What is the difference between right and left tackle

The Raiders and the Eagles have both identified the increased importance of the right tackle position and have allocated assets there accordingly. Not all other NFL teams have followed suit and some of them have really struggled as a result.

To understand where we are now one must understand first how we got here. Think Lawrence Taylor and Derrick Thomas. To combat that, NFL teams realized they needed their best and most athletic offensive lineman to play left tackle. Already a subscriber? Log In. Subscribe now to get full access to the new sports page.

Must read content, player grades, stuff you can't get anywhere else. View Plans Already a subscriber? Log in. Subscribe Now. Continue reading this story Already have an account? Create a free account to read 3 articles on us. It's usually the "blind side" of the QB's vision and many times he never sees them coming. This allows not only for sacks, but fumbles and tipped balls. It's so easy to slap a ball out of a QB's hands when he's drawn back to throw.

So why not put the best rusher against the right tackle if he's not as suited to stop him? Because they QB can see him coming and can either roll away or step up the pocket to avoid him.

By coming from the blind side, if the pass rusher beats the left tackle, it's usually disastrous for the QB who usually sees it too late to avoid a bad outcome.

Since the best pass rusher is also usually not just a strong guy, but the fastest pass rusher to boot, the left tackle has to have that quick initial surge to keep from being either blown by or circled.

So just being a big strong heavy roadblock is nowhere close to being enough of a resume to stopping a tall fast pass rusher. He has to be fast himself, usually faster than most right tackles are. It took a few days to get use to it. You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now! This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Getty Images. I remember Josh Sitton saying this a few years ago.

Amazing analogy. You know what? He painted a picture that every one of us can relate to. Well done son!