Every Pro Bowl offensive lineman with freakishly long arms has been beaten in pass protection. It’s a wonder how journeymen OL aren’t just turnstiles to QBs across the country. The pass protection coaching points and tips are easy to talk about, but hard to execute. Sometimes it just comes down to being scrappy, and inventing new, unorthodox ways to keep the defender away from the QB. There are many techniques and strategies to get the job done, but the best way to deal with a good pass rusher is to run the ball and stay even with the sticks (stay out of obvious passing situations).
With “Sexy Rexy” taking my snaps, the Redskins beat the Super Bowl Champion Giants twice in 2011. Our recipe was running the ball to prevent their pass rushers from getting loose. Kyle Shanahan was able to call running plays all day because we were even with sticks. These downs are 1st & 10, 2nd & six and 3rd & short. There aren’t many pass rushers who like to play the run. They are saving up for pass downs because sacks = $ for DL, so usually their best efforts come on passing downs. That day, every first down play call was either a run, or a play action pass. These plays are golden for an offensive lineman because we can be aggressive in both scenarios. The tackles might have a bit more stress during a play action pass, but they would still prefer PA to drop back on first down. The DL play run for the first three steps until they read it’s a pass. By this time, the OL should have a good handle on things. We used this strategy the whole game and only had to deviate a few times on 3rd down. The entire game we minimized drop back passes, so the elite pass rushers didn’t have many opportunities to wreck the game.
The Von Miller’s of the world can’t get sacks if they can’t breathe. No huddle, rapid-fire offense will eliminate the pass rush. A lot of teams have used this over the last few years with varying success. The key is getting the first 1st down. It does you no good if you call three plays in 60 seconds and have a three and out. In 2007, when I was on the Jets, we used up-tempo, no huddle whenever Albert Haynesworth (pre-$100M contract) was in the game. After a handful of plays when the big guy got tired, he wasn’t nearly as effective. Regardless of who you are playing, when using the “speedball” package (as Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase called it when he was my offensive coordinator with the Broncos and Bears), there will be zero pass rush because the DL is simply too tired. Occasionally, non-speedball, pass happy games come along and blocking those thoroughbreds all game long starts with the basics.
The first action an offensive lineman takes is getting into their stance. It’s crucial that OL use the same stance for run and pass plays when even with the sticks. I have been a part of many games in college at Virginia Tech and in the NFL when our DL is giddy before the game because they have a huge key on the left tackles stance (or other position). For example, when the Hokies played UVA from 2002-2005, we keyed the left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson. When he had a big stagger in his stance it was almost 100% pass. When his feet evened up to shoulder width, it was a dead give away that it was a run play. It didn’t matter if the Wahoos tried to call a play action pass, because before the ball was even snapped the Hokies defense knew run or pass. It’s easier for the OL to pass protect from a big stagger, but if it causes the entire defense to know run/pass keys pre-snap then it’s counter productive. Some OL simply have to cheat their stance to move 300lbs, and in years to come the defense will continue to key those sloppy stances. One of the best I’ve seen at keeping the same stance for run and pass is Falcons right guard (my former Redskins teammate), Chris Chester. He keeps a slight stagger at all times so he can execute all blocks and in all third downs he goes to a two point stance. He will even run block out of this two-point stance, so when defenses try to find a key on Atlanta, they will not find one from Chester. Maintaining the same stance the entire game takes practice, for those who cheat their stance, it will hurt them in the long run. Once your stance is mastered, next step is your pass set.
The sets OL need in their toolbox include: short, set-in-shoes, run action, 45°, soft 45°, and vertical. Short sets are for play action passes. My first couple years with the Redskins, offensive line coach Joe Bugel preferred the short set to any others, even in obvious passing downs. I found out the hard way that short sets should really only be used when there is a threat of running the ball. In 2009 while playing right guard, I attempted to short set the Falcons Jonathan Babineaux on 3rd and long. My momentum was going forward and he didn’t honor aggressive run sell. He was in pass rush mode all the way, swiped my outside hand, and flushed Jason Campbell out of the pocket. Although, when used in the right circumstances, it is effective. The footwork is three rapid but measured run steps, make contact, and then sink your hips and pass protect. Retired Giants guard Chris Snee was excellent at this. I used to study his short sets, he used them about the entire game even for drop back passes. Packers guard TJ Lang, and Texans left tackle Duane Brown also have elite short sets. The benefit to this set is the defender doesn’t have time to start his pass rush move, but if the DL gets wise, a quick inside/outside move can defeat the short set. That’s why I liked to wrap my inside hand on the defenders inside shoulder to protect for the quick inside move, and then I would stab my outside hand on the defenders chest. If you smell a rat (meaning the DL has a twist game on, or a cross dog), then take off the short set and use the set-in-shoes-set.
For a three-step drop, the preferred set for guards is to “set in your shoes” (just pick them up and put them down slightly inching forward with a few taps). You can use your short set for three-step drops as well if you can redirect. Your vertical set here should be avoided, unless you have knowledge that a pass twist coming. From my experience, setting in your shoes is best so that you can redirect (especially for the inside move), but still take on the bull rush. Keeping the line of scrimmage firm is paramount. Retired Redskins guard Randy Thomas was unbelievable at this. He tapped his feet like he was playing the piano then he would put a hole in the defenders chest with his punch.
For more of a sell, you use run action sets for keepers, bootlegs, or any other hard run action pass where you sell the run the entire play and never worry about settling into pass protection. Sometimes the coordinator will tell the QB to tell the offensive line it’s a run play, and then secretly tell the receivers their routes to make sure the offensive line sells run like they should. As far as an o-lineman is concerned, just block it like it’s run all the way, and that helps to suck-up the LBs and open holes down the field. I have even been taught to step four yards down field and actually block the linebacker even though this is technically illegal man down field. The consensus is that it’s too hard for the umpire to make this call since he moved behind the offensive line for most of the game.
Next is the 45° set. This is an aggressive pass set used by tackles and guards who normally have inside help with the center sliding their direction. This takes away the bull rush. More times than not, your defender will work inside to your help. It’s risky to use with no inside help but there is an answer.
The soft 45° set starts like a 45° set. The first three steps are urgent, which normally freezes the end, then the OT settles his feet knowing he must be able to redirect with no inside help. This confuses the end because at first it looks like the tackle is flying out there and a quick inside counter move should work, but once the tackle regains a balanced posture the end is stymied, realizing that his inside move will not work. The end is now in no-mans-land without a quality move available. Former teammate, retired Panthers Pro Bowl tackle Jordan Gross used it many times against DeMarcus Ware with success. This can be used as a change up for any set, especially for the short set when the OC gets PA happy and the end is no longer biting on the run fake. It can also be a good adjustment for the vertical set.
The vertical set is used during deep drop back passes when there is no inside help. Coach Bugel outlawed this set when he was my line coach. I do think this is a useful tool, especially when the DL run a lot of twist stunts, and if the rusher only wants to use “Jacky Chan” hand swipes with no threat of power. It is not good versus somebody with a bull rush, and guys with speed to power. If a left tackle can set vertical against the top rushers and keep them off the QB, then that tackle will be very wealthy.
Centers have several things to deal with as well. It’s a challenge setting back to the level of your guards, so you don’t get picked by a “T-T game” (when one DL picks the C, and the other loops around), but remain firm enough to take on a serious bull rush, especially from a pinching three technique (defender who lines up on outside shoulder of the guard, particularly Geno Atkins, Michael Bennett) so the pocket doesn’t collapse. There is no easy way to do this, often times you can catch the two inside defensive tackles communicating just before the ball is snapped. Usually they are trying to figure out which one is supposed to pick the center and which one is the looper. So I would initially think be firm at center, but if I see an excessive amount of communication between the inside guys then I would smell a rat, and set more vertical to defeat the T-T game (if the T-T does pick you, try to spin around and box out the penetrator, basketball style).
