Football is played on grass. But it might as well be on a board. It’s a chess match. A series of actions and reactions. You do this, I do that. For Alex Highsmith, he was a step ahead for several seasons. No longer a secret, offensive tackles are fighting back, putting the ball in his court to respond.
The cat’s out of the bag. Highsmith’s go-to move is his inside spin. It’s not one he uses often, saving it for marquee situations. Third down, late in the game, usually set up by his ghost and wide rushes throughout the game, making tackles respect the threat of his outside rush. When they overset and get greedy, bam, inside spin. It’s a duster, making tackles look silly for years.
After years of being tortured, left tackles woke up. It probably helps, or hurts, that Highsmith broke out for 14.5 sacks in 2022 while T.J. Watt missed half the season. When you’re putting up gaudy numbers like that, when you’re the team’s top pass rusher for a stretch without Watt to occupy the opposing game plans’ attention, teams watch how you’re winning. For Highsmith, he wins in a lot of ways, but his inside spin is his money move.
As we noted in January, Highsmith’s spin became less effective as it became more anticipated. Over his final seven spin attempts to end 2023, none of them worked. The tackle countered each time. Each in their own way and it wasn’t always graceful, Jedrick Wills used the “butt block” technique (which is actually taught by some coaches, including Pittsburgh’s Pat Meyer), but they all got the job done. They all slowed him down. Some vets even began to taunt him. Here’s Jacksonville Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson teasing Highsmith to “spin, spin” before a play.
You can bet those tackles will be ready for it in 2024. The question is how does Highsmith adjust? He certainly has a better plan than I do but here are a couple of thoughts.
1. Changing When To Use The Move
Mix up when it’s coming. Instead of using it just on weighty downs, deploy it on a 1st and 10. Or second down midway through the third quarter when the game doesn’t feel as heavy. Make tackles respect it every down, not just in clear-cut situations when their tape study says it’s coming.
2. Counter Off The Spin
It’s tricky to do but there may be a path to string the spin move. He can show the inside spin and turn halfway before spinning back to the outside. That takes plenty of coordination, technique, and time to pull off, but I wonder if Highsmith would give that a try. Or some variation of the fake spin to bait tackles into sliding down before winning back to the outside. It can be done. Here’s DeMarcus Ware using it for a nasty rush win against Joe Staley of all people.
Ware was a legend in his prime but other rushers have pulled it off, too. Here’s Chandler Jones using it in 2022. And here’s a UCLA DE pulling it off for a sack.
It would be a rare move but win with it once, or even put it on tape, and you’ll get that tackle nervous about being dusted by the fake out.
That’s the goal. Play mind games. Get in their head. Make the tackle unsure of what he’s about to see and you’ll slow him down. Make him a tick late to respond, always reacting instead of anticipating, and you’ll win the day. That’s Highsmith’s mission.
