Head Up, 50% chance he is mine engage and release if he goes inside. O-Line: Blocking the Stretch/Outside Zone Scheme. When the ball is snapped the Quarterback will take the snap and step directly back as the Running Back come across his face. Although this topic was not in our original survey, we did do our research to find the most common aiming points of the ball carrier. Basic Zone Scheme PLAY DIRECTION RIGHT: Left shoulder 10% chance he is mine. But when we conducted our research, we've found that the majority of coaches we polled (37.8 %) do not teach the cut block back-side. Hand tells us the specifics of his ball carrier's path in outside zone from the shotgun formation. Click here. Your email address will not be published. The PST kicks out the EMLOS. I found this excellent article that breaks it all down here. All children, especially those considered high risk, will learn life lessons from participating in youth football. To see examples of the pop pass, watch the video below for full in-depth detail. RELATED CONTENT: Building an offensive line: 3 keys to improve combo blocking Click here. This can be run from a variety of different formations and sets which makes it particularly difficult to defend. It requires speed and technique. 28 Zone 'Slice'" - now we can still read what the DE does, but we have a body blocking him. The wide-zone run scheme is a play based on horizontal movement. https://spreadoffensefootball.com/using-the-sniffer-tight-end-in-the-run-game/. It provides a lot of advantages for offensive linemen, no matter what defensive play is called. For years, offensive linemen were given man blocking responsibilities. We will cut the one technique back-side with the back-side guard or if he has a three technique, we'll cut it with the tackle. If that foot is back chances are he will slant across my face. One of these players on each side of the field will come off their initial double team block to get to the second level and pick up the Will and the Mike, respectively. This will allow them both to peel off successfully to the second level. Starting with the center, the philosophy is to cut off the person in your next gap. The guard and tackle on each side of the center will combine for the zone blocking double teams. Todays breakdown I talk about blocking outside zone using the count system. You can see in this example, from a standard shotgun set, the QB uses the backside defensive ends alignment against him, and simply 'reads' what he is doing, it provides a very simple rule for . "We tell him to take a deep drop step and come out on the strong side A gap. "We watch the inside foot pre-snap. Zone blocking uses very consistent rules that do not change according to the defensive front. If the defensive end has the play-side tackle in a stalemate, the running back will bang it next to their block to recoup some yards. Similar line blocking assignments: Just like the inside zone, the outside zone utilizes a full zone scheme. Instead, each lineman is responsible to block an area . Our hope is that after you read what they do, you find a common ground to adapt what you do to fit your personnel, which after all, is the essence of good coaching. This is similar to the philosophy of pin and pull, which we wrote about here. Iowa's outside zone is modeled after the Alex Gibbs/Terrell Davis philosophy of getting the defense to run on the front side just to cut on the backside. This would result in one of two things -- both of which were good for the defense. Even if offensive linemen lose ground, the back can run off of those blocks and create positive plays that exploit fast-filling linebackers. Get our blocking diagrams to every defensive front Steps and Combos The next thing you need to study about the Inside Zone is Offensive Line Steps and Calling Combination Blocks. If you have an offensive lineman built more for a power game than a zone game, we recommend you forego outside zone. Ruel stresses the idea of keeping his lineman's shoulders square and getting the stomach up field to guarantee the defender gets hooked. The defensive line wins outside leverage from both the defensive end and play-side defensive tackle spots. (Full Explanation), Air Coryell Football Coaching Guide (Includes Images). As the name suggests, Zone Blocking Scheme is quite literally blocking a zone, or an area of the field, rather than man. Try to cut off the defensive end, so the running back can get to the edge, If the defensive end widens and youre not able to cut him off, then try to run him to the sideline. Third, the offensive linemen must keep their eyes on the linebacker. <> The backside tackle is looking to cut off the defensive lineman to his play-side gap. We do this by keeping both feet on ground." Some offensive linemen may still have only one blocking responsibility, again depending on the offensive play and defensive scheme being used. The new defensive scheme