Pushing to be perfect. (I-Formation).

I'll never lead the league in anything. Nothing an offensive lineman does on the field is measured or graded by the official NFL statisticians. That's fine. But when I make a perfect block, it's as satisfying to me as scoring a touchdown is to anyone who handles the ball after I snap it.

I can't say I love blocking. I love playing football, and since blocking is what I do, it's the pursuit of the perfect block that gets me juiced.

The perfect block includes flawless footwork, leverage and hand placement, plus aggressiveness. It's possible to be technically perfect, though, and get beat. It's also possible to be fundamentally flawed yet totally dominate a defender. In the perfect block, an offensive lineman dominates through precise execution. In my seven-year NFL career, that has happened twice, I've had my share of great blocks, but perfect ones? Just two.

Neither block came in a big game. Neither sprung someone for a touchdown. At the time, no one really noticed the block. But I ...