Teaching Offensive Linemen How To Pick Up Stunts
By Tom Bass, 30-Year NFL & College Coach, President of Football Federation U.S.A., Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Tom Bass is an original member of the Gridiron Strategies Editorial Advisory Board.
ONLY AFTER YOUR offensive linemen have mastered the fundamentals and have shown an ability to pass protect in 1-on-1 situations, should they begin to work on stunt pick-up blocking.
During the course of a game it’s sometimes necessary for two or more offensive linemen to work together to block defenders who may be “crossing” or “stunting” with one another.
These defensive maneuvers may be blocked by one of two methods:
1. Man-To-Man Blocking. Also referred to as “man” pass blocking, the offensive lineman stays with and blocks his assigned man, wherever he goes.
2. Zone Blocking. In “zone” pass blocking, the offensive lineman retreats and blocks any defender who comes into his assigned area of responsibility.
Man-to-man blocking seems the easiest to teach. The offensive lineman whose defender goes behind or second on the stunt, gives ground and picks up the pass rusher when he appears from behind the stunt.
Drills For Picking Up Stunts
There are several good drills for teaching your linemen how to pick up stunts. Begin by dividing your offensive linemen into three groups, with a coach supervising each group. Each group works individually with the defensive players executing a “stunt” (1 defender rushing behind the other) as they pass rush.,DIAGRAM 1: Picking Up Stunts (Drill A). Prior to the offensive linemen taking their stances, the coach watching over the drill designates which of the two defenders are to go first in the stunt.
Both the offensive guard and offensive tackle should power-step with their inside foot, protecting against a single inside pass rush. When the blocker sees that his man isn’t charging straight ahead, but is instead looping around behind the adjacent defensive player, he must give ground.
If his man is going away from the target area, the blocker must give enough ground and wait for the defensive player to reappear, once again attacking the target.
DIAGRAM 2: Picking Up Stunts (Drill B). When the opposite occurs and the defender is stunting toward the ball, the blocker must not only give ground but also must slide behind his teammate — moving toward the ball and getting into good position to stop the defender’s charge.
DIAGRAM 3: Picking Up Stunts (Drill C). In this drill, incorporate your center into the mix and have the center work with both offensive guards to learn stunt pick-up technique.
Dealing With “Uncovered” Linemen
If you do not anticipate a great deal of stunting by the defense, instruct your linemen to stay with man-to-man pick-up rules for all stunts. Each offensive lineman, therefore, knows which man is his responsibility before the ball is snapped.
No matter the stunt, the lineman knows doesn’t have to “over-think” the play and have confidence as to which defender remains his responsibility to block until the play is over. Indecision is a great hindrance — with man-to-man blocking there is no indecision.
Against certain types of defensive fronts, one or more of the offensive linemen may find themselves uncovered, that is, without a defender “in front of them” on the line of scrimmage.
If an “uncovered” lineman has no one directly over him at the start of a play. The lineman’s first responsibility then is the linebacker in front of him.
Uncovered-Linemen Drills
When using drills to teach uncovered-linemen pass-protection technique, use the aforementioned 3-group approach with groups consisting of the following primary groups:
Group 1. Left OT, left OG and Center.
Group 2. Left OG, Center and right OG.
Group 3. Center, right OG and right OT.,DIAGRAM 4: Uncovered Linemen Drill (Vs. LB Rush). Prior to the snap, the coach indicates to the person playing LB whether to rush the passer or drop off into pass coverage.
At the snap, the uncovered lineman’s first responsibility is to block the LB positioned in front of him (if the LB comes with a straight-ahead rush or stunts with one of the defensive linemen).
DIAGRAM 5: Uncovered Linemen Drill (Vs. LB Drop Into Coverage). If the LB doesn’t rush, the offensive blocker must quickly back away from the LOS so that he can see where help is needed and move toward that area.