completely disrupted the thinking of man blocking, and it found many holes in the approach. % Some teams will have the Quarterback read the backside Defensive End on this play. We take the fullback on force. Zone Blocking 1. In this case, the Center = 0, RG = 1 and RT = 2. The outside zone uses the same blocking rules as the inside zone. Peyton Manning was a true master of this where he would sell the fake so well that the defenders would come downhill to stop the run only to see Marvin Harrison or Reggie Wayne going streaking by them. "He wants to get started up field because he is going to come off on the next level. The two-back outside zone uses the same zone-blocking principles of the one-back look with a fullback or H-Back leading to the edge of the formation to track the first defender who shows as. Click here now! In this case, the Center = 0, RG = 1 and RT = 2. Click here. To start on offense, the count will begin with the Center and then work to the front side. If that d-lineman comes straight ahead, his shoulders are square so he can force a cutback (which is detrimental to the outside zone scheme) or make the tackle. On most outside zone schemes, particularly ones run at the higher levels of football, offensive lineman would cut block defenders on the back-side of the play - regardless of whether that player was a first or second level defender. The earlier you teach the zone blocking scheme to your players, and the more often you practice it, the easier itll be for them to master it. Follow, Head Coach Monterey HS @coach_besaw born and raised in the Spread (Eugene, OR) covering all things Spread Offense, A few different ways you can use the sniffer tight end in the run game Y",g97g-6Xy(p{XUSRn/eb?~xC^\3|>[l.OF(jZP~OUe"Kr|)[EJ1MSQREJVS5YiQUEAh^[IkSn]3?4\pbYMV.RK@MN'VwZ;x Ux(`r1!A#yNU1|4Dh^fO6V0}RQ/@_7fkX GbTJ onhZF?1|0!Fb"s,E~J(AbhfrexnuZgrAiEL=GN7ZohV3c$$+Rh]@>Uxv~4/,!KB u` ~ny! Sure, some teams have chosen to man block the play, 73.8 percent of coaches still use a covered and uncovered principle when running the outside zone. Sweeney, now a high school offensive line coach, feels it's too tough a task to accomplish. The cornerstone of blocking rules starts with blocking seven for seven across the front in 12 personnel . Sweeney recalled a story during his ten year tenure as a center with the New York Jets when star running back Freeman McNeil used to come over and watch the linemen during their individual session in practice. For spread teams, having the running back at an offset alignment or a pistol alignment gives the running back enough room to make a read off of the play side tackle. The count is just a good starting point for the who the OL will block with anticipation of taking care of anyone that enters their gap. Coach starts off with a powerpoint lecture and then proceeds to his two main drills on tape and then advances to game film. Outside Zone From Football Fundamentals: Zone Blocking Schemes: Blocking Rules To really simplify this section, we'll treat the entire line as if it's the same, rather than splitting apart the front side and back side of the OL. So, what defensive coaches did was ask all of their defensive linemen to slant one way or the other after the snap. 6. Outside zone has been a part of NFL run games for decades. RB aligns behind the tackle to his side, five yards off the ball in gun so we can stretch the defense. He can then read the block of his Playside Tackle to determine if he will press the ball outside or make a single cut back to the Inside. toInside Zone Rulesin that they use the covered/uncovered read and playside direction. Last, the play-side tackle has one of the most important blocks in the entire play. We've found that the difference lies more in philosophy than it does in technique. Copyright ©2023 Youth Football Online. Always finish your block. Offensive lines were having a very difficult time with all of the zone blitzing of 3-4 defenses, and the stunts of 4-3 defenses. Contact us if you are interested in contributing content. Your counting rules for zone blocking also work for pass blocking; OL players become interchangeable, as all the rules stay the same. Per Gibbs, outside zone is blocked the same as inside zone outside of two big differences. Outside zone is a run play that takes advantage of the cut-off blocks and leverages the offensive line to get an aggressive running attack that will wear down the defenses pursuit. The center goes through or pulls for the Mike LB. Rather than attacking upfield at the snap, the offensive linemen typically move at a 45-degree angle towards one of the sidelines, often leaving the backside defensive end unblocked to generate a . Man blocking schemes gave each offensive lineman the responsibility of blocking a specific defender on every play. This can be particularly difficult for younger running backs as they hear the Stretch play called and want to run the ball