If we let the players decide where they played on O, most of us would have 8 QBs, 8 RBs & 8 WRs. What are some ways you get your guys to take pride in playing on the line, especially at the older ages (eg - 13-14s)?

G

At that age if they are true OLM....let em play QB and RB and WR. Shouldn't take too long before they beg you to play OL. Kids do want to start....somewhere.

OR....

Do as Lou Holtz suggests if you have the depth.  😉 😉

If we let the players decide where they played on O, most of us would have 8 QBs, 8 RBs & 8 WRs. What are some ways you get your guys to take pride in playing on the line, especially at the older ages (eg - 13-14s)?

If an O-Lineman ever tells me he wants to be a ball guy, I tell him to go all the way and join the cheerleaders.

O-Linemen can carry the ball, but who the hell wants to rely on a ball guy for a block?

Our current JV team has 4 OLM. Why ? Because several of them were allowed to try out to be ball guys. They told one to go back to the line and within 15 mins that kids mom was calling the head coach saying he isn't an OLM (starting center all last season and pretty good) and he would quit if he went back to the line. So what did they do ? Let him stay as a 3rd string ball guy.

So now they pulled 3 OLM from the freshman team to JV. The JV gets 1 real practice a week in season. Another stupid thing we do that is a long story.

Asked why we don't force the kid back and was told he will go back eventually on his own when he doesn't get reps at fb. Cool story.

What are some ways you get your guys to take pride in playing on the line, especially at the older ages (eg - 13-14s)?

I coach them myself.

--Dave

I coach them myself.

--Dave

I always have too in the past - this year I have the luxury of an experienced (and good) O-line coach so I'm adjusting.

I coach them myself. Past that I talk a ton of crap. I tell them how we make things go and that the skinnies job is to not screw it up. I tell our backs don't be mad because God didn't bless you with the body and athletic ability to play OL. I even had an OL in the middle of a drill ask me "so Jesus picked chose me to be an OL?"  Yes, yes he did. We reach certain benchmarks and I'll feed them. I do everything I can to make them feel like they are special and a bunch of BAD men.

when marines walk down a sidewalk other branches of service excuse themselves and give way...I took this to O line, everybody must go around them, step aside, yield to the O linemen. Make sure the running backs, QBs and receivers all hive five, hand shake, smack on ass whatever all the O linemen. Thank them!! appreciate them, when you score a TD yu walk up to the O line captian and hand him the ball!!

I never really have had trouble getting kids to play the offensive line. Every kid wants to win and having a great OL allows the team to accomplish that goal. When we are moving the ball and scoring points, they hear me complimenting the OL. I think success at our level comes in finding the right position fit our kids by evaluating their athletic ability. Some kids have excellent speed but are not running backs and have hammer hands. My thought is: if you can run you can play. Kids start to buy into your competence,passion and interest.

when marines walk down a sidewalk other branches of service excuse themselves and give way...I took this to O line, everybody must go around them, step aside, yield to the O linemen. Make sure the running backs, QBs and receivers all hive five, hand shake, smack on ass whatever all the O linemen. Thank them!! appreciate them, when you score a TD yu walk up to the O line captian and hand him the ball!!

Maybe those silly seaman step aside but no self respecting soldier would. 😛 You must be another delusional marine.  😀

I coach them myself. Past that I talk a ton of crap. I tell them how we make things go and that the skinnies job is to not screw it up. I tell our backs don't be mad because God didn't bless you with the body and athletic ability to play OL. I even had an OL in the middle of a drill ask me "so Jesus picked chose me to be an OL?"  Yes, yes he did. We reach certain benchmarks and I'll feed them. I do everything I can to make them feel like they are special and a bunch of BAD men.

A good offensive line coach does all of this. ^  Make them feel like they ARE the team, as opposed to being a part of the team.

--Dave

This leads to the question of how I'm going to do it if I get to install my offense this season.  There's a motion series I want the backs to practice, and I also want to install wedge, and I can't be doing 2 things at once.  If I can get an ass't committed enough to learn the motion series I want, he can practice that with the backs & 1 center, while I practice the line on the wedge w the other center.  That goes for other things I want to teach too: I'd trust someone else in charge of the backs before I'd trust them teaching the line techniques.

I coach them myself. Past that I talk a ton of crap. I tell them how we make things go and that the skinnies job is to not screw it up. I tell our backs don't be mad because God didn't bless you with the body and athletic ability to play OL. I even had an OL in the middle of a drill ask me "so Jesus picked chose me to be an OL?"  Yes, yes he did. We reach certain benchmarks and I'll feed them. I do everything I can to make them feel like they are special and a bunch of BAD men.

I love this approach.  Last year we ran single wing, and I always told the O lineman that in that offense, they were the stars.  I drilled it into their heads that anyone can carry a football and run(I know, not REALLY true, but it served a purpose) but the single wing needed linemen, and i'd picked them specifically to make the offense go.  (not comparing my selection to Jesus' by the way-you clearly one upped me! :))

I am looking forward to coaching the linemen this year.  last year I had to delegate that, and it showed.  in the single wing, 7 players are essentially linemen on most plays-that's way more than half!!  that's the group you want to coach, just from a numerical standpoint.

I like to joke a bit and have fun with the kids
I always coach the O line

I tell those kids:
Im the HC and get to choose who plays where
I chose you because:
Your smart
When you get older you will make more money and marry a better looking wife than the guys playing running back
The RBS are just a necessary evil that get some temporary glory, the line is who wins and loses the games for us.  At the end of the day we should feel sorry for the RBS

I stress that the LINE are "the five fingers that make a fist", while the ball carriers are just a single finger which is only good for poking... which would you rather do in a fight -punch with a fist, or poke with a finger?

The other thing I do is reward the OL with time on the DL during the game... play great as a blocker, and you get the chance to go be the glory hound on defense.  When we get way up, I also let each linemen carry the ball on a dive or throw to them as a TE... they all laugh at how hard it is to be a receiver or a back, and realize how silly the backs look trying to throw those heavy blocks in the line!

Parents are more difficult.  We all have the parent who wants their son to be a back... so I tell them my own story... always too big in rec ball to be a back, so I played everywhere on the line, but in 8th grade when their was no weight limits, I got to play QB and was better at it because I understood the linemen in front of me and could read their blocks... I tell those parents at this age, position is not as important as learning the fundamentals of football and team work.  Your son may be a QB today but a TE in high school, or a center today and a FB in college... just enjoy the game!