The Generations Of Offensive Linemen
How the most important position has evolved over the existence of the league.
The offensive line is a brotherhood and the most important position in football because, it is the only position in sports that puts their body in harms way to protect others. While this bond is strong, the players in todays game have developed immensely from those of the 80’s.
In the 1960’s, linemen were tough as nails players that would brawl in the trenches on a Sunday then, go work another job during the week because NFL salaries were nothing like they are today.
Forrest Gregg is the prototypical lineman of the 60’s because, he was literally an iron man. He played in 188 consecutive games on championship rosters and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977. Gregg weighed in around 250 at 6’4 his whole career. There is no offensive lineman in todays game that is under 280; this is where the development begins.
The linemen of the 50’s and 60’s laid the pavement for the freak athletes nowadays and we owe all of them a huge thank you for that.
The 1970’s didn’t change the offensive line mentality and played very similar to the greats of the 60’s. Players like Dan Dierdorf, who is notoriously one of the meanest men to touch a football field, and John Hannah brought the mauler mentality to every snap.
A player like Hannah was viewed as a “beefy” player even though he tipped the scale at 265 pounds. He was a run blocking machine that started 185 games and helped lead New England to the Super Bowl in 1985. He was a born leader like all of them men in this article.
The 80’s was a lot of the same for linemen but, the athletes began to rise to a new level and a beast like Anthony Muñoz was a big reason for this. He was a two sport athlete at USC where he played football and pitched for the baseball team. Once again though, size wise, Muñoz would be the light guy on a team only weighing 278 pounds. He is still regarded as possibly, the greatest lineman of all time.
The position changed in the 90’s when 300 pound tackles and guards started to take over. The list of these giants is endless but, Bruce Matthews and Willie Roaf were two of the most dominant. They still had the same mentality of players in the 60’s but, had the size behind them to be even better.
Myself being an offensive lineman, I always hear the word versatility and Bruce Matthews was pretty damn versatile. He played every position along the line through his illustrious career and made it tough for players in the future to be one dimensional. At 6’5, 305, it was going to be difficult to find a spot Matthews would fail in.
Dallas guard, Larry Allen, was in between the 90’s and 00’s so his game developed with the new age of pass rushers who transitioned from power to speed. Allen in my opinion, is one of the NFL’s greatest athletes ever. He was 6’3, 325 running a 5.2 40 yard dash and once benched 225 pounds 43 times to go with his 700 pound max. He would chase down players to prevent a pick six, he was one of a kind.
Another monster from the 2000’s is Jonathan Ogden who measured at 6’9, 345. He was also a two sport college athlete at UCLA playing football and throwing shot put. He was taken 4th overall in 1996 and never looked back. His powerful play helped Baltimore win their first Super Bowl and solidified him as one of the greatest linemen of all time.
His play vs edge rushers is the reason that he is on the offensive line Mount Rushmore. He had to contend with Hall of Fame players like Michael Strahan and Dwight Freeney and never shied away from the challenge.
Early 2010’s was dominated mainly by one man who never even went to the playoffs; Joe Thomas. Thomas spent his 10 year career with the Cleveland Browns and started every game of his career and played 10,363 consecutive snaps. Through his career he only allowed 30 sacks which is super impressive due to the talent he was facing.
The offensive line position today is down to an absolute science because of LeCharles Bentley. Bentley was a dominant college lineman who was Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and a Rimington Trophy winner. He was drafted in the second round of the 2002 draft by New Orleans and played with the Saints and Browns through his career.
His post playing career has been tremendous for the game of football and even better for the offensive line brotherhood. He started OLP (Offensive Line Performance) which is a training facility strictly for offensive linemen.
Bentleys equipment is used nationwide by NFL and college teams, even my college team, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, uses it. He has developed medicine balls with hand strike positions and strike sticks to help with pass protection. The sleds he has made have different areas to position your hands to make the small details count.
Small details are a huge aspect of Bentleys work. His videos talk about how and why you should push off of one foot to distribute power through a block. He believes power cleans and front squats are the most important exercise for a lineman to do because, it helps with explosion through would be play makers.
Pro Bowl players like Larry Warford and Jack Conklin train with Bentley and the results have been immaculate. He is doing Gods work for the lineman community.
For the next few years, the position is in good hands. Players like Quenton Nelson, Orlando Brown, and Erik McCoy will be the individuals that carry out the nasty mentality of those who came before and every lineman can rejoice about that.
While the position has evolved the mentality has never changed. The brotherhood is very strong and the offensive line position will still lead by example and protect those they are told to.