to the outside no matter what. . Unlike a full zone principle, this scheme involves down blocks and pulls at the point of attack. Here's what the Inside Zone Read looks like Live. Teams that can effectively execute outside zone will have success. Case 5: Problem Areas Among the Front (Pin and Pull Technique). Used for Outside Zone Blocking when covered and facing an OUTSIDE SHADE defender. So when we started compiling the report, we've found that the most heated discussion is whether or not to full zone or man block the scheme. He cannot get the linebacker until he gets there." Select an applicable Action of either Block, Legacy CAPTCHA, Managed Challenge, or JS challenge. The center is 0, the play-side guard is 1, play-side tackle is 2, backside guard is -1, and the backside tackle is -2. His main job is to cut off the players gap toward the play side. The first player backside (of the center) is labeled as -1. Where the defensive end goes -- and how the offensive linemen double team him -- will determine which offensive lineman blocks the Mike. He uses the drag hand to catch and hold the defender so he cannot penetrate.". That PSLB thats unblocked is now the responsibility of the tight end. Our landmark for our back is three yards outside the tight end and one yard deep," he says. Basic Inside Zone Blocking Rules Diagram. Copyright 2023 vIQtory Sports, all rights reserved. Rules to live by with Zone Blocking Know if you are covered or uncovered. Think inside shoulder to outside shoulder. Tenopir used to call this the "play boy" scheme because it's a fold block with the center and play side guard. <>/XObject<>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 10 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S>> 6 0 obj Outside zone is a concept that can be used as a base run play (Similar to how we detailed inside zone in the article). "We don't ever worry about getting beat underneath, the ball will be outside already," said Ruel. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time. Alright, so you've got your basic outside zone run, and that's working pretty good, but your opponent is adjusting. The backside guard will step toward the play side to ensure no penetration from a blitzing linebacker or backside lineman. Once the guard has slowed down the man in his gap and the center has overtaken him, he will then move to cut off the linebacker. Another common way to utilize the Outside Zone blocking scheme is to get the ball to the running back out of the backfield. No. In 2011, Oregon averaged 9.8 yards per play as they ran this play 36 times for 353 yards and 2 touchdowns. I'll focus on the wide zone, because that's more iconic to what Gibbs . The outside zone concept is simple, but it doesnt need to be run only by multiple-back formations. I found this excellent article that breaks it all down here. ZONE Effective blocking on inside zone provides cutback lanes for the ball carrier. <> The zone blocking scheme can be distilled down to two plays: the inside, or tight zone run, and the outside, or wide zone run. How he blocks him can vary - some coaches prefer lead or angle step up field, whereas some tell their offensive lineman to bucket step. The Outside Zone allows an offense to do this in a variety of different ways. What this does is result in a lot of double-team blocks at the line of scrimmage. This forces the safety to hold back and not come downhill for the run fit. Zone is great because it takes into account any spikes or slants from the defensive line. Outside zone is a simple yet effective running play. By slanting the defensive linemen a certain direction, itd cause the offensive linemen to follow them, which would then cut off other offensive linemen from being able to block linebackers. This helps eliminate some concerns especially if you are pulling a fast player over from defense to run the play. We tell our guard he must get beyond the man (far jersey number) before he can come back on him. The 3 templates include: Last, the running back needs to read the block of the play-side tackle. Team Run - Inside Zone blocking. It all starts with. Stake - Technique used on BS of zone or both FS and BS of outside zone run plays "RTB" Prototypical Offensive Lineman <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S>> Regardless of how the handoff takes places the Jet man will be getting the ball and stretching the edge of the field. The center gives a quick hand to help the guard overtake his man. UJZ h?l UIJTZQ,m(!L05O5-we Sign up for our weekly recaps, informed analysis, and film breakdowns. The past season I coached our 8th grade team and we went 10-0 and won our league championship. Ruel's Techniques of a Stretch Hook (covered lineman): Rip to run on second step by driving back shoulder through defender - this provides for a cutoff scenario. Finally, our wide outside runs are: 28-29 halfback sweep, with tackle and tight end angle