Current Events > So are the guards in football pretty much just meat shields

(+) Yeah! (+)

Is the job as shitty as it sounds?
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Squall28 posted...

Is the job as shitty as it sounds?

No. You get paid millions of dollars to block and you occasionally "pull" which gives you a chance to annihilate someone at full speed
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Also a good job if you like to eat a lot. Bigger is better.
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Offensive linemen in general exist pretty much solely to block defensive players. It's illegal, for example, for them to catch forward passes or to be downfield unless a ball-carrier is across the line of scrimmage. There's a lot involved in it, and different offensive schemes utilize them in different ways(different blocking schemes, pulls, etc.). In short, it's very technically-involved, but there is little glory or recognition unless you're a left tackle(traditionally responsible for protecting the QB's "blind-side" on pass plays).

ImmatureContent posted...

Also a good job if you like to eat a lot. Bigger is better.

https://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-player-chargers-nick-hardwick-weight-loss-2015-6
You don't just eat a lot: eating becomes a full-time job. And, of course, it's accompanied by lots of time in the gym and/or on the practice field.

ElatedVenusaur posted...

Offensive linemen in general exist pretty much solely to block defensive players. It's illegal, for example, for them to catch forward passes or to be downfield unless a ball-carrier is across the line of scrimmage. There's a lot involved in it, and different offensive schemes utilize them in different ways(different blocking schemes, pulls, etc.). In short, it's very technically-involved, but there is little glory or recognition unless you're a left tackle(traditionally responsible for protecting the QB's "blind-side" on pass plays).

Also the D-line/O-line arms race hasn't been too favorable to offensive lines.

Partially because college football offensive lines are totally different.
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