George DeLeone O-Line Development

The video focuses on developing individual offensive line players through structured practice sessions, emphasizing fundamentals and technique. The speaker explains his philosophy on offensive line development, which he says he has used for 50 years, starting at Southern Connecticut State College in 1970.

Practice Philosophy and Scheduling:

The speaker is focused on developing players, as he claims he hasn’t coached at a place that has had a ready-made, great offensive line.
He uses a specific practice plan format that he has utilized since his first year of coaching. This plan is handwritten, listing times in the left-hand column, the practice schedule, and then the drills, which change every day.
The speaker stresses the importance of maximizing every second of coaching, stating that it takes him about an hour and a half to prepare for practice using this method. He wants his players to feel he is the most organized coach in the country.

Individual Practice Session Breakdown (30 Minutes):

The speaker breaks down a 30-minute individual practice session into three 10-minute segments:

First 10 Minutes: Dedicated to base blocking fundamentals, focusing on the technique of blocking, because players must learn how to block, regardless of the scheme (zone or rebound).
Second 10 Minutes: Dedicated to combination blocks, focusing on techniques for combination blocks, whether it’s a zone scheme or a gap scheme.
Third 10 Minutes: Dedicated to scheme-related work for the opponent.

Focus on Pass Protection:

Historically, the speaker always started individual practice with run techniques.
However, after seeing Alex Gibbs (formerly with the Falcons) alternate run and pass drills because that’s what happens in a game, the speaker reconsidered his approach.
Because of a commitment to improve pass protection at Baylor, Coach Rule mandated that every individual practice during the spring and summer would start with pass protection.
The speaker also mentions that offensive linemen are not covering kicks or blocking punts during special teams periods, so he previously used that time for pass protection drills.

Core Drills and Techniques:

Stance: For a predominantly zone team, a balanced stance is crucial, allowing the player to step with either foot. The weight should be 50% forward and 50% back, with the elbow against the rib cage and the off-hand on the knee. Coaching the stance and first step is the foundation of building the offensive line.
Sled Work: The speaker views “killing a sled” as a lost art and uses it for warm-up and to simulate resistance without going live. He prefers using two or three guys on the sled to work on coming off straight.
Leverage Drill: This drill is done every day to teach “pads under pads” and getting hands inside. Key points include eyes up, weight on the inside half of the shoe, and accelerating the feet at the end.
One-Step Punch Drill: Done at the beginning of preseason camp and spring ball, this drill focuses on a six-inch step, shooting hands back to the hips, punching, and getting the head up with eyes on the block. The speaker emphasizes keeping the elbows against the rib cage, which he sees as a major problem for young players.
Punch and Drive: This is essentially a drive block, where the second step comes with the punch to get control of the defender.
Boards: The speaker is “big on boards” because they help players maintain their base. The “over and up” drill is used for inside zone blocking, where players step over a line (or the board) and the second step drives the side of the board.
Shoots: The team uses shoots to practice keeping pads down and staying “lower, longer”. They also use a PVC pipe about a yard to two feet beyond the shoot to prevent players from immediately standing upright.
Pulling Technique: This involves three points of emphasis:
1. Putting the elbow into the back pocket (to open the hips).
2. Pivoting on the back foot.
3. Taking a lead step with the play side foot (no drop step).