The Trench Warfare Film Room featuring Super Bowl Champion & former Bucs Pro Bowl LG Ali Marpet

Breaking down film with former Buccaneers Pro Bowl IOL Ali Marpet ranging from his time at right guard in 2016 to center in 2017 and at left guard from 2018 until his last season in 2021

Photo via Tyler Wise

Welcome everyone to another very special edition of the Trench Warfare film room where I sit down with former Buccaneers interior offensive lineman Ali Marpet to break down his career in Tampa Bay. I went into this session eager to hear about the mindset of one of the game’s best, most versatile guards over the course of his seven-year career. I came away from our 90-minute discussion with a better idea about his approach to the game, and I learned a tremendous amount about the craftsmanship that goes into sustaining a successful pro career.

Marpet amassed 107 total starts (regular season and playoffs) spread across all three interior line spots after being selected in the second round out of DIII Hobart College in New York. Marpet is one of the rare players with double-digit regular season starts at three different positions:

• 2015-2016: 29 starts at RG

• 2017: 11 starts at C

• 2018-2021: 61 starts at LG

Marpet was very good at every position that he played in Tampa Bay, including being arguably the best left guard in football over his last few seasons despite not earning an All-Pro selection and just one Pro Bowl nod. Before recording the film room with Marpet, I mentioned to him an interesting parallel that he experienced to what current 49ers & former Redskins LT Trent Williams went through during his years in Washington. Williams only received one Second Team All-Pro selection before arriving in San Francisco, despite being an elite starter, due to Tyron Smith and Jason Peters being entrenched as the premier left tackles during that time while Joe Thomas had an All-Pro spot locked down prior to his retirement. This led to Williams earning his first First Team All-Pro selection in 2021 as he got more notoriety with the 49ers, but that accolade also came after Peters and Smith hit downturns in their own illustrious careers.

Marpet experienced a similar situation at guard with Quenton Nelson, Joel Bitonio and even Joe Thuney having more name recognition and being entrenched on the All-Pro teams while Marpet was an elite player in his own right. Marpet didn’t earn a Pro Bowl selection until after his last season in 2021 after Tom Brady was in his second season in Tampa, bringing more attention to the team in the process (which helped people realize Marpet’s greatness). Not that any of this was a major concern for Marpet personally, but it was an interesting observation and comparison that I thought illustrated how Marpet’s career became underrated and overlooked by the mainstream.

After making the switch to left guard in 2018, Marpet only missed four games over his final four seasons. Three of those came during the 2020 season, and the Bucs’ offensive production took a noticeable dip in the process. The glaring hole at left guard in Marpet’s absence was a primary factor in the downturn. This helped more people appreciate Marpet’s impact since two of those three games were losses on nationally televised night games, with extensive heat being brought on Brady from the leaky left side. It also resulted in multiple lineup changes over that three-game span as the team scrambled to replace Marpet. Sometimes we don’t appreciate an offensive lineman’s impact until he’s gone. The Bucs experienced this firsthand in 2020 and again in 2022, during Marpet’s first year in retirement. Tampa struggled all season long at the left guard spot in their first attempt to replace the Pro Bowler.

Marpet’s game was built off of elite athletic ability and play strength. This combination led to arguably the game’s best anchor at the left guard position with dominating grip strength to latch and end reps quickly. Marpet created major movement in the run game on double-teams, drive and down blocks with the skills to pick off smaller targets on the move. He was an impact starter that brought an analytical, detailed approach to the offensive line room that I was able to uncover and shine a light on during our sit down. That mindset will elevate and enrich everyone’s understanding and appreciation of the offensive line position, including my own. I am thrilled to share that with everyone who supports this newsletter.

Here is a quick overview of the most compelling and lasting lessons I learned during our conversation:

• Marpet’s ‘framework’ and conceptual explanations of plays, scheme, defenses and his approach was a common theme throughout the conversation that really highlighted his mindset and how he operated mentally

• Dissecting how and why utilizing leverage and momentum against a defensive tackle to ‘influence’ and create movement on outside & inside zone concepts is paramount as opposed to using sheer strength (which hardly anyone can do)

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• Breaking down some of the factors in how the running back works in tandem with his blockers on the fly and how that dynamic unfolds post-snap

• We discussed how to identify and then play to your strengths as a player, including how to set up a defender to make that happen (specifically how Marpet invited the bull-rush on pass-rushers, allowing him to use his anchor and grip strength to shine)

• How Marpet’s build was conducive to a strong anchor, superior leverage and angles against the majority of opponents

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• The importance of one of Marpet’s line coaches in Tampa Bay (Harold Goodwin) telling the unit that the ‘backside of a run is the frontside’ and what that looks like on film

• Differentiating between a ‘firm’ and ‘jump’ set

• Marpet sought to exploit an ‘edge’ in every matchup and he explained in detail what that meant against the likes of former Panthers DT Kawann Short in an epic five-play sequence

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• Why eliminating the runway and closing space on pass-rushers with elite-level play strength and power is critical, with several examples on film

• Why ‘getting your shots’ in on a division opponent (and opponent in general) from a confidence standpoint is so important

• Contrasting how a linebacker can use his eyes to give away his intent pre-snap versus using his eyes to mask his intent, specifically on blitzes and line games. Marpet adds critiques of his technique at the end that are insightful.

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• Facing David Onyemata, Sheldon Rankins, Aaron Donald and Jonathan Allen

• How late in the season Donald gradually loses weight, lessening his power in the process

• Why mixing up your stance on the OL is important to avoid giving the defense a ‘tell’ on what is coming

• The differences in aiming points, timing and tempo from shotgun versus under-center runs for the running back and offensive line

• Adjusting on the fly post-snap when the defense rotates and adds an extra, unblocked body into the box

Full Ali Marpet Film Room: