In a world where large human beings get paid millions of dollars to play on the offensive line, Dallas Cowboys right guard Zack Martin's hand technique is unrivaled in the NFL. He does a lot of things well, but his hand technique truly sets him apart from the rest of the interior offensive linemen in the league.

At just 28 years old, Martin leads all NFL offensive linemen in first-team All-Pro selections (three: 2014, 2016 and 2018), was named a second-team All-Pro on two other occasions (2015, 2017) and has been voted to the Pro Bowl in each season since turning pro (five).

Since entering the NFL, Martin has played in 83 games (regular season plus the playoffs) and has only allowed 76 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. That means Martin, on average, allows a little less than one pressure per game, which is impressive enough over an individual season and almost unheard of for an entire career.

Moreover, Martin has allowed zero pressures in 33 NFL games and multiple pressures in just 15 games. During any given game, Martin is twice as likely to allow zero pressures than multiple pressures, which illustrates Martin's consistency and reliability on game day.

Unfortunately, there aren't any statistics readily available to illustrate run-blocking prowess, but you can bet that Martin would rank high in those areas as well.

The elite class of offensive guards in the NFL is a secluded group that includes noted stalwarts such as Baltimore's Marshal Yanda, Indianapolis' Quenton Nelson, New England's Shaq Mason and Martin (apologies to Cleveland's Joel Bitonio and Kevin Zeitler). Each player possesses overwhelming strengths with minuscule underlying weaknesses. Nevertheless, Martin is the best of the bunch.

While there are many things that make him the best guard in football, Martin's hand technique is the main trait that differentiates him from the other elites at the position.

Before detailing the different hand techniques Martin uses to stymie defenders, it's important to note that Martin not only understands how to use his hands, but he also understands when to use his hands.

An offensive lineman can have a deep repertoire of hand techniques, but if he doesn't understand when and in what situations to use them, then they are essentially useless and likely doing more harm than good.

Martin's innate understanding of when to use the various techniques sets the table for his success on any given rep. Here's a great example that details Martin's understanding of when to use his hands:

Ignore his footwork for a minute and focus on Martin's hand technique. First, notice how Martin is using independent hands to combat the defender instead of a two-hand punch. This gives Martin more room for error and enables him to effectively re-leverage his hands after each strike.

The basic rule (there are some exceptions for certain situations and techniques) of using independent hands in pass protection is simple: the offensive lineman attacks with the hand that is on the same side as the defender's center of mass. If the defender's center of mass is outside the offensive lineman's mid-line, then he should use an outside hand strike, and vice-versa.

This may seem easy to do in theory, but when a defender starts outside an offensive lineman's mid-line, stems inside his mid-line before expanding back outside his mid-line in the blink of an eye, it actually gets quite complicated.

Oftentimes, offensive linemen will chase defenders with a particular hand. For example, if a defender is outside the OL's mid-line and the OL attacks with his inside hand, it inevitably turns the OL's shoulders perpendicular to the line of scrimmage (a big no-no in pass protection), creating a soft edge for the defender and leaving him easily countered, as showcased in the above clip.

Martin rarely makes this mistake, and it enables him to stay square and prevent the defender from reaching his edge and applying pressure on the quarterback.

Since Martin understands when to use his hands, it enables him to employ a variety of high-level hand techniques to stymie defenders in pass protection and displace defenders in the run game. Here's a great example:

Zack Martin has allowed 0 pressures in a game 33 times. He's allowed multiple pressures in just 14 games, per PFF.



Look at the high-level of hand technique displayed by ZM vs Jarran Reed here. Forklifts JR's outside hand & uses it to knock JR's outside hand off ZM's frame. 👀 pic.twitter.com/soDz6V1z26 — John Owning (@JohnOwning) January 8, 2019

On this play, Martin is lined up opposite Jarran Reed, who was one of the most improved interior rushers (10.5 sacks) in the NFL last season. With Reed aligned as a wide three-technique, Martin does an excellent job of expanding laterally to cut off Reed without oversetting and leaving a soft inside edge.

Once they reach the combat zone, Reed does a good job of firing his hands first to initiate contact on the bull rush. This allowed Reed to initially put Martin on his heels, forcing the Cowboys right guard to use his anchor to try and stymie the bull rush. Unfortunately, Martin's anchor by itself isn't enough, as Reed's superior leverage causes Martin to initially cede ground when engaged.

