This piece of football analysis was first published in Buccaneers Review, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ ground-breaking answer to the traditional game program. Buccaneers Review is sold at every Tampa Bay home game and it includes entirely new material, cover to cover, every issue. The magazine-style publication includes exclusive interviews with Buccaneer players and their opponents; in-depth feature stories; technical explanations of the game’s fundamentals by Buccaneers coaches, a close look at the opponent and their key players; cheerleader features; columns by Jon Gruden and long-time Buc standout Dave Moore; trivia quizzes; rosters, depth charts and much more. It is edited by Bucs UK Hall of Fame member Scott Smith. Feature- The Pulling Guard In this feature, Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Bill Muir, a man with 30 years of experience in the NFL, describes the on-the-job duties of an offensive guard, with special emphasis on a guard’s responsibilities during a pull play. When properly executed, the pull – a staple of just about every offense in the league – can spring a big run or buy a quarterback the extra time to deliver a perfect strike. In and of itself, the pull is an example of one the game’s most unique feats of athleticism – that of a very large man moving at a very fast pace. Here Muir explains the tactic in his own words: Legendary coach Jake Gaither, of Florida A&M University Rattlers fame, was once asked what characteristics he looked for in his recruits, to which he replied, “I like ‘em hostile, mobile and agile.” Gaither’s answer is a great description of an NFL offensive guard. On any consecutive series within a game, guards can be asked to drive block a 350-plus-pound defensive tackle and on the next play block a blitzing outside linebacker on a pass protection pick-up or account for a defensive back in the open field on a screen play. To say that the offensive guard is the “master of multi-tasking” would be an understatement. Consider a guard’s responsibilities on the typical pull play. The art of pulling is a delight to watch as these 300-pound athletes separate from the line of scrimmage and render their personal form of football violence on some unsuspecting defender. The first issue is the mechanics of the pull itself. Traditionally, the offensive lineman will assume a right or left-handed stance depending on which side of the center he lines up on. The trick is to open up with the foot nearest the direction the guard wishes to pull. Throwing the near arm quickly in that same side will assist in opening the guard’s hips in the direction of the pull. Obviously, the objective is for the guard to accomplish this without noticeably changing his stance since the defense is always alert for such pre-snap keys that could indicate whether the play is a run or pass or even the direction of the play. Also, it is typically more difficult to pull toward the upfoot as opposed to the staggered foot of the player’s stance. To visualize the suddenness and efficiency of the initial movement that begins the pull, imagine pulling a plug out of a wall socket. Now initially clearing the line with the proper pull mechanics is only the start of a chain of reactions that guard must experience. On average, an offensive guard will have about 10 plays in a game that will require him to pull, and those plays can be both running and passing plays. He must determine whether he is the onside guard or the offside guard as well as know what the adjacent linemen’s blocking assignments will be on each play. In addition, he must adjust his initial pulling depth to both clear the adjacent blocker as well as achieve the best angle to successfully complete his blocking responsibility. Glossary: Opening up – The process of lining up one’s hips and shoulder in the direction one will be moving. Upfoot – The foot most forward in the guard’s stance. Staggered foot – The back foot in the guard’s stance. Onside guard – Of the two guards on the field, the one nearest the direction the play is intended to go. Offside guard – The guard farthest from the direction of the play; he is required to run through the area of the quarterback-center exchange in order to execute a pull. When a guard pulls from an onside position, he is generally dealing with a very quick-developing defensive adjustment that will cause him to kick out or turn up on a perimeter defender. He must use his eyes from the moment he clears the line of scrimmage and have the agility to adjust on the move to ensure a collision. Whether an offensive lineman is blocking straight ahead or on the move, this game is about violent collisions, about being physical and about intimidation. When the guard is pulling from an offside position, he has to be sure to clear the quarterback, as he is moving through the initial area of the quarterback/center exchange. And while he may have a fraction-of-a-second more than the onside guard to make an adjustment, he has more of a variety of entry points from which to determine the proper one. He may have to read a fullback’s block on the perimeter and adjust in or out to block his assignment. On another play, he may be required to adjust to the tight end’s block, or he must find an onside entry point in order to get through the line of scrimmage and block the appropriate linebacker. Once again, it is about the collision at the end of the pull, but it is the hoops that an offensive guard must jump through to get to that point that makes his talents unique. To sum it all up, an offensive guard’s job description requires him to burst off the line of scrimmage and move quickly to the point-of-attack while reading any number of clues in a nanosecond in order to deliver a violent blow. To an offensive line coach, such as myself, that is the ultimate example of poetry in motion.