What does it mean when an offensive lineman pulls? Pulling can mean a lot of different things but in general you're getting in depth from the line of scrimmage and you're wrapping around to block the defender.
One of the more underrate positions on the football field, offensive linemen have duties far beyond most people can imagine. From initiating the start of the play to blocking for the quarterback so he can make the long throw to the wide receiver, offensive linemen play key roles in the success of any football team.
But, over time, offensive linemen have become known as big massive forces of men that stand in one place and protect the quarterback. But, in actuality, the men weighing in at over 300 pounds are sometimes faster than most would imagine.
So with that in mind, offenses have designed new and innovative ways to use the versatility of the offensive lineman. And one of those ways is by utilizing a pulling lineman.
John Powers, current offensive line coach at Lehigh University and former offensive lineman at Villanova, gives his views on what pulling means for offensive linemen.
"Pulling can mean a lot of different things," he said. "But in general you're getting in depth from the line of scrimmage and you're wrapping around to block the defender."
More times than not, when offensive linemen pull during plays they are usually running plays. But, there are some bootleg and rollout pass plays that will sometimes feature an offensive lineman in the flat as extra protection for the quarterback.
Of the running plays that offensive lineman usually pull on, the most common are sweeps and traps. However, with the steady advancement of offenses throwing in extra wiggles to their schemes everyday, pulling linemen are commonly instituted in other plays as well.
"There are a ton of different techniques that we use," Powers said. "It could be pulling the trap and putting a guy on the line of scrimmage or it could be pulling the cover on a guy at the second or third level of the defense. It all just depends."
For the sweep, probably the most common of pulling plays is also one of the offensive linemen's favorites. As big blockers in the trenches, linemen very rarely get an opportunity to get a full head of steam going into a block. But when a sweep is called, the lucky linemen involved usually get their engine going for a possible big collision.
Now, the sweep works by the ball being tossed to the halfback as he is headed in one direction. The guard, the two offensive linemen directly to the left and right of the center, are the ones that pull on the sweep play. If the play is going to the right, it's important for the left guard to get to the outside to block as he's pulling. This means that the right guard will block the first defender to show expecting for the left guard to be on the outside to seal off the next line of defenders.
The same thing works if the play is called to the left.
The trap is the more difficult of the two requiring very agile linemen. If the play is run to the left, the left guard would vacate his spot allowing for the right guard to move over to apply the block. But, this takes very swift and well experienced linemen to work effectively.
