Dewayne Alexander, Asst Head Coach/TE Coach, Bowling Green
This video was originally posted on Glazier Connect.
It is a segment of a content video from Glazier Drive: Effective Ways to Use the TE in the Run & Pass Game in the Multiple Motion Jet Offense
See why 33,000+ coaches from schools across the nation trust Glazier Drive to help their program succeed.
Glazier Drive has 3,000+ individual videos from top coaches, 58 complete football coaching systems, and exclusive content from top coaches in the industry.
Start your free trial by signing up here: GlazierDrive.com
Video Summary
In this segment of Effective Ways to Use the TE in the Run & Pass Game in the Multiple Motion Jet Offense, the coach covers the base blocking fundamentals for tight ends and offensive linemen, then shows game film of tight ends used to create run gaps.
Fundamentals and technique
- Use base footwork with no fall steps. Stay off your toes, keep your head and chin back, bend your knees, and don’t let your weight get out over your toes.
- Keep elbows tight and thumbs up. When the elbows flare, the thumbs turn down and you lose power, just as you would on a bench press. Strike from low to high, delivering the blow with your hips, elbows, and core.
- From behind, a blocker’s elbows should “disappear” because they are tucked in, not bowed out.
Drills and equipment
- You don’t need expensive sleds. The coach avoids blocking sleds, even for offensive linemen, because the pads are too wide and encourage grabbing and clamping, which builds bad habits.
- Medicine balls (ask your strength coach) force players to keep their hands and elbows tight and to lift low to high.
- A board drill teaches footwork: place the right foot in the middle of the board, then the left, roll the hips, and strike. Repeat going left. Run it for at least five minutes a day, from January through spring ball, summer, and preseason camp.
- Second-level climb drill: when a down block or combination block’s target stems inside, the blocker keeps his hips square, maintains his base without running or crossing over, “glues” his hips, and lifts and drives through the linebacker or box safety.
Film breakdown (run game)
- Two tight end set: Adding a wing tight end creates an extra gap (C and D gap “bubble”) against a three-down structure with an overhang backer, which gives the offense space to run.
- Good and bad reps: The coach points out a tight end who crosses his feet and flares his elbows, which shows why the drills matter. The tight end still climbs and fits, but without explosive hands.
- Stretch block with jet motion: Using motion and a tight end who is off the line of scrimmage moves the linebackers and safeties and creates space. The tight end secures his gap, and if the gap isn’t there, he climbs to the second level and fits square with his elbows tight.