Hold the Line
April 29, 2009 09:10 AM | General
April 29, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Dave Johnson wants things done right. Over and over again this spring Johnson talked about his offensive linemen using the proper techniques in blocking. Things like the right hat placement, using the correct steps, etc.
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| Sophomore Donny Barclay is part of an inexperienced West Virginia offensive line in 2009.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
Why?
Well think of it this way. You are using your dad’s extension cord and he asked you to wrap it back up when you are done. Instead of wrapping it up in an overhand/underhand fashion, you just wrap it quickly around your hands and elbows. The cord may be wrapped, but it’s not wrapped correctly and it will soon wear out.
To use another analogy, picture a basketball player who has learned to become a good shooter with his elbow sticking out, or a golfer who adjusts his address to the ball to compensate for a slice or a hook. The result may be OK even though the technique is wrong.
Because there is so much involved in playing offensive line, Johnson is adamant that his players do things correctly. That means starting with their stance and proceeding all the way through to the end of the block. Some coaches are willing to overlook minor technical flaws as long as the player can get to his man and block him. For Johnson, that’s simply not good enough. The means must always justify the end.
Sophomore Donny Barclay explains.
“He teaches us on the zone steps not to cross over. They used to cross over and (Johnson) wants it done a different way,” Barclay explained. “He doesn’t like you doing it that way because you can get off-balance and you can get pushed a certain way.
“He’s trying to break the old habits, especially with the tackles. When they took steps on the outside zone they crossed over and sometimes you get tipped over and you lose all of your leverage.”
Without getting too complicated, Johnson has said many times that using the correct technique is the only way he knows how to teach things because no matter what scheme you employ, eventually there will come a time when man-on-man blocking is required. In those instances, poor technique is a recipe for failure.
What makes things a little more challenging for Johnson is the 3-3 stack defense his young players have to block everyday. Johnson says in order to block the odd front he has to teach his players the exceptions to the rules instead of the rules.
Safeties coach Steve Dunlap elaborates.
“You go from the end and work your way back to the beginning with this defense,” Dunlap said. “It’s tough.”
Barclay agrees.
“It’s different,” he admitted. “It’s nice for a different look but it’s harder with the odd front because there are linebackers flying everywhere.”
The more you delve into what an offensive lineman is required to do the more confusing it becomes. Not only does a lineman have to know how to block a certain play, he must be able to block it against every conceivable defense thrown at him. And that’s only the beginning.
He must also know what the other four linemen are doing on that particular play, using the right techniques to maintain the proper leverage. To top it off, he must accomplish all of this without tipping off the play. Now, multiply that by the number of plays West Virginia currently has in its playbook and it can easily become overwhelming for any player – young or old.
Naturally, the more plays a team has the more things a lineman has to remember. That’s one reason why a lot of very successful programs don’t have huge playbooks.
“I remember I kind of struggled getting it last spring,” Barclay said. “Because Coach Johnson is so good at teaching it, once you get it down you’re good.”
And that means plenty of video work.
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| Dave Johnson |
“We come in here every day,” Barclay said. “If you keep watching this stuff it’s going to come into your head. The biggest thing Coach Johnson has been working on is recognizing blitzes and different fronts. We can recognize it on tape and then do it on the field, and it’s going to become more instinctive to us.”
Unfortunately, the only way to become instinctive is by playing and West Virginia does not have a whole lot of experience in this year’s group.
Right tackle Selvish Capers has the most starting experience with 19 career starts. Center Eric Jobe replaced injured Mike Dent late last season and played in the Meineke Car Care Bowl win, while both Barclay and Josh Jenkins have just limited experience. Right guard Jeff Braun has no playing experience at all.
“We’re all young but we’ve got to be productive,” insisted Barclay. “Jeff Braun has stepped up at right guard and that’s big. He’s another guy we’ve got.”
Factoring in everything, Johnson said he would like to be able to go into the fall training camp with eight linemen prepared to man the five spots, with at least three players capable of performing the shotgun snap at center. With Barclay and backup Chad Snodgrass both getting injured during the spring game, it will be interesting to see how far along the O-line will be when fall camp begins.
Fortunately, Barclay’s facture to his left leg was not as serious as first thought and with rigorous rehabilitation the left tackle could be back to unrestricted work by July.
That would be great news heading into the fall.
