What is a guard football position?
What is a guard football position?
In football, a guard is an offensive player who joins the offensive line. He is in charge of shielding the ball carrier from the defenders of the opposing team. The offensive line has two guard positions: left guard (LG) and right guard (RG). At the end of the offensive line, the guard positions are on either side of the center and ahead of the right and left tackle positions. In addition, guards are one of the few offensive positions that don’t touch the ball.
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Responsibilities of the football guard position
The offensive assigns this position a variety of duties. The primary duties of guards, while they are on the field, are covered below.
Blocking runs
The biggest duty of a guard position is frequently run blocking. Guards are not rated primarily based on their pass-blocking abilities, unlike offensive tackles.
Because the running back frequently runs in the gap that the guards open, run blocking is crucial for guards. The most typical way to run a ball is in between the tackles. A guard will be either on the halfback left or right as he runs through a gap in the line if he runs in between the tackles.
Protective Passing
Pass protection is still a crucial aspect of a guard football position, even though it isn’t as closely examined as tackles. They are in charge of making sure no defensive players cross the inside of the line during passing plays.
This implies that in addition to defensive tackles, guards must deal with defenders who are blitzing. This is a challenging undertaking because defensive tackles are the biggest and heaviest players.
Guards and centers frequently form a “double team” to block particularly strong or skilled defensive tackles.
Important skills for a good guard position in football
Flexible Feet
The flexibility of feet is one of the most crucial characteristics of a guard football position. It is typical for a guard to move quickly in pass protection in order to engage an approaching pass rusher.
Guards are frequently given a zone to obstruct. They aren’t aware of which player is their assignment because of this, and they will need to act fast when the individual is revealed.
Strength
Even though it seems like a fairly apparent quality for any player, it is crucial for guards. The biggest players on the field, the defensive ends, are often blocked by guards, as we discussed earlier.
Guards will need to exert a lot of their own strength to stop these players. In order to create space for the halfback on running plays, guards may need to move these defensive linemen.
Famous guard football position players
John Hannah
Hannah, one of the most underappreciated players in NFL history, was never a Super Bowl champion, never blocked for a star quarterback or running back, and thus never received the recognition he deserved.
However, he had model pass pro technique. So he was one of the best pulling/lead guards the game has ever seen, and only missed seven games in his whole career.
Quenton Nelson
It’s above the best, Nelson was anticipated to be a guard football position of a generation when he entered the NFL, and he hasn’t let anyone down. The fourth-year guard has allowed just three sacks in three years and has been the league’s most valuable player at his position each season of his career, according to PFF’s wins above replacement measure (PFF WAR).
Joe Thuney
In free agency this season, the Chiefs loaded up the Brinks truck for Joe Thuney, but at least they were able to acquire one of the league’s top guards. Despite not having had his greatest season, Thuney has been a reliable run-blocker for three seasons and has only given up three sacks.
Joel Bitonio
In the modern NFL, passing is king, and Browns guard Joel Bitonio is arguably the best pass-blocking guard in football. He has earned pass-blocking grades from PFF that are more than 80.0 for five straight seasons and greater than 85.0 every year since 2017. After the disastrous Week 1 loss to Baltimore, Bitonio didn’t allow another sack for the remainder of the year.
Brandon Brooks
You might legitimately contend that Brooks would come in third on the list after Nelson and Martin if injuries hadn’t been a factor. He was the greatest guard in the NFL in 2019, but an Achilles tendon tear prevented him from playing in 2020. He was dominant in the run game when we last saw him play, allowing only 20 pressures in 16 games. That player will go up this rating if he comes back.
In short, the guard football position is an indispensable part of the football squad. Besides, there are more essential positions that take over the different roles. Please visit our website American football terms to update a lot of fascinating news on American football.