Teams also have an extensive linebacker double A-gap mug package, which takes some awareness. For this situation, the center needs to set vertical, while dragging his backside hand so he can overtake the running back’s penetrating LB when the defense calls a cross-dog (LB x-twist). The centers that set firm here will get picked, but occasionally you’ll be able to snatch the looper before you get picked. If the LBs rush straight, then it’s usually just to set up the cross-dog later. The LBs can also pick the guards. It’s a challenge to protect your guards from these penetrating LBs when setting vertical at center. The guards here must have awareness in this situation and need to set vertical so they can protect themselves exactly like the center. I’ve had success picking up this stunt in recent years playing next to guards Matt Slauson, Kyle Long, Ben Garland, Orlando Franklin, Manny Ramirez, Chris Chester, and Kory Lichtensteiger. We will alert this situation pre-snap so everybody knows what to be alert to. These veteran guards know how to pick it up. Unfortunately, most rookies are clueless to this and don’t figure it out for a year or two.
If there aren’t any twists going on there is still a thought process. At center, there is less space – which can be a good thing or a bad thing in pass protection. I loved it because I could usually snatch my defender before they could make a move. However, it is challenging when a quick twitch guy lines up in the gap and jumps the count. You don’t have enough space to make up ground when they do jump the count, so hopefully you have an experienced guard who has played some center and knows the problems. If you are lucky, your guard will drag a hand on his way to his responsibilities. At times you will see a 0-nose as well (DL lined head up on center). I usually would short set these slobs and get on them before they could take a step. It gets harder when the 0-nose is Aaron Donald or J Ratliff. The quick twitch guys can embarrass you with a quick swim or club if you don’t change up your set. You can cheat your sets against guys who only use one or two pass rush moves, but for the elite guys with a three way go (rush inside, outside, and down the middle), you have to set them honestly. Honestly means settle back some (between a vertical set and set-in-shoes) with hands placed inside ready to stop the bull rush now – if the bull doesn’t come, then move your feet and take him where he wants to go. Don’t over commit to the first move; most times it’s a set up for them to counter back.
Defensive linemen have different moves, so offensive linemen need to use all their tools to keep them guessing too. DL love a guy who punches on his third step every time. What DL hate are guys who mix it up, short set, set in shoes, 45° set, run action set, vertical, etc. The more DL have to think, the slower they play and the higher the chance they don’t get to QB.
In addition to different sets, there are different punch techniques to let the DL think about. There is your two hand punch (retired guard Randy Thomas had a great two hand punch), two hand punch & replace (retired guard Mike Wahle perfected this), two hand fork under and up (Saints guard Jahri Evans, retired center Jeff Faine, and center Max Unger have mastered this), wrap inside hand & punch with outside hand (retired guard Ben Hamilton comes to mind), wrap outside hand & punch with inside hand (guards Evan Mathis, Matt Slauson), and wrap with both hands (Coach Bugal called this the “hug-em & kiss-em” technique – he was not a fan). You have to be a large man for this to work, but you still can’t pass off a twist and are more vulnerable to the bull rush with two hands wrapped outside. All of these players have had success using these different techniques. Some OL also flash their hands (Kyle Long has used this vs. JJ Watt), then when the DL swipe to knock their hands away, the OL quickly moves their hands out of the way and then instantly bring their hands back up to snatch the DL’s shoulder pads. This is more of a change up, because if you are always moving your hands out of the way then you are vulnerable to the bull rush. Each hand placement technique is vulnerable to a specific pass rush move (which I will not divulge). I have tried all of these punches & hand placements with success and failures. I have found that mixing it up is the key so the rusher can’t predict when I shoot my hands, like a boxer throwing different combinations. Boxing expert Teddy Atlas helped to enforce this strategy when he conducted boxing clinics in the 2008 offseason while I was with the Jets. His main message was to avoid a hitch, or tell that forecasts your punch. The less information your opponent has to anticipate your hands coming the better in both boxing and offensive line play.
Some defenders will turn sideways and stick a long arm bull rush on your chest. This is almost impossible to stop if they catch it right. Albert Haynesworth earned his $100M contract partially with the long arm bull. If you know your defender likes this move, the best way to defeat it is to knock his long arm down before it gets to your chest. If you time it right, he should be completely off balance and more times than not on the ground. Lucky for me, I had an entire training camp to practice this against Haynesworth, once he finally completed his conditioning test.
