Glossary: Offensive Tackle

Here at The Long Snapper, we know that a lot of the terminology in American Football is gobbledygook. Heck, plenty of it still confounds us sometimes, and our opinion of what we know is high enough that we started a blog! So, we’re here to help you out. These glossary articles are where you’ll find descriptions of various terms, with examples, and pieces talking through different aspects of the game. In this article, the highest paid and most well-known (all things being relative) position on the offensive line.

Simple: Protect the quarterback. Er, running back. Er, both.

Detailed: The offensive tackle will, ostensibly, do much the same thing as the interior offensive linemen – either stop pass rushers from getting to the quarterback, or block opposing linemen to help running backs. So why are there 7 offensive tackles in the NFL earning on average $10m a year, and no other offensive linemen doing the same? Well, er, it’s complicated.

The first thing to note is the offensive tackle, be he on the left or the right, is on the end of the offensive line. He might, if he’s lucky, have a tight end sat just outside of him to help out, but even with that, the tight end might be about to run a route rather than block defenders. So, he’s going to have a one-on-one (or two-on-one) battle more often than the guards or centers, and he’s less likely to be able to get help if he’s struggling. Coaches responded to this by putting their most athletic, dynamic, threatening players on the outside. The response to this was of course to put the similarly athletic, dynamic, strong players to cover them. Thus is the American football arms race.

But yes, the ideal offensive tackle can be taller (as the quarterback doesn’t need so much to see over him to throw the ball). He wants to have long arms, so that he has more chance to hold a pass rusher at bay, he wants to be quick so he can make the first move against an opponent, and of course, he wants to have bucketloads of strength. So let’s look at what he actually does.

The passing game is where you’ll probably be most aware of tackles, particularly left tackles. They will have to use their arms and strength to push back pass rushers, or to manoeuvre their body to move them away from the quarterback. They’ll need good balance to be able to stay on their feet and move direction quickly to block a pass rusher trying to spin past them and trick them with their footwork. They’ll need to carry on doing this for as long as possible, too, to give the quarterback chance to make the pass or escape and scamper downfield.

So, why are left tackles more important in the pass game? Well, it’s quite simple: most quarterbacks are right handed, so they’ll be facing forward with their left shoulder, ready to throw the ball with their right hand. In that position, they can clearly see what’s coming on the right hand side of the field, but even with the best peripheral vision in the world, there’s a whole heap of the left hand side that can’t be seen. So, pass rushers from that side have more chance of sacking the quarterback, making him fumble, injuring him, just generally making his world collapse. So you put the person who can most handle the fastest, nastiest, strongest, most dynamic pass rushers on the left. And the other guy on the right.

That’s monstrously unfair to the guy on the right, who, it’s true, may be more prized by his coach for his ability to do similar things to interior linemen in the run game. The right tackle is pretty damn valuable in the pass game too. But, you ask, the quarterback can see pass rushers approaching on the right, you just said so yourself, can’t he evade them? Well, he can, but pass rushers are coming from a running start, whereas the quarterback might not see them immediately. Even if he does, okay it’s less likely that he’ll fumble because he’ll have chance to secure the ball. He’ll still get sacked though, and possibly injured. And if your right tackle’s poor in pass protection, your opponent might well just move their best pass rusher over to that side of the field, and chaos will ensue.

In general, though, if a head coach has two players who can play tackle, and one’s better against the pass and one against the run, he’ll put Mr. Pass on the left, and Mr. Run on the right. It may not be fair, it may not even be the right decision, but it’s the current logic.

So, to be an offensive tackle, you need to:

• Use your strength, speed, balance, general dynamism to block terrifying pass rushers who come charging at you as if Hades himself had possessed them.
• Do “that run blocking thing” that interior linemen have to do too. You know, shoving downfield, pushing people out the way for your runners to run through.
• That’s it, really. Offensive linemen have very straightforward duties. It’s just they’re very important.