12/21/24
September 02, 2007
As Line's Choreographer, Center Holds Key To Success: Crouched and holding a football between his legs, a center in the N.F.L. faces crucial split-second decisions before each snap. What formation is the defense in? Is the line about to stunt? Is a blitz coming? Where will it come from? Do I need to change our blocking assignments?
posted by tommytrump to football at 07:58 AM - 4 comments
I seem to remember reading about some test results that found the offensive linemen were, as a group, the most intelligent men on the field. It's easy to see why.
posted by Howard_T at 02:15 PM on September 02, 2007
Last year I resolved to watch good football (living in the Lions broadcast zone and being too cheap to cough up for Sunday Ticket largely thwarted that). I think this year I'm going to try and focus on watching the line (inso far as the camera operators let me), as articles like this have convinced me that winning football teams all start with the lines.
posted by oxocerite at 01:12 PM on September 04, 2007
This article was pretty cool. Centers have the most fun on the O-line. All the other O-line guys block D-line guys on almost every single play. Not centers, they get to go after LBs and Safeties on most run plays. Even when centers do have to block D-line guys, they usually are the double team guy, shoving some guy from the side. Once the ball is snapped the hard part is over for the center. Good times. The Chiefs Casey Wiegmann makes it easy to pay attention to the O-Line.
posted by Slaptastic at 11:26 AM on September 05, 2007
The hardest job in football next to the long snapper.