One drill you really should not miss
GREEN BAY - If you attend a Green Bay Packers training-camp practice and the players are in pads, there’s one must-see drill: one-on-one pass rushing and blocking.
It’s usually held in the first half of a practice, when positions break off into smallgroup drills of offense vs. defense.
The period usually lasts about 15 minutes, and the oneon-one drill is about as pure as football comes, even if it doesn’t quite simulate game conditions.
Both lines take their positions, and a towel marks where the quarterback would set up in the pocket. Starting at left tackle one pair of players, a pass rusher and blocker, have at it when the ball is snapped. Then the next pair and the next on down the line, before it starts all over with a new left tackle.
Fans come alive. Players waiting their turn hoot and holler on decisive wins.
Unlike in a game, there’s no getting lost in the chaos of a 22-man play.
“It’s a big deal,” said right tackle Bryan Bulaga. “A lot of people like watching it. The fans really enjoy watching it. Coaches really enjoy watching it. It’s a good period. An intense period. It’s competitive.”
The drill serves a couple of purposes. With the premium on pass blocking and rushing in the NFL, it’s a way to hone skills on both sides of the ball.
“Everybody wants to win
one-on-one matchup,” center Corey Linsley said. “But it’s more important to take that drill and see if you can correct what you did wrong and move it into the team period.”
In a way, it's the ultimate test. Veteran players often talk of using one-onones to experiment with new moves and techniques, but they have the luxury of being proven performers. Younger players see it more as life or death, and performance in one-on-ones can affect anyone’s confidence. The truth is, no one wants to look bad when everyone’s watching.
One-on-ones can tell you something about a player’s power, or his quickness, or his balance, or his skills. It’s also a good way to get a feel for whether a rookie might be able to play in the league.
For instance, left tackle David Bakhtiari looked comfortable in one-on-ones beginning with his first practice in pads in his rookie year. He ended up the starter that season.
Same for Linsley, who in one-on-ones in his first camp showed an uncanny ability to recover instantly when he’d been knocked off balance just after the snap. He started as a rookie as well.
The drill inherently gives the pass rusher advantages he often doesn’t have in games. For one, he doesn’t have to think about the run. And two, the inside rushers especially don’t have to contend with the traffic that muddles the middle of the line during live action.
“That’s why it’s good for us to do that drill,” Bulaga said. “You’re out of your comfort zone. You’re not working with another (blocker next to you). You’ve got all this space to operate in. So you stay in front of your guy, mirror him. It’s a pretty good confidence builder.”
It’s often not easy to pick a winner on a given one-on-one snap.
Players have an internal arbiter that tells them whether they won or lost, though there are times when both guys claim victory.
“I firmly believe that first touch wins,” said Jahri Evans, the four-time All-Pro guard who signed with the Packers as a free agent this off-season. “So if I can get my hands inside of a guy (first), control his power and his body, hopefully my feet are in a good position where I can win.”
Players don’t particularly like the scrutiny of the drill. A few years ago Clay Matthews admonished reporters for reading too much into one-on-ones after he’d had an unsuccessful day; he said he’d been trying some new moves that day. In the next padded practice, he came out and dominated his first couple reps, bathat sically to say, “See?”
The oldest veterans take the fewest reps. They’ve had years to work on their techniques, and it’s more important to save their energy for 11-on-11 work.
Going way back, I remember one matchup of two accomplished, longtime veterans devolving into absurdity. In training camp of 1995, Ken Ruettgers was a 33-year old starting left tackle and Sean Jones a 32-year old starting defensive end. They clearly had no interest in extending themselves or punishing one another in one-on-ones.
After one of their halfhearted matchups, defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmer bellowed, “What’s going on over there? You two look like you’re having a pillow fight!”
But that was the rarest of exceptions. Players are fighting for jobs, and nowhere is that more apparent than in one-on-ones.
“Some guys hate the drill,” Bulaga said. “I don’t know any offensive lineman that loves it. But it’s a beneficial drill just because you’re put in an uncomfortable position and you’re forced to win.”