Remember when the offensive linemen on any high school football team where the five fattest, least mobile guys? Man, was that a long time ago. What happened to the five-fat-boy rotation upfront? Offenses like the Spread, requiring offensive linemen to block multiple levels of defenders, killed their places in the game.
In the past, we wanted offensive linemen who couldn’t get run-over. That was really our only requirement for those guys.
Now, we want guys who can move and get downfield to block smaller, quicker, and often more athletic guys. The big-uglies as we have called them forever in football have been in the weight room trimming down and streamlining. They’re still big, they may even still be ugly, but many of them run like the wind and are as athletic as decathletes.
We can’t afford, in today’s day of offensive formations, and since the advent and introduction of the Spread and its companion schemes, to have linemen who can’t move. Linemen have to be able to get out on the hoof and cover-up second and even third-level defenders.
Sure, play-side it may be “block the guy across from you” but the back-side guys don’t just get to watch the action as they had done for years in high school football. Heck, I can remember when back-side offensive linemen thought they were on some type of mini-vacation.
Enter your Zach Tong-types. Football has been described by many pundits now-a-days as “basketball on grass.” The exception-no whistle for the hand-check. In football, we’re hand-checking the heck out of you.
Regardless, we see length, wing-span, vertical explosion, broad-jump, change of direction all of which is both measured and worshipped as we enter combine-camp season. Football combines look like more like a cross between a track-meet and elementary school “field day.” Bet you never thought the old broad-jump would have so much importance for you after leaving 6th-grade.
What you will see are more linemen pursued, promoted, and honored like Zach Tong. Tong has just been selected to the Jackson Times-Voice‘s very prestigious All-Seventh District Football Team in spite of just having completed his sophomore season. It is very reasonable to assume both Tong and Connor Deaton (Breathitt County, OT, 6-7, 340-pounds) will bookend the KPGFootball’s All-State Sophomore offensive line when that team gets out of selection committee.
They have both been nominated. They both played all year on really good football teams. They both have similar physical characteristics. They both have similar game-play.
Tong is a kid who will just get better as he matures and develops. Into just what a few years is likely to turn him is a scary proposition for defensive linemen around the 2A classification.
Better get on this one quick boys. This dance-card is sure to start filling fast.
This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!
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