Football: Offensive Line

Football is a very funny sport. A man sits down in what seems to be an invisible chair, then hands the ball to another man between his legs. When this happens, 22 men run at each other and come together in very vicious collisions. Then, the defense (the team without the ball) tries to bring the ball carrier to the ground by means of throwing his body toward the ball carrier. You have four chances to get 10 yards, or 30 feet to receive a new "set" of chances (downs). Though most people kick the ball toward their own goal on their fourth and final down to avoid giving the ball to the other team.

There are several positions in the game of football that require different size, speed, smarts, and separate skillsets. One of the most peculiar is the offensive line. For a little background knowledge, the offensive lineman is on the offense (the team with the ball, looking to score) and must block the defensive lineman or linebacker (The closest defenders to the line of scrimmage, or where the ball is set on the ground before play starts.)

The offensive lineman is typically a very large, burly individual. There are usually 5 true offensive lineman on any given play. There are three sub-divisions of offensive lineman: Center, (one who "snaps" the ball by giving it to the quarterback to start play) Guard, (One to the left and right of the center) and tackle (outside the guards) (Visual: T G C G T). Centers (Colligate and professional level) tend to be anywhere from 6'-6'4 and 290-350 pounds. Guards are typically 6'2 to 6'5 and anywhere from 280-320 pounds. Tackles are regularly 6'4-6'8 and hovering around 290-315 pounds.

What does an offensive lineman do? In its simplest terms, they try to keep defenders that are lined across from them from getting to the ball carrier. This will allow the ball carrier to run to the goal line (endzone) and score points for their team. Lineman must be very strong in order to push people out of the way. A good NFL lineman bench presses around 450 pounds and can squat around 600 pounds. They also have to be relatively smart, to remember which way the ball is going to be run (discussed in a "huddle" before the play begins). They must also have good balance and movement skills to avoid being put on their back. The left offensive tackle is the 2nd highest paid player on most football teams because you have to find a 6'6 305 pound man with the strength of an ox, long arms, and size 17 feet that move like a ballerina. This position protects the quarterback's blind side, or non throwing arm side (Quarterback cannot see behind him).