One last favorite of mine is what I would do to a 0-nose who was lined up an inch from my face. A split second before I snap the ball, I would jab the guy in the face with my left hand (this is technically illegal now, but it’s rarely called). This completely stuns him and his rush plan is out the window for that play. It has worked for me at times against J Ratliff over the years, especially when he was with Cowboys (he wasn’t too thrilled with me when I did this the final training camp practice last season with the Bears). For full disclosure, Ratliff did get a sack on me in 2009 when I was playing right guard. He lined up in a 4i (just inside the right tackle) and used the rarely seen skate rush (chop, to snatch while jumping with an arm over, using my punch to sling him around while he clenched my outside shoulder pad). That sack really did make me mad because I was in a good balanced position, and executed a solid two-hand punch. My shoulder pads failed me on that play because Ratliff was able to grab my back shoulder pad too easily, using my punch to help him skate around me. It was like pushing somebody on a tire swing – standard shoulder pads have a place to grab just behind the shoulder, after that sack I switched to the pads that have an extended shoulder pad so the place to grab is almost mid back where they can’t get to. After changing to shoulder pads with fewer handles to grab onto, the skate rush hasn’t been a problem. In addition to the quick off hand punch, retired Raiders/Dolphins center Jake Grove told me he used to snatch guys down by the facemask twice a game if they lined up too close. After you add these tools and proper shoulder pads to your toolbox, there are still a few tricks to use.
(AP Photo/Paul Spinelli)
One of my favorite tricks I learned was from Pro Bowl tackle Jamal Brown. I was playing right guard next to him in Washington during the 2010 season. We had a shovel draw pass in, not to be confused with a regular draw that’s handed off. After getting the shovel draw pass called in the huddle, JB asked me at the line who we had on the draw, and I knew he thought we were running the standard draw and not the shovel version. There was a lot of conversation at the line before that play, and meanwhile JB’s defensive end just stood there looking clueless. We ended up getting positive yards on the play and when I asked JB about his question he said, “I was just asking that so my end didn’t fire off the ball. I do that two or three times a game especially on 3rd down.” It’s a genius move. I have since used it a handful of times the last few years. On a 3rd and long when you have a drop back pass called, ask your line mates loud enough for the defense to hear, “who do we have on the draw?” The DL will think it’s a draw, they will not use a pass rush move, they will stand there and by the time they realize it’s a pass – its too late and the ball should be out. You can only use this one time per game, unless they rotate in the backups – then you can use it twice a game max.
At center you can also feed the defense misinformation. Most times when a center shouts out Lewis, Lion, Lasso, or any “L” word he is sliding left. The DL listen to this and often times set their pass rush moves/stunts according to where the center is sliding. When I shout out Lewis and slide right, it messes up the schemes that the DL attempt to run. Their pass stunts are set according to where they think the center is sliding then I end up sliding right into their stunt picking it up. A different way a center can mess with the DL pass rush schemes is to take a long look to the direction you are not sliding too. They will notice you are looking one way and assume you are sliding that direction. On the snap when you slide the opposite direction, it will catch them off guard and again foil their scheme. 
Denver Broncos center Will Montgomery (64) during fourth quarter action against the Miami Dolphins in the NFL game at Sports Authority Field in Denver, CO, November 23, 2014.
Pass protection is stressful for every lineman who has ever played not named Walter Jones or Jonathan Ogden. The best way to pass protect is to run the ball and call play action. Stay out of obvious pass downs at all costs so that the DL can’t tee off. Different techniques work for different body types, and different sets work against different defenders. For a bull rush guy, I am short setting. For a finesse rusher, I’m setting vertical. If a guy can do both, then I am mixing up my sets to keep him guessing. There is more than one way to get the job done including different sets, hand placements, punches, dummy calls, pretend questions about draws, etc. With all the potential problems that can come up, offensive linemen have a plethora of answers in their toolbox to choose from to remain looking like a graceful dancing bear.
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