Originally posted by Red1:
Originally posted by PhillyNiner:
Yeah...I am a life long fan and when these threads popped up it really enhanced some of the detail for me in a way you just don't get watching it live. I am huge fan of the work guys do in here. Has anyone extended a invite to our Aussie friends?...a lot of American rules football questions in the Hayne threads...this stuff is like an infusion of direct knowledge of the intricacies of the game.
I was going to make my fellow Aussies aware but our friendly Mod English has linked a few threads including this one in The Hayne Plane thread.
So would most people say the OL is more technical than the DL or both have there moments. Obviously the D's instructions are to get to the QB and/or cover your man. I always thought the OL was just blocking their man to allow the QB or RB to find the space. It seems that it is well beyond that with certain plays deliberately moving in a certain direction 
Is this correct or am just like that new guy rambling about nothing.
Here's my contribution for any of the new lads.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_football_positions
Well, what's also helpful to know is that, in American football, we use a term a lot, "technique". It's meant to refer to how a player positions their body to perform their assigned duty.
For example: If a defender is covering a receiver, and he keeps himself on a side of the receiver that is towards the middle of the field, we'll call that, "inside technique". Again, if he's towards the sidelines side of the receiver, it's "outside technique". Defenders will play different techniques depending on if it's man coverage or zone, and where they're help is(the sideline can also be used as help). So, if we're asking which position requires more, "technique", I'd say the they're about even.
However, if we're talking technical in the terms of volume of information needed to be known to identify and execute an assignment, then it's most definitely the OL -especially in a power-man blocking scheme.
In a power-man blocking scheme, the blocking assignments can change dramatically, depending on the formation of the defense. There are many times, late shifts by the defense will also force these blocking schemes to change assignments at the very last second - OL have to be very smart guys. There's an old saying: "the defensive lineman is the guy who can eat the whole fridge. The offensive lineman is the guy who can take the fridge apart and tell you what every part does and put it back together."
For example(hoping not to get too technical to cause a fly-by): In a "93 blast" which is a run between the LG and LT - there are many different blocking assignments the O-line can have. The center, depending on how the defense is aligned, may combo on a DT, may help on a DT, then move to the 2nd level on a LB, may not help at all and go straight to the 2nd level, may "scoop" block a DT with help from the LG, may have a DT all alone. That's one position with multiple responsibilities from one play, all depending on the defensive front and alignment. Here's an example from one of Mike Holmgren's playbooks:
You'll also hear on broadcasts, "53(or whatever number)'s the Mike". This is super important a lot of times, because it's identifying the alignment for the offensive line. You see the "M" in the diagrams, the QB is identifying who a responsibility is and all the other players are often based off of where the "mike" is.
It also makes a big difference in pass blocking asignments:
Here's an excerpt from one of Gruden's playbooks:
Here, the identification of the "mike" is absolutely crucial. It's a very similar defensive front, 5 on the LOS with a LB pressed up on the LOS. One is a 4-3 "under" and the other is a "4-3" over. But, you can see how, if the defense blitzes out of the "4-3 over" front(the one on the left) and the QB calls out the "mike" as a 4-3 "under"(the one on the right) the responsibilities will be flipped and the LG is going to block a DT instead of being responsible for a blitzing LB. So, you'd more than likely have a free blitzer coming at the QB.
