In Steve Hummer’s mind, success in football is not the birthright of the biggest. It belongs to the quickest, the smartest and the best prepared.
For three years now, Hummer has coached offensive line play for our grade of Junior Blue Dukes players. This year on game day, Hummer is on the JBD7 Grey sideline, instructing, encouraging, reminding and correcting his linemen.
Steve grew up in western Pennsylvania where the passion for football was so great the local newspaper would break down player position match-ups between high school teams, and "the post-game articles would rival the depth of Badger coverage at the Journal Sentinel."
Steve earned all-conference honors as a lineman, playing guard and tackle. "In junior high and early high school I wrestled as well," he said. "I was an average wrestler, but I feel it improved my awareness of body position for football and helped me get into the proper blocking position. This was particularly important since I was smaller than many of my opponents. I found that getting off the snap of the ball quickly and getting into the correct blocking position was far more important than my physical size."
Later in life, while teaching in Florida, he coached the line for his school's varsity football team. "Since our line was typically smaller -- but faster -- than other teams, we concentrated on proper technique, speed off the ball, being smarter than the other team. By the latter I mean knowing all of the various ways you can block the same play depending on the defense."
"Other than quarterback, the five guys on the line have the most decision making during a play," Hummer said. "They have to make the correct blocking decision (in unison) based on the defense, get off the ball and then make the physical block against a player who might outweigh him by 20 pounds. If one guy doesn't make the right block the play doesn't work. So when one of our backs makes a great play I'm the guy you hear screaming 'good job!' to the linemen."
The Junior Blue Dukes offensive line is not a monolithic wall of similar boys. The different positions have distinct responsibilities. The center, of course, must snap the ball correctly, consistently and on the right count many times a game. Guards are usually the quickest linemen. On some plays, they "pull," leaving their area for specific blocking assignments in motion. "Tackles are the biggest guys because they have to anchor the outside of the line," Hummer said.
Compared to the teams we play, Junior Blue Dukes linemen are nearly always faster, Hummer said, and "I like to think we are the smartest."
Offensive linemen aren't the only players who must block for plays to be successful. On each play, "every running back and receiver has a blocking assignment," he said. "I think our receivers have done an outstanding job of downfield blocking."
Hummer said Coach Joe Wieland has the boys doing isometrics and other strength-improving exercises to become stronger as the season goes on. During individual offense time, our linemen also practice proper technique, beginning with the basics of lining up and getting in the correct stance. "You have to be able to do this every day even when you are tired and don’t want to," Hummer said. "Coming out of the correct stance gives you strength."
"I encourage kids to get in a squat position at home and see how long they can hold it."
More than any other sport, Hummer said, football requires everyone from the average athlete on a team to the exceptional one to work in unison.
Having worked with many of these boys since 5th grade, Hummer said, "I’ve seen kids who have become really good football players and continue to grow."
As for his linemen, he added, speaking from his experience as a player as well as a coach, "I want them to love something that doesn’t get biggest press in the world."
