pump move to get them reaching for you and to keep them off-guard as to when contacts coming.
Never hop, only shuffle steps, or quick half steps with a good wide base, whatever rings true in your brain, (never hop), never cross over, that’s a cardinal rule you never break. Never back out too fast, you only give them running room at you, stagger or vary your set (short to medium) unless your guys way outside, then never, never, upon contact (open the gate) which means open your hip. It’s tough to explain but easier to show, meaning stay as square to the line of scrimmage as much you can even when a guy is on your outside, like when the opposing D-ends line up on our tackles to pass rush on long yardage like 3rd and 8, they get at a 45 degree angle to our tackles to try to get an advantage on the corners of the tackles. If you drop your outside leg as a tackle you create a short corner (death to the QB).
What do you think….easy stuff, huh? And that’s just an overview, we could talk about steps, depending on where the opponent lines up across from you, body positioning, double team blocks, feet again there and hips together and the list goes on per situation. Hand placement and countering a rip move when your beat or in trouble and the list goes on and on. So who are the smartest guys on the field? Who has the most to think about while the ball is being snapped, while the defense is sometimes shifting and the adjustments are made incrementally in nano-seconds?? You be the judge.
Tags: 2010, Denver Broncos, Mark Cooper
It takes an O lineman to know the importance of the O line, great read Coop, glad to see you back, outstanding O lineman piece you just wrote, talk about an inside look. Yeah I’m a guy who believes in the trenches, both sides of the ball, but the O line is the egine that makes the car go, and yeah all of this off season I’ve had your back, talking O line about every chance I get, that is where our season will hang, in the peformance of the O line, any chance you can unretire and land us a hand, we could use it just about now, haha.
Wow, great post. Gets my heart racing just reading about it. The game is always more fascinating when you know about all the thousand little details that are happening at every second that make the difference between a successful play and a blown-up one.
Hats off to you and your o-line brethren. And let’s hope for a quick and full strength restoration of the 2 Ryans, to create a foundation for the new kids in between them.
could anyone else post yesterday? the website wouldn’t let me!
Coop! You rule, dude.
If anybody would know how to be a great linemen,the Coopster would know! I enjoyed watching you play bro!
It does take a smart man to play OL.
I agree 100% with you,the season hinges on the Oline,as I posted a while back,the Oline will make us or break us this year !!!
My son plays in high school and loves playing on the Dline,but he says the Oline is a LOT harder,and it is.IMO.but he has to play on both sides,which will make him a better more versatile athlete.
But for everyone that thinks playing Oline is easy,listen to the Coopster,he knows what he’s talkin’ about !!!
BFE
Yovi21…I couldn’t post until last night,the blog is glitching,I think.
interesting fact
RT @broncos_sacco: Broncos only NFL franchise with 90 or more wins each of last three decades–that from Erich Schubert
Here is what bailey said about Wink, and what he meant to say about Nolan.
2. Broncos 12th-year cornerback Champ Bailey really likes playing for new Denver defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who replaces the departed Mike Nolan. “I like the way he’s doing things,” Bailey said. “He really talks to the corners and lot of the veterans to get our input on certain things. A lot of coaches are so arrogant they don’t do that. I’ve played for a bunch of them.”
Wow. That was a zinger that Champ had locked and loaded for a while now I’m guessing.
Here is the link. TC postcard broncos by don banks.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/don_banks/08/10/broncos.postcard/index.html
I see the blog still isn’t fixed.
ive been able to post today but it does seem strangely quiet on here today!
so I think that a good indicator at how close we are to a superbowl will be if Champ sticks around next year!
I can’t believe this. The blog was fixed, at least for me, yesterday and now it’s back to the same problems. Anyway, that was a great post Coop! It really helps one understand the complexities of what a offensive lineman goes through. I too believe football games are won in the trenches. You really have to be strong both mentally and physically to be a lineman in the NFL, or really at any level. Lets hope our new guys are up to the challenge. I think they are. It may take a while for them to gel as a group if we don’t have some of the vets back, but I think they can do it. Does anyone have any news on Clady and Kuper?
Wick’d article Coop. Thanks for the insight of the O-men.