rules with a guard on lead pull; 28-29 halfback toss, with a guard hooking, a tackle pulling and a tight end on an angle block. Once his gap is secured, he will continue working up to the linebacker to cut off his angle. As Kelly puts it, "the. Although this component won't be disclosed below, we will be covering this aspect in depth on May 24th when our Boise State/Oregon trigger concepts report debuts. Case 3: Back-side Blocking Schemes (To Cut or Not to Cut). Get 3 free templates to help you build an organized and structured team. Case 1: "Covered" Blocking Concepts to the Play Side. Regardless of the defensive front, these two principles are consistent, and again, 73.8 percent of coaches use this terminology when implementing the zone scheme. It keeps our shoulders pointed up field. "Pro Rt. There are certain indicators that would "tip off" some form of angle or stunt to the play side of zone. (Full Explanation). Under User Agent Blocking, click Create Blocking Rule. In this instance the Running Back will line up next to the Quarterback opposite of the play call. Terms and Rules Ace - Double . If the Tackle is able to seal his man then the Running Back is free to get the ball to the alley and attack downhill. Second, the offensive linemen must keep their shoulders square. Although these covered and uncovered concepts are the same ones we spoke of on the inside zone report, we wanted to provide a quick refresher. ", We've found the emphasis on the covered lineman is to have his shoulders pointed up field at all times. He helps seal that scrape and AJ Dillon is able to get outside on edge of the defense. First, all defensive linemen would line head-up on an offensive lineman. "The aiming point for the drag hand is the backside pec of the defender. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. The blocking has been simplified in the past twenty years with the advent of zone blocking rules, that enable several backfield plays to be run with the same blocking scheme. If you would like to discuss this topic further with Mike Kuchar, Senior Research Manager, X&O Labs, please feel free to email him at mikek@xandolabs.com. When the Quarterback is reading the end he is checking to see if he can run it for four or more yards opposite of the play call. The RB will key the block on the first D-lineman playside on inside zone, and make a cut based off the block on him. Please log in again. Flag football is a great game to play, especially during the offseason. Once the running back reads the tackle, he will bend it back toward the middle if he sees him pushing the defensive end to the sideline. The Running Back is still making the same read on the Tackle. The two plays are based on the teaching that in any inside or outside zone play, there are "covered" and "uncovered" linemen. Teams will use their H back to block outside out but then release him for a pop pass. Here is one last example of how the flow and horizontal pressure of outside zone can exploit defenses. If players are stacked, the lower number goes to the defender closer to the line of scrimmage. What we've found most interesting is that unlike the inside zone, the outside zone does not have to be a cornerstone of your offense. I use about 10 blocking rule calls to create the best angles for our offensive linemen. We base block the TE, block back on the 3-technique, pull the guard, and the center. The ZBS takes the offensive line and choreographs their movements. _X/Tn. 7 0 obj And if he crosses my face, I just want to continue on my path because it gives the back more space to run.". The biggest one is that if the ball is dropped by the runner it is considered a forward pass and the play is dead. The running back has three primary rules: bend, bang, and bounce. In this article, were going to show you exactly how to run outside zone and how you can install it into your offensive system. They called it the 28/29 Edge play. It also shows the running back reading sequentially down the line. 5 0 obj At the high school level, it is illegal to cut block at the second level so why teach it? There are a variety of different coaching points that must be mastered but one of the key things is that the runner gets the ball at as close to full speed as possible. In a follow-up to the inside zone report that X&O Labs published back in early March, we wanted to research the most productive ways coaches are teaching the outside zone and stretch concept to their players. Yes, he did just say front side A gap. The blocking techniques, though, are different, as the plays are designed to get the defense moving laterally across the field and create seams in their coverage. The difference is the wide zone blocking is horizontal, either going toward one sideline or the other. The difference is in the how they are blocking. Also, similarly to Inside Zone, it has multiple possible points of entry. Even if offensive linemen lose