“Nobody touches our quarterback”
Stance (Base) – Feet Parallel To Slight Stagger: Because of the base being close to parallel enables the offensive line to set their outside foot as an anchor, this stops any potential bull rush and forces the defender to pass rush outside.
Hand Down – Paint The Grass: To help assist an offensive lineman to set his stance properly we ask them to paint the grass with their down hand. Paint the grass with the down hand is a back and forth movement of the fingers, this sets the weight on the feet.
Helmet – Hammer The Nail: To help with your linemen to get into their pass set quickly we ask them to hammer the nail with the back of their helmet. When you hammer the nail make sure you drop your chin so not to get bull rushed off the back off your heels.
Show Your Jersey Numbers: To set your hips underneath you we ask our linemen to show their jersey numbers to the defender.
Sit Down In The Chair: Sit down in the chair is a descriptive term used to help keep your offensive linemen hips down and their weight underneath them.
Chin Over The Inside Knee: Whenever your offensive line pass sets you would want them to set with their chin over their inside knee, this gives them an inside body lean and will assist in stopping a defender from pass rushing inside.
Shoulder In The Hole – (Inside): With your chin over the inside of your knee we will take it one step further with an inside shoulder lean, this to will help in closing the door to the inside pass rush with a straight drop back scheme.
Set The Outside Anchor – (Outside Foot): When pass setting in a drop back scheme we ask our offensive linemen to drop and anchor their outside foot, this forces the defender to pass rush to the outside.
Shoulders Opposite The Punch: When pass setting we incorporate the term shoulders opposite your punch. Shoulders opposite your punch occurs as you hammer the nail and show your numbers to the defender. By forcing the shoulders opposite the punch it helps from keeping the defender making moves off shoulders that follow the punch which creates a waste bender.
Punch Up Through The Window: When your linemen set their punch you don’t want them punching out this is where a defender will make is move. So, we ask our linemen to punch up instead of out. When they punch up it sets their hips underneath them. Ask your linemen to punch up to the top of the numbers of the down defender.
Create The “W” (Show Me Its OK): In order to keep your offensive linemen elbows down instead of out we ask them to so me its OK, this is done by bringing the thumbs together and turning them up. This technique will also assist in the fingers of your offensive linemen rotating underneath the peck plates of the down defender.
1/2 Man Advantage – (Inside Position dropback passes): The 1/2 man advantage puts your offensive pass set on the inside ear of the down defender. The outside foot of your offensive lineman should split the crouch of the defender, this creates the 1/2 man advantage and assists in a pocket protection scheme.
Center and Guards Maintain The Depth Of The Pocket: The depth of the straight dropback protection schemes put your center and guards more aggressive with their pass set in order to assist with the depth between the defender and the quarterback.
Tackles Push The Width Of The Pocket: Your tackles in a dropback scheme are responsible for the width of the pocket by forcing their defender outside, this is where they can give some ground in order to force the defender up field and outside.
Circle The Wagons – (Sprint Out Protection): Circle the wagons in the passing game pertains to the sprint out game. As the quarterback starts his sprint out action we ask our offensive line to hard reach the outside jersey number of the down defender. On the outset of this play it will look line a run play.
1/2 Man Advantage – (Outside): With the sprintout schemes you ask your offensive linemen to work the outside 1/2. This is accomplished by using a dropstep and rip through playside jersey number as you try and attempt to work your hips and shoulders around in order for the quarterback can get outside.
Never Compromise Your Base: As a last mention in regards to the base by your offensive linemen. Never allow as you work through your drills for pass pro the feet to come together this will compromise the base.
About the Author of this post:
Jerry Campbell has over 30 years of high school and college coaching experience. He has experience as a head coach, offensive coordinator, and various position coaches. He has written numerous football coaching articles in various publications, is the author of over 30 books on coaching football, and has produced 12 coaching video series. Additionally, he is a nationally sought after speaker on the coaching clinic circuit.