Tech tackle takes course in technique

By DARRYL SLATER
MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE
Published: November 21, 2008

Looking across the line of scrimmage, an offensive tackle sees a defensive end in a three-point stance, eyes fixed ahead, eagerly anticipating the snap so he can deliver a blow that to most people would feel like a car wreck without the airbag. This is, after all, unnatural human interaction.

Who among us, then, would think of his feet when awaiting such a collision?

Therein exists one of the odd ironies for the offensive tackle: The two things under him are just as important as that thing in front of him.

Virginia Tech right tackle Blake DeChristopher is learning that this season. A redshirt freshman, DeChristopher is the only new starter on the Hokies’ line. When DeChristopher played at Clover Hill High, he said his instruction in pass blocking technique amounted to: “Block this guy.“

“I never learned footwork until I got here,“ he said. “I didn’t know what it was until I got to Tech.“

Few high school linemen anywhere learn the intricacies of footwork, and those as physically dominant as DeChristopher can get by without it.

Not so at the college level. Linemen must know the three methods of pass blocking: vertical set, power set and jump set. As he grasps these techniques, DeChristopher has been a microcosm of Tech’s line: impressive at some points, inconsistent at others. The Hokies, who host Duke on Saturday, have surrendered 32 sacks and rank 115th of 119 teams nationally in sacks allowed per game.

DeChristopher has graded 80 or higher—which offensive line coach Curt Newsome considers a successful performance—in just two of the past five games, though Newsome said he’s harder on young players because he wants them to avoid picking up bad habits. Last Thursday at Miami, DeChristopher allowed two of Tech’s season-high six sacks, Newsome said.

“You start a freshman, you can either teach him to hold or you can say he’s gonna give up some sacks,“ Newsome said. “He didn’t hold against Miami.“

DeChristopher said his biggest problem is his vertical set—the technique used for blocking faster defensive ends. In a vertical set, an offensive tackle steps straight back after the snap and extends his arms, putting a 3-yard cushion between himself and the end. (When a right tackle like DeChristopher does a power set, his first step after the snap is to his left. When he does a jump set, his first step is to the right and toward the end.)

In his vertical sets, DeChristopher sometimes follows his instincts during his first few steps and stands on his toes, leaning forward. Instead, he should be flat-footed and keep his head up as he steps back, which would give him a more balanced foundation. Defensive ends like Tech’s Jason Worilds know how to exploit these technical flaws: run right at the tackle, let him lean into the pressure, then bounce outside.

“He’s going to fall on his face,“ Worilds said. “His upper body is over his feet.“

“The first few steps are the most important part about blocking somebody,“ DeChristopher said. “If you can get those down quick and fast and have a good base, you can block anybody.“

DeChristopher tries to polish his footwork during individual drills at the beginning of practice. He otherwise seems prepared to play at this level. He long ago left behind the flash cards he used to learn his blocking assignments. And he is plenty big enough: 6-5 and 299 pounds. He knows he’ll get the rest in time.

After the Miami game, he spoke to his father, Robert, on the phone. “The great players don’t think about what they did wrong,“ DeChristopher recalled his dad saying. “They think about getting better and playing the next game.“

“That’s what I’m trying to do now,“ DeChristopher said this week. “I’m trying to stay positive. I’m young. I know I’m going to make some mistakes. But I just need to keep going out there and fighting.“

Contact Darryl Slater at (804) 649-6026