# Can Offensive Linemen Score Touchdowns in Football? A Comprehensive Guide - Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/can-offensive-linemen-score-touchdowns-in-football-a-comprehensive-guide/ - Published: 2023-10-13 - Author: Lillie Gabler - Categories: [Tips](https://33rdsquare.com/category/home/tips/) --- As an avid football fan, you‘ve probably noticed that offensive linemen usually aren‘t the ones you see spiking the ball in the endzone or getting doused with Gatorade after scoring. Their role is to block, protect the quarterback, and drive the pile forward – not run or catch touchdown passes. But don‘t offensive linemen ever get to experience the glory of scoring a TD? Can these unsung heroes of the gridiron ever find themselves crossing the goal line with the football? The answer is yes – offensive linemen _can_ legally score touchdowns. But due to the nature of their position and responsibilities on the field, it‘s extremely rare for linemen to make their way into the end zone. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll take a deep dive on offensive linemen scoring touchdowns, including: - Who is normally eligible to score TDs in football - Explanation of a lineman‘s role on the field - Specific scenarios where they can score - Notable examples from football history - The difficulty of scoring long touchdowns as a lineman - Why the team celebrates wildly when it happens Let‘s suit up and learn all about the big men getting their chance to score! ## Which Players Are Usually Eligible to Score Touchdowns? First, let‘s review which players tend to score touchdowns most often in football: - **Running Backs**: The primary ball carriers who score by running the ball past the goal line. Account for roughly 50% of offensive touchdowns. - **Wide Receivers**: Catch passes thrown by the quarterback for receiving touchdowns when they cross the goal line. Responsible for approximately 35% of offensive TDs. - **Tight Ends**: Large hybrid players who can score by running or catching passes near the end zone. - **Quarterbacks**: Occasionally score on quarterback sneaks or scrambles, especially near the goal line. On special teams, return specialists can score touchdowns when running back punts or kickoffs. And defensive players score when they intercept passes, recover fumbles, or return blocked kicks to the endzone. **But nowhere on that list are the primary offensive line positions**: - Centers - Guards - Tackles That‘s because linemen don‘t fit the mold of a prototypical "playmaker" or skill position player in football. So under normal circumstances, they rarely get the opportunity to do what all offensive players dream of – score a touchdown! ## The Role and Responsibilities of Offensive Linemen To understand why offensive linemen so seldom score touchdowns, it‘s important to review exactly what their roles and responsibilities are on each play: - **Pass Blocking**: Protecting the quarterback from defensive pressure by blocking rushing defenders. Maintaining the integrity of the pocket is crucial to giving the QB time to throw. - **Run Blocking**: Opening running lanes and engaging defenders to allow ball carriers to gain yardage. Getting movement and push at the line of scrimmage is key. - **Snapping the Ball**: Centres are responsible for the initial snap that starts each play. Shotgun snaps must be accurate for timing of plays. - **Establishing Position/Leverage**: All linemen need to fire out of their stance at the snap and engage defenders with proper footwork and angles. As you can see, none of these duties typically involve actually touching the ball or advancing it down the field. Linemen are generally stationed at the line of scrimmage each play and considered "ineligible receivers" by rule. This means they cannot proceed downfield as pass catchers like wide outs or tight ends can. So in order for a lineman to find his way into the end zone for a TD, there needs to be some type of special circumstance, play design, or great improvisation at work! ## The Rare Situations Where Linemen Can Score While linemen scoring touchdowns is highly uncommon, there are a few scenarios that can lead to the big moment: ### Trick Plays Creative coaches will occasionally dial up special "gadget" plays with the specific intent of allowing linemen to score: - **Tackle Eligible**: Declaring a tackle as an eligible receiver for a pass play. He sneaks out past the line of scrimmage and gets open. - **Fake Field Goal/PAT**: Lining up in a field goal formation, but direct snapping to the center or holder who runs or passes for a score. - **Fumblerooski**: The center intentionally places the ball on the ground where a guard picks it up and advances it. - **Hook and Ladder**: A receiver pitches the ball backwards after a catch to a trailing lineman with open space. These clever trick plays are specifically designed with the element of surprise to allow the big fellas to rumble into the promised land! ### Goal Line Situations When an offense gets inside the opponent‘s 5 yard line, especially 1st and goal from the 1 or 2, coaches may get creative with play calling. Some goal line possibilities to get linemen involved include: - Direct snapping to a guard who essentially pushes the pile across like a QB sneak. - Subbing in an extra offensive tackle and making him an eligible receiver on a tackle-eligible play. - Sneaking the center out on a roll-out pass to the flats for a short TD toss. The threat of a QB jump or dive sucks defenses in close to the line of scrimmage near the goal line, which can open opportunities for linemen to score. ### Recovering