Dallas Cowboys coach says he won't draft offensive lineman if they don't know the clever way to get ketchup out of a bottle

Michael Ainsworth/AP

• Dallas Cowboys offensive line coach Paul Alexander wrote in his 2011 book that he pays attention to how offensive linemen try to get ketchup out of a bottle.
• Alexander wrote if prospects don't hit the "57" on Heinz Ketchup bottles, the area to tap to get ketchup out, he knows they can't play for him.
• Alexander wrote that linemen must be smart, coordinated problem-solvers who can work together, not players who rely on brute force.

Ketchup factors into the Dallas Cowboys' evaluation of offensive linemen.

Cowboys offensive line coach Paul Alexander, who was hired by the team in January, wrote in his 2011 book, "Perform: A Journey for Athletes, Musicians, Coaches and Teachers," that he likes to see how football players get ketchup out of a bottle.

In the passage, excerpted by SB Nation's Bobby Belt, Alexander referred to the famous "57" on Heinz Ketchup bottles. By tapping the "57," ketchup flows smoothly out of the bottle. Alexander said he likes to see if players smack the bottom of the bottle instead.

Alexander wrote: "When I see a large football player turn a bottle of ketchup upside down and pound at its heel with tremendous force yet with limited success, I immediately make the mental note: 'He must either play defensive line, or if he plays offensive line, he can't play for me.'"

Alexander explained that defenses can throw so many looks at offensive lines that he wants his linemen to be smart, coordinated, and cohesive. He wants them to be problem-solvers.

"Offensive linemen need to be the smartest, most cohesive group on the football field because they are responsible for the combinations of problems that eleven coordinated defenders can cause. In football, there are eleven defenders and eight gaps that they can charge. Assuming each man can choose one gap, there are 437,514 possible defensive alignments that the offensive line must deal with. Football strategy can be complicated much like an advanced level math problem. Offensive linemen and their coaches seek to solve complex problems with simple solutions."

The debate is, of course, about linemen who only try to overpower opponents. That won't work for Alexander; he wants players who solve a problem.

Hopefully, NFL prospects learn about the "57" on Heinz bottles before they meet the Cowboys.

Here's the full excerpt: