Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
A fan’s reaction will tell you instantly whether an offensive tackle has held up his end of the bargain or not. A smile and a cheer as they watch their team’s offence break upfield? Check. A wince and a groan as they witness their favourite quarterback being scraped from the turf? Not so much.
The challenge facing tackles on a regular basis is a difficult one, to step up against the thoroughbreds of an opponent’s defensive line and keep them at bay time and time again. Defensive ends are the sack-happy speedsters of the trenches, and confronting them requires equal parts quickness and technique.
The Ticats’ own tackles, Brian Simmons and Marc Dile explain that the job of player on the exterior of the line is very different from that of his interior teammates. Stylistically different as they are, both facets of the group must work in harmony if the line is to function properly.
“We do have to be the quickest ones on that line and the most athletic,” says Simmons. “I look at it this way: the guards are blocking more like silverback gorillas and we’re blocking more like velociraptors or something. These dudes coming at us are athletic, powerful, and can change direction really quickly. But everyone has an important job on the line.
“My coach always told me this in college, but I look at offensive tackle as playing like a defensive back,” adds the rookie Dile. “You’re always on an island, and you’re always going up against a top-notch defender as far as the defensive line goes. So you’ve got to take some pride into it, you’ve got to be athletic. You ever hear the saying, ‘one line, one time’? It’s basically true. If one of the hinges came off on the offensive line, it’s all messed up. So we’ve got to be on the same page, and if we’re all on one page, good things happen.”
The man responsible for keeping that group in stride is the Black and Gold’s Offensive Line Coach Doug Malone, and Simmons indicates that the trench mentor has placed early emphasis on the technical aspects of line work.
“He really wants us to be doing the same things that we’ve been doing all the way through training camp,” says the sophomore tackle of his positional coach. “Coach Malone is a great coach and he’s big on technique. That’s one thing about him, he’s always going to make sure that we’re technically sound and ready to perform and do the things that we need to do to make plays.”
The practice field provides the backdrop for such continued work, and the Ticats’ own defensive line stands as constant competition and the source of healthy rivalry for linemen looking to excel. Dile explains that the competitive nature of the line battle is inherent, as both sets of players understand that pushing each other to the limit in training is the best possible preparation for the playing field.
“The game of football – or any game at that – is competitive,” says the rookie tackle. “When you go out there and compete, you bring the best out of yourself but also out of the guy across from you. Of course it’s going to be really competitive, but at the end of the day we’re family. We’ve got one goal, and we go into the locker room and clown around and have fun with each other. But when we’re out here we’ve got to compete to make each other better and get each other ready.”
A crucial aspect of any offensive line’s preparedness lies in their relationship with their quarterback, the man whose success (and well-being) they hold in their collective hands. Both Simmons and Dile are quick to suggest that there should be no concern when it comes to the line’s understanding with Henry Burris, and the two speak glowingly of their veteran leader under centre.
“I love playing for Henry Burris,” says Simmons emphatically. “He’s a really good guy, a positive guy. He really takes control when he comes to the huddle. There’s something about him that gives everybody the confidence that they can do their job. He’s very vocal, and he knows what he’s doing and what everyone out there should be doing. So I enjoy playing for him and I think he’s going to bring out the best in everybody on this line.
“For me, this is my first year up here,” adds Dile. “But one thing I know about Henry is that he brings energy on every play, and you can’t beat that. You look in his eyes and you see that fire that tells you that you’ve got to line up every play and give him your best, because he demands that.”
Blocking for Burris is a unique proposition, with the dynamic approach that he brings to the quarterback position. Equally adept in the pocket, on the roll and on a flat run, Burris creates a world of offensive possibilities. Simmons believes that protecting such a mobile passer entails a greater attention to detail and a longer commitment to the block than guarding a stay-at-home quarterback would.
“From my perspective, you really have to block forever,” says the sophomore of the challenge at hand. “With a pocket passer, you generally have an idea what area he’s going to be in, and you have a vicinity to keep your guy in. But with Hank, he can roll out, and if you see that end roll out you better roll with him. So you’ve really got to pay attention to detail in a different way with a mobile quarterback.”
Friday will provide the offensive line’s first opportunity to meet that challenge in a game environment, and Dile explains that the key to his group’s success in that season-opening tilt lies in their ability to execute the fundamentals of their position.
“When it’s all said and done, it all comes down to the small stuff, the stuff that you’ve been learning since training camp and even mini camp,” says the rookie. “It’s about taking the right steps, the right angles. If you win that battle by concentrating on the little things, you turn out to be pretty successful. I feel like as a group, we’re going to focus on that and see what the outcome is.”
