One of the most important tributes of an offensive line is unity. That group, more than any other, must be able to play as a unity. They must all be on the same page. I am blessed to work with a tremendous offensive line coach who is passionate about developing his group. He is one of the best at building offensive lineman into a unit. I asked Ty Palmer to write about how he builds unity with our offensive lineman, and he has put together a great article.
Building Unity Among
Offensive Linemen
Ty Palmer
Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator
Seminole High School
Seminole, Texas
Offensive
linemen are a very unique and special group. It is a fraternity to coach and/or
play offensive line. We as a whole tend to stand up for and defend each other
at all costs even if we do not know the other guy. The only thing we have to
know is he is a lineman like me. This is what makes coaching the offensive line
so special yet so challenging at the same time. There are not many kids in the
backyards and parks of America that dream of being a center on 4th
and 1 in a state championship game and getting a pancake block that keeps the
drive alive. If you find that kid, please call me because I will adopt him
right now. Most linemen grow up wanting to be quarterbacks and running backs
whose dreams are crushed in the 7th grade when they get sent to the
other end of the field. It is seen as a disgrace to be one of “us” by most
kids. However, it is a badge of honor and courage to be one of “us.”
As
an offensive line coach, you have a unique challenge ahead of you. You must be
able to take a group of kids who may or may not like each other, come from
various backgrounds and beliefs, and often did not grow up dreaming of being an
offensive lineman and make them play as one unit. I believe to be an effective
line coach, you must be a psychologist as well. You have to be able to figure
out what makes your group run and how to get them to do it day in and day out
in the most thankless role on the field. I am blessed that my head coach, Kent
Jackson, was my offensive line coach in high school. He gets it. Our offensive
coordinator, James Vint, has coached the line before, and he makes sure his
quarterbacks make them feel appreciated. People do not realize how far this can
get them in life with the hogs. They expect me to love on them, but it goes a
long way when other people recognize them. I tell my guys, “Me and your momma
are the only ones who know you exist and love you.” They have to learn to
depend on both you as their coach and also themselves. I know you have all
heard the universal “BLOCK LINE” from the stands, when ultimately, it is the
back that hits the wrong hole. This is part of being a lineman; no one knows
you exist until they “need” you.
I
have done several things with my guys to promote unity and build togetherness
amongst them. This year we started a Hog Meal every Tuesday night after
practice. We would meet at a coach’s house to eat dinner and just get away from
the field house together. I did not want to watch film at this meal or do
anything related to football. They needed to get away from it and be around
each other in a relaxed environment. It also allows your kids a chance to see
you outside of coach mode and be yourself. This goes a long way in allowing
them to see you care and love them as people and not just as football players.
I have always heard, “Kids do not care what you know until they know you care."
I firmly believe this statement to be true, and I think this is one of several
ways to show them you care. It is amazing what some cheap hotdogs and cookies
can do for a group of linemen. I know that sounds like a fat kid joke, but it
isn’t. I think this is something that can be done with any position group.
Another
thing I do is always have some sort of saying for the season or theme to bring
them together. This varies from year to year to keep it fresh and new for my
guys. I usually allow my upper classmen to help in this process. Kids can be very creative if you let them
help, and it means more to them when they have ownership of it all. We try to
keep it a “secret” for the linemen, and it is our thing. It is funny to watch
the skill kids trying to figure out what we are doing or what something means
and how bad they want to know. I think this gives my linemen some pride in
having “their thing” and helps bring them closer. Last year our rally cry
became “LOCK THE GATE.” I was watching a show with Hugh Freeze, and he was
giving a speech before the Alabama game and he told them, “They are good men, but
we will lock the gate and go looking for a fight.” It just so happens that our
field has a gate that locks during the game to keep people off the field and is
right by our pre-game warm-up spot. The kids rallied around that and it worked
for us. You have to find your thing and what will work for your kids. Each one
had this hanging in their lockers and they loved it.
Last
season, I used a chain link as their rallying point. Everyone has heard the
saying, “A chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link,” so I bought each one
of my kids a chain link and they had it with them at all times. They wore it on
a necklace, kept it on their key chain or even laced it on their shoe laces. I
still hear from my seniors about how they have theirs with them still in
college. Nothing is new in this profession, and most good ideas are stolen. It’s
no exception that I stole this idea from my head coach in high school (he is a
master of motivation). To this day, I still have a dog tag he gave us my senior
year in high school on my key chain. Right beside it is my chain link from last
year. I know these may seem like little insignificant things to you, but to
your kids, they are huge. They give them a common battle cry and rallying
theme, which is what a group of linemen need.
I
tell my kids, “You are five bricks but one wall,” all the time. I firmly
believe it, and you must too as a line coach. You are their lifeline and their
support; you must be bought in as a line coach. They know when you are not
fired up to be a part of them. You have a challenge to make them love being
linemen and staying out of the spotlight. This is why the Coaches Of Offensive
Linemen (C.O.O.L.) association’s logo is a mushroom. Mushrooms grow in the dark
and are fed garbage yet continue to flourish. That is the perfect picture of
being a lineman. You must find a way to help them understand that and flourish
through the garbage.
These
are just some of the things I have done to help build unity with my guys. They
may or may not work for you, but hopefully there is something here you can use
to help you out. I always love hearing what others have done or are doing with
their guys as well, so feel free to contact me. I love talking offensive line
play and techniques. My email is ty_palmer09@yahoo I can be found on twitter at https://twitter.com/OLCoach_Palmer, so feel free to contact me on either one.
Shameless Plug:
A few months back I published a couple of iBooks that can help your program with X's and O's. The first is on Installing RPO's into any offense. Here is a link to the iBooks version: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1078061959. The ibooks version includes explanations, diagrams, and video clips on multiple RPO Concepts. It will give you a simple process for implementing them into your offense.
If you don't have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can order the Amazon version for the Kindle. It has everything except the embedded video. You can order it here: http://www.amazon.com/Installing-Explosive-Concepts-Into-Offense-ebook/dp/B01B12YSCG/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
I also wrote a book on Tempo. It will greatly help you build a multiple tempo system with simple communication that will allow your kids to play with confidence. It also had over an hour of video clips! You can order the ibooks version here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1075902270.
Order the Amazon Kindle version here:
