[Lotus]

Originally Posted by sportscurmudgeon

Someone said here that he had never seen offensive linemen rotated during a game.

A coach named Paul Brown (RIP) - - you may have heard of him; if you go to Canton you can learn about him in the Hall of Fame - - used to rotate left guards on EVERY PLAY. They were "messenger guards" and that is how they brought the plays into the QBs.

Oh, the Browns won championships doing that.

Oh, one other thing, one of the "messenger guards" - - obviously getting in for only half of the offensive snaps - - was Gene Hickerson (RIP). If you visit Canton, you can learn all about him in the Hall of Fame too.

The Browns didn't use "messenger guards" because they were deficient on the offensive line. That is why it worked for them.

The Redskins rotate on the offensive lineman because neither of the guards in question stands out as a stud. That is why it only works sort of well for them.

Well done.

Back in the day before radio headsets in helmets, many teams used messenger guards to bring in the play call.