You see it all the time: offensive linemen watching the play instead of finishing their blocks. The result is generally unfavorable for the offense.
As an O-line coach, I cringe at the sight, especially if the o-linemen in question are kids I coach. I don’t expect to see it with my kids because I spend so much time teaching them to finish their blocks. For me, after 3-point stance and form tackling, it is the third most important thing I teach and the first most
important thing I want my linemen to learn.
In my approach to teaching O-line play, there are three phases to a drive block:
— the initial contact
— the stalemate
— and the finish
I know of other line coaches who break it down even further but for my purposes and at the level I’m coaching, three phases makes it understandable to my kids.