To halt Reed's forward momentum, Martin expertly forklifts Reed's outside wrist and uses it to strip Reed's point-of-contact on Martin's chest. This allows Martin to eliminate the separation created by Reed, re-leverage his hands and stymie Reed's bull rush attempt.

Martin makes it look easy, but please believe that it is anything but.

Boxing and offensive line play aren't a 1:1 comparison, but there are a number of similarities -- one of which is the use of feints. Boxers will often use feints to create openings for the other strikes in their repertoire during a fight. The purpose of a feint is to create a reaction in the opponent that can be easily countered.

In this same vein, Martin utilizes a form of feint that draws out the hands of defenders, making it easy for him to counter and stymie the defender in pass protection. Here's a great example:

Love this from Zack Martin. Paws with his right hand to draw out the counter from the DT, making it easy to latch once the DT misses with his chop. Part of the reason why Zack Martin is the best guard in the NFL. He has a deep bag of tricks to pull from to stymie defenders. pic.twitter.com/SYMWOdeY3G — John Owning (@JohnOwning) September 21, 2018

Here, Martin is lined up opposite of Giants three-technique defensive tackle Kerry Wynn (No. 72). Once the ball is snapped, Martin does a good job of creating enough space with his pass set to give himself enough time to work this particular hand technique.

Notice that right when Wynn reaches striking distance (combat zone), Martin paws with his right hand, which is a feint that simulates a right-hand strike to the defender. This goads the defender into using an outside chop to knockdown Martin's supposed strike; nevertheless, Martin's outside hand is nowhere to be found, as he expertly retracted it back to his frame after pawing at Wynn initially.

This causes Wynn to whiff with his outside chop, leaving him unbalanced and giving Martin an easy target to land a thunderous two-hand strike, which knocks Wynn off his line and eliminates any chance of him getting in the same zip code as Dak Prescott.

Martin's elite hand technique is also evident in the run game, where Martin is able to create impressive creases and running lanes for ball carriers. Here's a great example:

On this play, Martin is working against former Cowboys DL Jack Crawford (No. 95), who is aligned as a tight three-technique defensive tackle. The Cowboys are running a draw where La'el Collins uses a combination block with Martin on Crawford before climbing to a defender at the second level.

Note the placement of Martin's right hand -- it's latched onto Crawford's left tricep. This strong outside hand placement makes it difficult for Crawford to work outside toward the ball carrier after Collins climbs to the second level.

From there, Crawford continues to be stubborn in his attempt to fight his way outside without stripping Martin's grip. Martin then expertly uses Crawford's momentum against him and washes him out of the play.

While it doesn't seem like much, those little details of hand placement make a gigantic difference, and it's what separates the run-of-the-mill OL from the All-Pros. Let's look at another example -- this time against a target on the second level:

On this play, the Cowboys are running Duo from a single back set, which sends Martin and Joe Looney to double team the weakside defensive tackle, who is sliding inside at the snap, before Martin climbs to the second level to pick up the linebacker.

Because the weakside defensive tackle slants inside, Looney is able to pick him up by himself, leaving Martin to quickly climb to the second level. Once he reaches, Martin initiates with a strong inside hand, preventing the linebacker from crossing his face to bring down Ezekiel Elliott in the hole. Martin's hand placement on the inside shoulder prevents the linebacker from using his inside hand to strip Martin's grip. Therefore, despite the linebacker creating separation between Martin and his body, he's still unable to fully disengage off the block and make a play on the ball carrier.

If Martin's inside hand landed on the breastplate, the linebacker would have been able to use a chop or swipe move to clear Martin's grip, disengage and potentially bring down Elliott for a small gain.

This shows great awareness by Martin to know where Elliott was going to be and how to best prevent the defender from getting there.

All in all, there are a plethora of reasons why Martin is the best guard in the NFL. He's incredibly powerful, surprisingly athletic and wicked smart. His feet are smooth, his hips are explosive, and his base is strong. He creates movement in the run game and rarely ever gives up pressure in pass protection.

Having said that, Martin's unrivaled hand technique is truly what distinguishes him from his peers. Not only does Martin have a deep repertoire of techniques to use on any given play, but he is innately aware of the correct situations and circumstances to use them.

Next season, if you are wondering what the best guard in the NFL looks like, turn on any Cowboys game, keep your eyes transfixed on No. 70 and thank me later.

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Twitter: @JohnOwning