Curious about people's thoughts on what physical attributes makes a player a potential O lineman or D lineman. For example, (and only as an example) why does our staff look at the twins as OL players instead of DL players?
OL vs. DL Player Attributes
- Thread starter Herkmeister
- Start date
DL players are typically better athletes, more explosions and agile. OL man are good athletes but probably not just as explosive.
OL - Think old George Foreman..will club you to death over the course of the game...powerful, and will beat you senseless every single play. The blows in the first quarter pay dividends in the fourth...just like boxing and body blows.
DL - Think Ali...especially the DEs...you have to have some sizzle and speed to get past old George.
DL - Think Ali...especially the DEs...you have to have some sizzle and speed to get past old George.
Good question Herkmeister. I would say it comes down to certain skills more than raw physical attributes in most cases.
Seems to me that you might have to break down even further by position. Quickness and/or speed seem like a premium at DE as opposed to OT, a quicker big man might have more value there.
Balance, ability to keep balance, might be more valuable on OL as opposed to DL. OL have to pas block, or hold a block while moving backwards. Agility is key to OL more so than DL I think.
Sometimes physical attributes can be determinative. Huge players like Juan Harris are custom made for NG or DT it seems -a force in the middle designed to disrupt an opponents running game.
There might be some mental attributes involved as well. I would think that some players are just more naturally motivated to play on one side of the line over the other. For some reason, I can't see a headhunter like Matt Roth playing on the OL.
There is a mental aspect to being an OL. We used to call fullbacks dumb guards. I always envision them more refined and DL a little more savage.
Heard a coach once (Hayden?) talk about the personality and/or mental attributes. Offensive players stay cool and collected, defensive players need to go more ape.
There are 2 very different kinds of DL...inside (NG/tackle) and DE. The inside guys are alot like OL in that they usually have a lot of mass and powerful hips 'cuz their job is to move the opposing player (or at least create a stalemate), whereas the DE's need to have a good mix of strength and quickness.
