In a world of quarterbacks, be an offensive lineman
A football team’s offense has a variety of positions and roles.
In each of these roles, certain skills and traits are required.
The quarterback is the star of the team. They’re the ones leading from the front, and they need to innovate, motivate, and be immaculate each play, all with the most attention focused on them.
A running back needs to be both strong and quick. They’re trustworthy, and most of the time, they’re carrying the football while getting beat up on all sides. When they score, they’re celebrated, when they fumble, they’re booed off the field.
Wide receivers are agile and fast. They need to be aggressive and must have incredible timing and dexterity. Plucking the ball out of mid-air and making awe-inspiring highlight plays is part of the job.
Every football team needs a balance of these ‘skill’ positions in order to be successful. We glorify these roles in fantasy football, wheaties boxes and Madden covers.
The quarterback especially, is typically not just the star of the team, but the star of the entire league, and the success of any team typically begins and ends with the QB.
I’ve had the fortune of surrounding myself with plenty of ‘quarterbacks’ over the course of my production career. They are the ones who draw the creative vision of a project, and they ideate the amazing work that we love and that captivate audiences.
Creative Directors, Art Directors, Film Directors (Why do they always have ‘director’ in their title?), these are all roles that scream ‘Quarterback’’.
Without our creative leaders, we lack vision. Our quarterbacks guide and push us to be better and most of the time, make the rest of us look really good.
At one point in my career, I dreamed of being the quarterback. Of directing the huge campaign, of being recognized for my individual contributions to a project that made it incredible.
But as I’ve matured and grown into my current role (as of late Heads of Production at various companies), I’ve happily settled with the idea that being an OFFENSIVE LINEMAN has so much value to the process.
Moreso, I think every producer can and should think like an offensive lineman.
The offensive lineman?
The 300lb fatties pushing people around?
Yup. Those guys.
In a world full of quarterbacks, I want to be an offensive lineman.
Why? Because as producers, that’s what we do, every day.
Let’s take a list of the things that offensive lineman do in football:
They analyze the situation by seeing what the defense is going to do and make adjustments in real time so that their team is prepared.
During run plays, they create space by pushing defenders out of the way, so their skill players (Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Wide Receivers) can make highlight reel plays.
During pass plays, they form a ‘pocket’ around the quarterback to shield them from getting hit by defenders, giving the quarterback time and space to make a play.
They’re the team’s protectors. Ever see someone hit a quarterback or wide receiver too hard? It’s the Offensive Lineman that always comes to the rescue and protects their guys.
In other words, everything that an offensive lineman does, a producer does every day.
In an interview recently, former NFL quarterback and current San Diego Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said this about offensive lineman:
“If I asked you the question, what position group depends on no other position group to be good, but every other position group depends on them to be good —-- what position group is that?”
HINT: The answer is not wide receiver.
The reason why a producer, like an offensive lineman, is so valuable, because a good producer makes EVERY SINGLE PERSON around them better. From creatives, to account people, to your crew, producers, are the ones pushing people out of the way, AND also buying time and creating space.
Why? Because our job is to give our teams the most opportunity to be successful. We do that by being tenacious, compassionate, proactive, and gritty. Typically at the same time. And most of the time, we’re not getting nearly as much of the accolades as everyone else.
I recently read a quote that said that “offensive linemen are often compared to air conditioning. You only notice it when it isn’t working.”
I couldn’t agree more. And producers are just like that.
When everyone else gets the credit, the awards, the press, we get something else. We take pride in knowing that with a solid producer and production plan behind a project, there’s always going to be a better chance of survival.
For me, measuring my own success has always been knowing that I’ve given my teams the best chance for success. I’m pretty sure offensive linemen feel the same way.
They don’t throw, or catch or run (For the most part). But without them, nobody else would be, either.