ground, the back can run off of those blocks and create positive plays that exploit fast-filling linebackers. In fact, its the exact same as far as who the offensive linemen are blocking. Aiming points and angles are some of the most important rules for the OL "I don't like the theory of keeping the outside arm free - you need four hands on defender," says Sweeney. The scheme is versatile, doesnt ask offensive linemen to physically overpower defenders, and puts more responsibility on the running back to make the scheme work effectively. The zone read uses the standard inside zone blocking rules as identified in previous articles, but also utilises the quarterback as a running threat. Click here. The technique is obviously different from blocking inside zone to blocking outside zone. As you can see from the description and illustrations, the slant and angle defensive scheme posed a big problem for man blocking schemes. Offensive coaches needed to come up with a solution, and that solution was zone blocking. They're starting to put like, a bunch of . The first pro of inside zone is its simplicity for offensive linemen. Instead, Sweeney spends more time alerting his lineman pre-snap about the possibilities of a stunt or scrape. On the backside, the LG = -1 and the LT = -2. Outside zone (lateral hook/seal): Reach/block the outside shoulder/first step points outside of D-lineman's outside shoulder. Zone blocking is a style of blocking for offensive linemen that was created by offensive coaches in response to a new style of defense that had emerged. This eliminates rules for the bend bang or bounces from the running back. "So we think there is no chance anyone from the play side A gap back can make a play on the outside zone. If youre interested in learning more about other base run plays, we have blogs detailing inside zone and other plays here. They teach a run to rip technique, similar to the responsibility of the uncovered lineman to the front side of the play. The tackle would miss the block, forcing the guard to pick up the defensive end or allowing the end to quickly get in the backfield. Initially, the Inside Zone looks like a really simple play as. 1 0 obj BLOCKING RULES RULE: Base - Big on Big rule CALL: "big" Block inside, over, outside to near backer. Inside and Outside Zone take a little time for the blocking to develop and have delays or long distance built into the ball carrier's path, while Midline and Wide Zone are more aggressively downhill. The Outside Zone Drill is going to be used after your Individual Period. 17 Bellstone Drive, Bellingham, MA, 02019. You should receive a confirmation email shortly asking you to verify your subscription. Of course, when you have backs behind Manning with the speed of Edgerrin James and Joey Addai, getting to the perimeter of the defense is almost guaranteed. No more boring Sundays, everyone can enjoy football! The rules for the covered linemen on the outside zone are through the crotch. Thats where the overtake comes into play. The Spread Offense Once the lineman is engaged with a defender, he needs to stay engaged until he feels the next adjacent lineman take his assignment over. He teaches his players to eye the outside armpit of the defender with the objective to always advance to the second level. We need to cut on this scheme because we think the 5-tech can run the play down on the edge technique." *KEY= get head inside hole with shoulders square and power foot forward on ground. Various trigger concepts: By "trigger" concepts we're referring to the actions off zone option such as the flash or speed sweep, the outside zone option as well as the reverse package. But against stunting first level defenders, keeping both shoulders squared becomes a difficult fundamental to accomplish. Zone-locking or man-locking principles may also be applied to pass blocking. "We must open the defender's shoulders. 3 0 obj Offensive linemen must still take outside tracks (which will be covered below) and work through any first level defenders to get to their number. Now on the defense, the count begins with 0 and it starts with the first defender that is the immediate threat to the playside A gap. In a clinic setting, Coach Greatwood teaches the inside zone concepts of the devastating Duck ground attack. "If our linemen is covered, we let him cross over on his second step as long as it's up field," said Tenopir. ", But against stunting first level defenders, keeping both shoulders squared becomes a difficult fundamental to accomplish. Sure, some teams have chosen to man block the play, 73.8 percent of coaches still use a covered and uncovered principle when running the outside zone. endobj Blocking Outside Zone Using the Count System WATCH: Michigan Inside Zone Blocking Drills - Sherrone Moore The Myth of the Vertical Pass Set It's cable reimagined No DVR space limits. It started to become popular in the 1980s and in the 1990s