Pin and Pull

Pin and Pull is an offensive line blocking rule and perimeter run scheme. Instead of assigning static pullers or relying on zone reach steps, the entire playside of the formation follows a universal front-agnostic decision tree based on pre-snap alignment:

Question 1 (Inside Gap)

Is there a defender in my inside gap or head-up on me? If yes, execute a down block (PIN) to wash that defender down and inside, away from the sweep track.

Question 2 (Outside Shoulder)

If my inside gap is clear, who is blocking the defender on my outside shoulder? If the teammate outside me pins down on him, I PULL around him into space. If the teammate outside me is pulling away into the alley, I must BASE block the defender on my outside shoulder to form the inside wall of the running lane.

Here is how each lineman executes the rule against a standard Over front on a sweep to the right:

Tight End (Y)

Aligned on the edge with a 7-technique defensive end in his inside C-gap. Because he has inside leverage on the end, his rule is PIN. He down-blocks to seal the edge.

Playside Tackle (RT)

With the tight end pinning the C-gap defender inside and no defender head-up, the tackle is uncovered. His rule is PULL. He pulls behind the tight end's pin block into the perimeter alley to kick out the force defender ($) or wrap to a linebacker.

Playside Guard (RG)

Has a clear inside A-gap, but a 3-technique defensive tackle sits on his outside shoulder in the B-gap. Because the tackle outside him is pulling away, no teammate is down-blocking on the 3-technique. If the guard pulled, the 3-technique would run unblocked into the mesh point. His rule is BASE/DRIVE: engage the 3-technique man-on-man to build the inside wall of the alley.

Center (C)

The center is the pivot point between playside and backside. When the guard base-blocks or pulls, the center secures the interior by blocking back on any defender in the backside A-gap (such as a 1-technique Nose) or reaching an odd-front 0-technique to protect the pulling track.

Backside Linemen (LG, LT)

Backside linemen never pull across the formation on a perimeter sweep. Vacating their gaps would give backside pursuit an unobstructed sprint directly into the backfield. Instead, backside linemen execute Gap-Down-Backer (GDB) or scoop/cutoff rules, stepping playside to cut off linebackers and sealing backside pursuit from chasing down the runner.

On the perimeter, the ball carrier presses the edge outside the tight end's pin block, tracks the pulling tackle's kick-out block in the alley, and turns upfield for positive yardage.