Football Offensive Line Coach

Football teams feature several coaches, each with their own area of focus and expertise. These coaches focus on specific positional groups, one of which is the offensive line. Read on to learn more about the offensive line coach in football, including their roles and responsibilities on the sideline and in practice.

What is an Offensive Line Coach in Football?

In football, the offensive line coach is a coach that is in charge of the offensive line. They work under the offensive coordinator, focusing on the offensive line. Offensive line coaches are extremely valuable to every team, as the offensive line is the unit that blocks for skill position players, including running backs, wide receivers, and the quarterback.

Roles and Responsibilities

The offensive line coach is positioned on the sidelines, along with the other coaches. The primary duties of the offensive line coach are to work with the offensive coordinator in order to determine what plays to use, to lead practices with the offensive line, and to know the strengths and weaknesses of the offensive linemen in order to report to the offensive coordinator on strategy.

When coaching, the offensive line coach focuses specifically on offensive linemen such as centers, guards, and tackles, rather than coaching the running backs or quarterback. The offensive coordinator, on the other hand, supervises the entire offense, often focusing more on the quarterback, but managing the entire offensive squad. 

A good offensive line coach will have many qualities, including experience with the game and offensive plays, a good rapport with the offensive linemen, the ability to spot crucial weaknesses in the offensive line and to create solutions for them, and the power of working under pressure while focusing on complex and detailed plays.