Reach The Shade

Can our center reach the shade (defensive lineman who is lined up on center’s shoulder)? That’s the question offensive coordinators are asking before every game. There are times when using the standard day one technique will simply not get the job done. I have seen many centers over the years use a plethora of techniques to reach the front side shade on outside zone, and I would like to share my findings. Most of these methods are not taught during individual drills, so there is some trial and error to mastering them.

The starting point for making this block from the center position is to throw your hat across the shade’s body, fork your hands under and up – grabbing onto the defender’s chest pads/underarm cloth, and sprint to the sideline while pressing him back at a 45-degree angle. Ravens retired center Matt Birk made a living using this technique. Coaches also make a point to say “make sure you have a strong backside hand so the shade can’t shed you when the ball cuts back.” The nose guards in the NFL get paid to stand their ground so the good ones rarely get pressed back. If the center can at least wash the nose flat down the line without penetration, and allow the back to cut back – then that’s a win. Now the back is running off the blocks of the backside guard and tackle. If the center allows penetration, then the ball might still be able to stay front side as long as the tackle wins big and reaches his end that is not supposed to get reached. If the tackle gets stalemated and the center allows penetration, then the ball never has a chance to cut back off the backside guard & tackle’s blocks, and it’s a tackle for loss.

I have used this technique of throwing my hat and forking two hands inside to reach shades many times with success, but it is not always so simple. Coaches primarily teach this and it does work, but there are some down sides to targeting your two hands inside every time on outside zone. It’s hard to keep the defender from shedding you when the ball cuts back. The “have a strong back side hand” coaching tip I have heard a million times has led to many holding calls. I had a vice grip with my backside hand on the shade’s chest and refs will call holding here if the defender thrashes and flops to the ground.

If you don’t reach the shade within the first three steps, then expect the ball to cutback and now move your backside hand off the chest and wrap it around the outside of the defender’s shoulder pad. You are anticipating he will try to throw you off, but he can’t now that you have a firm clamp on him. I have not been called for holding using this inside hand wrap technique; however, I have been called for holding many times while I had two hands inside. I think it’s because with two hands inside, the defender can still jerk and yank off the block – but with an inside wrap hand, the defender is stuck on me no matter what and can’t separate and thrash around to draw the ref’s eye.

Some centers go for the backside hand wrap with their first step (retired Texans center Chris Myers and Saints Max Unger prefer this), which works best for outside zone to the open side (non-TE side) when the tackle doesn’t have a high chance of reaching his end. Wrapping your inside hand from the start essentially predetermines a cutback for the back. When running to the TE side or open side, I believe you have to attempt to fully reach the nose first to give the back a chance to stay outside, then after three steps if the nose is widening too much, move your hand to the wrap position in anticipation of a cut back so the nose will not be able to get off your block.

If you are playing a shade who is in a two-gap read mentality and you try to wrap your backside hand, he will control you the entire play because his two hands are controlling your chest. Against two-gap read players, it’s best to fork your two hands under and up, and press vertically since two-gappers normally don’t have much momentum going forward and they can be vulnerable to being driven back.

Another useful technique is wrapping the outside hand, clamping the defender’s outside shoulder. This has worked for me and other centers like Cowboys Travis Frederick, but with your hand outside it has a higher chance of being called for holding. And this has the same problem if the shade puts two strong hands on your chest, then you can get driven back. This technique works best against a shade that blindly steps up field with poor awareness.

A mistake I see some coaches make is to teach the center to lose ground when reaching the shade. This may work against a JAG (just a guy), but if any decent defender gets his hands on you when you are losing ground, there is no recourse and you will be driven into the backfield and get embarrassed (that’s why I prefer to throw my hat hard across the shade’s body). The only time losing ground works on a good player is occasionally with the jump hook technique. You are relying on the shade to step up the field so you can jump around him flipping your hips to wall him off. This will work against young players and penetrators with their head down, but not against a player that shoots their hands well. A defender can catch your chest while you are jumping and pancake you into the RB. The jump hook is also best to the TE side because if you jump hook a shade to the open side, and he presses you into the B-gap (between the center and guard) while the tackle gets squeezed  then there is nowhere for the back to go. He can’t cut back now, and he can’t stay front side.

During my early years with the Redskins, the starting center Casey Rabach used the rip technique almost exclusively on outside zone. To use this, simply snap the ball, and rip with your backside arm across the defender. Often times you may latch your arm under the defenders then squeeze him to you, and you now have the defender’s in the “fireman’s carry” hold. I used this technique once to flip Chris Hoke (nose from Pittsburgh years ago) over my shoulder into a full slam during a preseason game. Let’s just say he was not happy with me the rest of that day. After latching into this position, sink back making it look like you’re being held and the refs have actually called defensive holding three times over my career when I am actually holding them. In my opinion, it’s best to use against a shade that penetrates. The penetrator just wants to disrupt the gap, and will not allow you to square him up, but you can throw your hat across him. Then bring up a rip to reach him right now – and you have now created a running lane. I also like this technique on the goal line when defenders penetrate.

Some savvy shades will play a bit off the ball and use a long one arm inside hand stiff arm to the center’s chest, making the standard two hands inside technique and the back side hand wrap technique impossible. When the shade turns sideways and sticks that long arm into your chest, he will win against most centers. When the shade shoots his one long arm to my chest, I chop it down with my inside hand, and then wrap my arm under his armpit. This is the same thing wrestlers and UFC fighters want to get, the under hook control, and when I sink the under hook, I will control the defender the rest of the play. He is usually very frustrated because not many centers use this technique. I first noticed Pro Bowl center Kevin Mawae use this early in my career. It’s not easy to execute for the first time, but it has been a great tool for me to defeat many NFL shades that use the long stiff-arm technique during my career.

Some shades will attempt their luck with an outside long stiff arm too. The chop to under hook will not work, but a quick swipe with the outside hand timed up just right will cut the defense in half. Here is an example of using this with a jump hook vs the Packers.

There is one last trick to use if the shade jets the gap and jumps the count. It’s called the rope technique. You will actually let him go up the field, then club him in the back preventing him from running down the line. When you club his back, it forces him deeper into the backfield – and more times than not, the shade will fall on the ground because he is expecting to put his hands on you, not getting a club to his back. It’s like pulling the chair out from under him. Retired Bears center Roberto Garza did this well, and Kyle Long does this great from his guard spot as well. See here how I used this technique in a game versus Arizonas’ Calais Campbell, and in practice versus Bears Jay Ratliff.

In review, for a center to reach a front side shade on outside zone, he can throw his hat outside & fork his hands under and up, wrap the inside hand, wrap the outside hand, chop down a stiff arm then sink under hook, swipe outside hand, jump hook, rip into a fireman’s hold, and the rope. It’s good to have all of these tools available to you during the game for the many different situations that may arise. Like a Swiss Army knife, you will need all the tools sooner or later.