Fumbles or Laterals Sometimes chaotic luck can result in a lineman scoring. If the QB-center exchange gets fumbled, or there is a botched handoff in the backfield, an alert lineman could: - Scoop up the loose ball before it hits the ground. - Rumbl – even shuffle! – his way into the endzone amidst the madness. Similarly, a last second lateral pass to a trailing lineman near the goal line could result in a TD. ### Intercepting Tipped Passes On rare occasions, a defensive lineman will tip a pass at the line of scrimmage and the ball ends up bouncing right into the hands of an offensive lineman. If the big guy has open space in front of him, he just might rumble and stumble his way into the endzone for one of the unlikeliest pick-six touchdowns you‘ll ever see! ### Special Teams Trickery We‘ve seen offensive linemen occasionally score touchdowns on fake field goals or extra points where they either run or catch the ball in the endzone after some misdirection. For example, a fake PAT might involve the holder taking the long snap and throwing a jump pass to a tackle who is allowed to report eligible. ## Notable Real-World Examples of Linemen Scoring Now that we‘ve covered the possibilities, let‘s look at some actual memorable touchdowns scored by offensive linemen: - In 2004, the Green Bay Packers center **Mike Flanagan** caught a 2-yard TD pass against the Lions off a perfectly executed tackle-eligible play. - During a snowy 2013 game, Detroit Lions guard **Larry Warford** fell on a fumble in the endzone for a TD against the Philadelphia Eagles. - The New England Patriots have scored multiple goal line touchdowns with tackles **Nate Solder** and **Marcus Cannon** reporting as eligible receivers. - In 2015, New Orleans Saints right tackle **Zach Strief** caught a 1-yard touchdown pass on a tackle-eligible play against the Falcons. - In a 2017 game, Denver Broncos center **Matt Paradis** caught a 1-yard TD pass on a fake field goal against the LA Chargers. - In 2011, NY Jets center **Nick Mangold** rumbled 3 yards into the endzone after recovering a fumbled handoff versus the Patriots. - All the way back in 1924, Chicago Bears center **George Trafton** caught a touchdown pass in the endzone off a trick play versus the Cleveland Bulldogs. As you can see, most of these memorable lineman scores involve some creativity near the goal line or pure luck from a fumble recovery. But they sure make for amazing highlights! ## The Difficulty of Linemen Scoring Long Touchdowns While linemen may occasionally sneak into the endzone for a short TD, it‘s extremely rare to see them break a long touchdown run or catch. There are some big reasons why: - **Lack of Speed and Agility**: Weighing 300+ pounds, most linemen just don‘t possess the speed or moves to outrun defenders in the open field. Their 40 yard dash times average 5+ seconds versus 4.4 for most skill players. - **Not Used to Handling the Ball**: Run blocking is their specialty. Linemen don‘t spend time at practice taking handoffs or running routes to catch passes. - **Easily Tackled in Space**: Defenders have an easy time taking down lumbering linemen when they get into open space. Their size works against them. - **Higher Risk of Penalties or Turnovers**: An inexperienced ball handler is more prone to fumbling or illegally advancing the ball downfield. For these reasons, we‘ve never seen an NFL lineman break off a 50+ yard rushing or receiving TD. They are built for short power bursts, not speed and agility down the sideline. Getting them the ball in the open field is extremely challenging. But when it does somehow work perfectly, it‘s a thing of beauty! ## Why Does a Lineman Scoring Fire Up the Entire Team? You‘ll notice that whenever a lineman _does_ manage to find the endzone, the entire team goes crazy celebrating: - Quarterbacks love being able to reward their protectors with a touchdown after all the dirty work they do in the trenches. - Running backs owe much of their success to the blocks thrown by the big guys upfront. They want to see the linemen get a taste of scoring glory. - Fans go nuts over the novelty of seeing a normally slow-footed center or guard make an athletic play. According to 9-year NFL veteran offensive tackle **Joe Thomas**: > "It‘s really exciting as an offensive lineman to get to touch the football and get to score because it so rarely ever happens. So anytime you see it happen, the whole team gets so excited because they want the offensive linemen to get a chance to enjoy that glory." For a group accustomed to doing the grunt work that few fans notice or appreciate, having a chance to spike the ball in front of a cheering stadium is the ultimate morale booster! ## Final Thoughts While offensive linemen manage to score touchdowns about as often as Halley‘s Comet visits Earth, they _are_ technically eligible to find the endzone if the stars align properly. Typically it requires a special play call, great improvisation, or pure dumb luck for one of the big guys upfront to get their hands on the ball with open space ahead of them. But when it does happen, the team erupts with the joy of seeing an unsung hero finally get a chance to shine. The legend of their unlikely touchdown will probably outlive their career! Hopefully this guide gave you insight into the rare art of offensive linemen scoring touchdowns. Now whenever you see a fat guy spike the ball, you‘ll know just how special a moment it really is. --- Source: [Can Offensive Linemen Score Touchdowns in Football? A Comprehensive Guide](https://33rdsquare.com/can-offensive-linemen-score-touchdowns-in-football-a-comprehensive-guide/)