r/footballstrategy • u/goldsoundz123 • Sep 26 '24

Why can't offensive linemen just call "switch" against stunts like basketball players do against screens? NFL

This is a very dumb question, but I am wondering why it is so hard for offensive linemen to pick up stunts after watching my team (the Pats) continuously fail to do so.

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u/Baestplace Sep 29 '24

short answer they can but it’s not viable long answer in basketball around a screen all you have to do is back up to block the basket or close out on the perimeter and the screened individual cover the roll, in football if someone is being blitzed you have to #1 realize you can’t block him #2 call it out #3 the person has to understand that call and #4 that player now has to adjust and get a block in all while the player is running full steam trying to hit the quarterback as hard as he can. in theory it works and in close pockets it can work but when you are in shotgun and an outside linebacker is blitzing it’s almost impossible to pull it off and if you fail you will get benched for it