with Alex Gibbs and Mike Shanahan. Even the Blocking Scheme in itself is very different in the the . The PSG works through the man that appears in his gap as he climbs to the linebacker and the center works to help him. Get our blocking diagrams to every defensive front Steps and Combos The next thing you need to study about the Inside Zone is Offensive Line Steps and Calling Combination Blocks. This is still a zone scheme, and OL will have to take their zone steps and pick up anyone who enters their gap because after all, the defense are humans and they will react differently after the snap. Outside zone is a play that aims to attack the edge of the defense but utilizes backside cutoffs. The backside hand goes to the sternum of the defender. endobj All rights reserved. INSIDE ZONE FROM WEAK OFFSET PRO I FORMATION Inside Zone Strong Inside Zone Weak Inside Zone Lead Strong Inside Zone Lead Weak OUTSIDE ZONE Coaching Points-Outside Zone Outside Zone Strong GENERAL FORMATION & PLAY SETUP COACHING NOTES : Inside Zone Ballhandler Notes : Inside Zone O-Line Rules Inside Zone O-Line Technique Notes : Miscellaneous Zone Running Game Notes: (3 pgs . Any time you run and pin and pull, it is a cut on the back-side - no scoop. C BT BG PG PT Q ET MB Y But here comes the beauty of the zone blocking scheme. Once again, it was a pleasure to report on the offensive line principles in the zone scheme. The PST kicks out the end and Quentin Nelson is able to sustain his block long enough to allow the running back to shoot the gap. Cutting off offensive linemen requires no size or strength. Linemen block their corresponding number while still working within the technique of the outside zone scheme. To start on offense, the count will begin with the Center and then work to the front side. Know your steps and calls. If the center can't get the nose reached, he asks for help. It's a terrific complement to the inside zone and the myriad of schemes that come off the zone concept can provide the defense with tremendous conflicts. The same read rules apply as before, but now if the DE goes upfield, the QB keeps it and runs off the FB block. When the EMLOS is aligned in a wide-9 technique or way outside the PST, the PST now has to kick that player out. Click here. <> Want to contribute content and have it seen by thousands of coaches? Currently 5/5 Stars. Get X&O Labs' Coaching Research Reports FREE Every Tuesday. The Outside Zone blocking scheme is one of the most universal schemes in football. When a play side lineman is covered on the outside zone or stretch play, it is his job to handle that down lineman. That 3-technique would be the next adjacent down lineman. Pass pro rules can matchup, adding another level to the adaptability. Covered: There is a first level defender (DLM) from my nose to the nose of the adjacent lineman play side. Last, if the tackle successfully cuts off the defensive end, the running back will bounce the ball to the outside, hoping to outrun the rest of the defensive backs. Running backs also have to be able to key and see that pre-snap to adjust their track accordingly. <> While its a little more complicated to teach and learn than the man blocking scheme, it isn't too difficult that itd be hard for younger players to learn. The left guard has someone in their play-side gap so they attack their play-side shoulder. OL = Outside Zone blocking. Fourth, the offensive linemen must know which one will stay on the defender and which one will peel off to pick up the linebacker. In this example, the RT will be on his own and is responsible for the DE (2 vs 2 in the count). Chip and GO. The aiming point for the block is the playside shoulder of the defender.. Shoot, my guys blocked inside zone so much that they were taking their steps and shooting their hands while . Case 2: "Uncovered" Blocking Concepts to the Play Side (Reach and Overtake). In this example, the count would begin with the 3t = 0, the Mike = 1 and the DE = 2. That movement will stop the penetration of the defender inside. Enter the Name/Description. Individuals - Inside Zone drills. Outside Zone Explanation Blocking rules are the same as Inside Zone Difference is the aiming point of the Offensive Lineman Play Side O-Line takes a kick-step to the outside and Karaoke crossover step to get up field Backside opens on the play side foot and loses ground (Don't allow penetration) If the center can reach the nose he will make a "you" call to the strong guard telling the strong guard to pull and block the play side linebacker. North Texas runs Iso Pop Pass down inside the red zone. While we found the objective clear, the methodology or technique that is used by that uncovered player varied among coaches. I'll teach you the tips, tricks, and secrets used by some of the best football coaches at the youth, HS, and pro level. Inside zone running is vertical blocking where you are trying to move your man either left or .