Full inside coverage on NFL total access of the Denver training camp tonight!
according to max denver
Chris Baker and D.J. Williams will return to practice … ditto Dustin Fry, Spencer Larsen. Brian Dawkins will also practice today. #Broncos
also max denver
Demaryius Thomas not practicing, but his X-rays were negative:
also max denver
“We don’t have a guarantee one way or the other. I’m hopeful.” – McDaniels on Clady’s possible return by Week 1
is Thomas a definite no for this weekend?
Justin Fargas is about to become a Bronco!
broncofanlvnm
where did u read that
ah nevermind found it
Maybe they worried about bucky or moreno more than they letting on. I think bucky is more of a concern
I have faith in our line.
GO BRONCOS
Thanks for the responses and we didn’t even get into blitz pickups. That’s another chapter depending on the offensive scheme.
I was talking to KC Jones two nights ago over pops, many of you know his name as he was here with the Broncos in the 90′s and was backing up Nalen (tough job) and it was fun discussing techniques and schemes we both played under and Ryan Clement was there and many of you remember his name from Mullen, and then he went to the U. Great QB and we were all discussing schemes and blitz pickup techniques we saw, the good and bads and some funny stories.
Have to share a quick one with you. KC’s the center at the U at the time and he’s been playing a noseguard (can’t remember his name) for 4 years and in his senior year they had Bitch Davis as Head Coach who ran a center out scheme which leaves a huge hole in the middle for the guards to cover and the defense always runs a T-T stunt which means the guys lines up over the guards with the center uncovered and stunt in what’s really much like a pick move in basketball. One tackle aims at the opposite guards earhole and trys to pick him off while pushing the guard back and the other tackle stunts around.
Anyway they are in the middle of that stunt and KC’s blitz doesn’t come and get a head of steam and earholes the nosetackle stunting who was always talking trash and KO’s him..out cold. So later the guys comes back in and is less than effective and while walking by KC, KC says, “how was you nap.” and the guy never said another word…..pretty funny.
Preseason will be interesting as we’ll get to see a number of combinations on the O=Line which will make for interesting watching if you can. Take a few plays each series and really pay attention to what goes on in the trenches and I think you’ll get a new appreciation for the interior line play.
One of the reasons I wrote the article is I’m assitant coaching my sons 6th grade Creek team, so I’ve had to break things way down incrementally so the little guys can understand it and show them in slow motion and stop-speed what it looks like and feels like so they can do it right and it’s been a blast. You can see there eyes get big with excitement when things work and or start coming together.
Latest I’ve heard in Clady, was maybe by week 1 and nothing solid on Kuper. A really bad strain can go 6-8 weeks easy then it’s never really right all year and your taped inside the sock then spatted on the outside typically, ask me, I almost have a doctorates degree in being dinged 101.
Technology has come a long way even with the new ankle strain booties you can put on that act like a soft splint…pretty amazing.
Toss out questions if you see something on the line I can help explain this week against the Bengals.
GO BRONCOS
Hey everybody, check out the Boys of fall video: This is excellent
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlXDo5WhQXI&feature=related
Summing up, Green NCAA update, etc….
Found your post interesting. I’ve added a Trackback to it
…
Didn’t post after the game as I was curious to see if any controversies would pop up and it was funny one of the news channels took a poll on who should start at QB.
Anyway, obvious that Kyle has the offense under wraps and the first team units did well and I’m sure the rest of you saw what I saw in that depth will be a real issue for us this year.
I like the offensive line play and the fact that we did a pretty good job up front and had guys moving around playing different positions.
I’m headed to the Lions game this week and was interested to see Quinn and Tebow live when I saw tonight that Tebow is hurt. My guess is broken ribs since he has a flack jacket on and the way he was holding his ribs.
Did that in camp one year and they shoot em up and you wear a flack jacket to protect them for about 6 weeks or so. On a QB, he’ll probably wear a version of that all season now and going forward.
Ribs are tough one for a QB. He’s a pretty tough guy so I’m not too concerned.
What’s your take on our depth?
Offensive Line Play…
[...] ailey said. “He really talks to the corners and lot of the veterans to get our [...]…