It's a Game Won in the Trenches - By Max Schuster
When someone watches a football game, they watch it for the touchdowns, exciting plays, and loud hits. The spotlight falls on the quarterback, running back, wide receiver, the guys who make the exciting plays, and not the unsung heroes of the offensive line. The offensive line is where every play starts; no matter what the play call is, the center will snap the ball. That is what most people think of when they think of the offensive line, snapping the ball and blocking. Most of the time, they only notice mishaps, missed snaps, allowed sacks, holding penalties, and usually don’t recognize the positives: creating an open hole, giving the quarterback time, or the holy grail 'pancake.' A pancake isn’t just a lineman's favorite breakfast order but a move they love to serve on the turf on a Friday night. This move is when the lineman knocks the defensive lineman on their back.
Previously, I had stated that most of the time, people only recognize the line for the mishaps that happen, but they don’t realize how complicated it can be. For the Bombers, they will face multiple different types of defenses this year. When I asked O-line coach Tait Meyer what they do to prepare for different defenses, he mentioned, “It doesn’t matter the defense as long as we can stick to our fundamentals.” For most people, they know what that means. For others, it might be a foreign language. What it means is that on a run block, they will not only take the guy in front of them but move toward the linebacker upfield, double-team a guy, or pull across the line and pick up a backside defensive lineman. For pass blocking, it means creating the pocket that the quarterback can move around in, picking up any blisters, and, most importantly, making sure the quarterback can throw the ball. Life on the line isn’t as simple as people make it out to be, but that doesn’t stop the offensive line from having fun.
“There is nothing better than the fact you are part of a unit … there isn’t a time you can just be a lineman and be selfish,” Mark Schuster Alumni class of 90’ voiced. Most linemen would agree that nothing is more fun than sitting down with the offensive line group and eating tasty old food. But it's the same energy on the field. It’s the only position that players are fully engaged in every single play, pass, rush, trick play, whatever it is, the ball starts with the offensive line blocking. The fact that every play requires the offensive line as a whole creates this bond between them that is unbreakable. As Senior left tackle Nathan McClelland stated, “I feel like the other linemen aren’t just my teammates, but they are my brothers.” The brotherhood allows the offensive lineman to continue to allow wear and tear on their body and not receive any personal recognition but a victory.
Now that I’ve provided my opinion that the linemen don’t have any recognition, I’ll let it be known why they deserve it. Not only do they have to be engaged every play, but they have to have eyes on the back of their head to know where the running back goes, they have to block until the quarterback throws the ball, and they have to make sure that they keep their teammates safe.
It's safe to say a quarterback puts their trust in the linemen's hands. From Josh Woodard's point of view, “I just want the guys up front to give it their all and know their stuff. They can’t control their size they are but I know that they are gonna be meaner.” Josh also talked about how he and the rest of the quarterback room treat the O-line to dinner once a week”. It’s a known fact that the guys up front tend to work harder if food is on the line. That’s where the O-line earned their reputation, most commonly called the HOGS up front, for eating food as pigs do and then playing in the mud on the field.
After it’s all done, offensive linemen might not have the spotlight that the star quarterbacks or running backs have, but their contributions are key to the team's success. Without the hard work that they endure and the mental work that they have to prepare for the games, it would be impossible for the team's offensive success. The unsung heroes up front deserve more recognition for the role that they play. The next time a football game is on, watch the offensive line for a couple of plays and realize how much they actually do.
