When it comes to offensive line play, it’s not just about blocking the guy in front of you.
Because often the guy in front of you changes after the snap with all the tricky stunts and blitzes that modern-day defensive fronts employ.
Over the first half of the season, the Jets’ O-Line was struggling a little with switch-off blocks against stunts and blitzes, like when they gave up 15 sacks in back-to-back losses to Denver and Carolina.
Switch-off blocks are where linemen pass off blocking assignments to their partners against blitzes and stunts. High-level communication is needed to switch blocking assignments quickly to maintain QB protection.
During the bye week, the linemen and their coaches worked extra hard to fix this issue, and you saw positive results in the Jets’ 27-20 win over Cleveland.
The Browns, under one of the game’s best defensive coordinators, Jim Schwartz, who is known for a lot of exotic pressure packages, amassed only three sacks against the Jets.
Their star defensive end, Myles Garrett, only had one, but it’s hard to blame Olu Fashanu on this play, because the QB moved from the pocket he thought he was protecting, and Fashanu doesn’t have eyes in the back of his head. We are too quick to blame tackles for sacks on plays where the QB leaves the natural pocket. The tackles are blocking for where the QB is supposed to be.
But the bottom line is the Jets’ O-Line was really good on switch-off blocks against Cleveland, the best they have been all season.
And this is a very underrated aspect of NFL line play.
*****
The new issue of Jets Confidential Magazine is out, and if you miss it, you are missing so much. Page after page of great info on Gang Green, you will not read anywhere else! To subscribe to this must-read for Jets fans with a clue, click an option below . . .
