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Bills standout O'Cyrus Torrence breaks down how OL react to different situations

Buffalo Bills guard O'Cyrus Torrence recently spoke about how the same blocking concept can be used in several situations and result in a bevy of outcomes.

David Faux

Nov 26, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills guard O'Cyrus Torrence (64) and center Mitch Morse (60) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills guard O'Cyrus Torrence (64) and center Mitch Morse (60) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
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Most football fans have watched enough games to have some idea of what’s going on during a given play. There are plenty of nuances that we can’t always see or understand in the seven seconds that typically comprise the time a ball is snapped to the time the whistle blows the play dead, but that’s what the TV analysts and writers are for, right? They have some knowledge of the game, maybe from their own experiences as a coach or player.

But what happens when that isn’t quite enough?

In the most recent Cover 1 Film Room, Erik Turner (@ErikJTurner) and Anthony Prohaska (@Pro_Ant) broke down the film of Buffalo Bills guard O’Cyrus Torrence with the man himself. The very first play concept they talked about was a staple of the Bills’ run game in 2023, which is “Tackle Wrap” or “Dart." This is, in basic terms, a run play from shotgun that has the tackle pull around from the opposite end of the play side to act as a lead blocker and help create an alleyway for the runner to hit cleanly. On the other side of that “alleyway” is the play side guard who has to help the center secure his block on the interior defensive lineman, and then get to the linebacker to prevent him from making a play against the running back in the hole.

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Ideally, you’d want the tackle and the guard to be able to have their backs turned inside, creating a clean, open gap for the running back to burst through the first and second levels and get a chance to make a move in the secondary. Alas, like many things in life, things don’t always go as planned, and the players have to adjust. On this particular play, Torrence points out two keys for the blocking scheme.

Watch the clip below for full context:

First, is how Dawkins has to pull.

The pulling tackle can either pull to the inside or to the outside depending on what the defense does. Torrence states that Spencer Brown, the right tackle, communicates to Dion Dawkins, the left tackle, that the defensive end is going to Brown’s outside edge, so Dawkins knows that he should be pulling inside.

Second, is Torrence's double and climb block.

Torrence has to help the center with the nose tackle so that he can secure that particular block at the first level. Once that’s been set up, Torrence now has to climb to the second level to attack the linebackers. Once he reaches that defender though, he has to figure out the best way to do this. Some linebackers are faster or smarter than others, which means they can read and diagnose the play more effectively and find a way around or through the block of the incoming guard. Normally as the guard, one would think to hit the upfield shoulder, because that would allow you to effectively cut off the defender’s path to the ball carrier, keeping your back inside and creating a lane for him to run through. Torrence does something different and attacks the inside shoulder.

O'Cyrus Torrence
Bills O'Cyrus Torrence looks up at the large screen as the Chiefs run out the clock to move on in the division playoffs. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee /Rochester Democrat

Why?

Because now Torrence has the leverage to ride the linebacker wherever he ends up going. If Torrence attacks that upfield shoulder, the linebacker can slip underneath, or if the guard simply misses his landmark getting to the second level from a footwork perspective, he’s still in a good position to make a block and ride the defender out of the play because of his original aiming point.

But not every play is the same. Later on, Torrence broke down film from Buffalo's Week 6 contest with the New York Giants; the Bills ran the same Dart concept, but Torrence talked about how he spent more time helping center Mitch Morse secure his block at the first level before climbing to the second level to attack the linebacker. Even though the initial double team takes longer, the aiming point for the guard is still the same. He’s still going for the inside shoulder, but he’s keeping his eyes on the linebacker so he knows where he needs to run to in order to hit the same inside shoulder.

On the next play (from Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars), it’s the same concept, but a different execution. Instead of helping Morse attack his defender, Torrence is the one with a defender in his face at the snap. Morse immediately climbs to the second level to attack the linebacker, and Torrence goes head-to-head with the defensive lineman. He’s reading the defensive lineman and waiting to see where he’s going to commit based on how running back James Cook hits the hole. Once the defensive lineman makes a move, Torrence does what he would do to the linebacker, but with this defensive lineman instead; he rides him where he wants to go and essentially washes him out of the play. Cook reads the play based on how Torrence’s block develops in conjunction with Dawkins’ pull block coming in front, as well.

It's the same concept and block, but it looks different, because it has to be different based on the situation. Some fans, analysts, etc. seem to want all situations to be equal and to give each situation the same weight, discussion, and attention. But not all situations in football are created equally, and they require a greater look into why the play happens, why the call was made on both offense and defense, why the offensive player did what he did, why the defensive player reacted the way he did, etc.

Football can be diluted down to simplistic fundamentals, and they are absolutely important regardless of who you ask. But the little advantages that you can find and the little breaks you can create can ripple out and make a huge difference for your team. That’s the level of detail that Torrence had to contend with during his rookie season under renowned offensive line coach Aaron Kromer. He now has the experience of an entire season as a starter under his belt, and seems primed for a strong sophomore campaign.

You can check out the full episode of The Cover 1 Film Room with O'Cyrus Torrence below:

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