The Opening Drive 7/23: Todd Monken's Schemes to Know -- Pin and Pull Sweep

More layered confusion for linebackers and edge defenders as Monken attacks the perimeter today.

Jul 23, 2026

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Jun 9, 2026; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken reacts to a play during mandatory mini camp at Cross Country Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

It has been a busy July here at Browns Film Breakdown as we discuss and preview the 2026 season. Of late we have covered the schemes that will be staples of the Browns this year with Todd Monken and we have covered several trap variations:

But today we change the pace. We have covered the guards pulling along the interior but not we switch to getting lineman on the perimeter as the offense looks to stretch the defense horizontally. Monken is know for diversification in the run game and pin/pull and trap go well together to keep those linebackers in chaos.

Monken ran plenty of pin/pull in the last decade and his Georgia teams were dominant using the scheme behind tight ends Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington. They ran at a whopping 6.1 yards per attempt using the scheme in his Georgia tenure and used the lateral scheme for 15 rushing touchdowns.

Monken uses several variations of the concept and mixes it up through formation, motion, and more. I noticed the Browns running this concept in the open OTA session in late June so there is no doubt it will be in the core set of concepts in Cleveland. It can be run in a variety of ways but the basic concept needs two bodies doing two key roles.

The Pin Block The inside lineman — typically a guard or center — engages a down defender and seals him inside, preventing him from pursuing laterally toward the ball. The goal isn’t to drive the defender backward; it’s to control his inside shoulder and wall him off from the play’s path. Watch the job done by Isaiah Likely (80) here to pin the EDGE inside.

The Pull The outside lineman — typically a tackle or guard — pulls around the pinning blocker and kicks out or log-blocks the first threatening defender outside. This is often a linebacker, edge rusher, or overhang defender who is aligned too wide for the inside lineman to reach so he is either kicking out or logging that defender inside. If you get two pulling lineman, then one will often kick out and another will be “up and through” the alley for the next level threat in pursuit. Here are a couple variations.

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The scheme solves a specific alignment problem: when a defender is positioned outside of a blocker’s reach, a traditional reach block won’t work. Rather than losing a one-on-one matchup in space, the offense uses the two-man combination to outnumber and outflank the defense at the point of attack.

It’s a staple concept in:

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