shutting down a route running TE on obvious passing downs
some teams rely heavily on route-running TEs as key targets in passing situations. think LaPorta, Kittle, Pitts-style archetypes. they can present huge potential mismatches and cause headaches for defenses. but if your defense can entirely shut them down 1-on-1, you can erase a very important threat and throw a wrench into the offensive gameplan.
enter the obvious fix: roll out your team’s stud offensive tackle as a 5th down lineman and line them up directly opposite the TE at the 6. their role will simply be to use their blocking abilities to jam the TE at the LOS and prevent them from being able to run any route. you can still rush 4 other linemen, knowing a downfield threat has been completely eliminated. and because the action happens well within 5 yards of the LOS, no penalty is committed.
as long as the OT’s ability to block is better than the opposing TE’s ability to shed blocks, this is an easy win. and your best OT has the ability to prevent EDGEs from shedding blocks; unless their TE is somehow a better EDGE than true EDGEs, he loses the matchup. he gets completely jammed.
there’s nothing he can do