Team Run - Inside Zone blocking. That pressure allows for the BST get down the line of scrimmage and to be able to overtake the first-level defender. 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 . Even if offensive linemen lose ground, the back can run off of those blocks and create positive plays that exploit fast-filling linebackers. Copyright 2023 vIQtory Sports, all rights reserved. E. Bucket Step -6 inch directional step towardAiming Point. Offensive linemen must still take outside tracks (which will be covered below) and work through any first level defenders to get to their number. Again its important to drill this technique so it becomes second nature to the Running Backs. GOD - Gap on Down; GOLD - Gap on LB Down; GOO - Gap on Outside (pass) 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. 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. 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. In this instance the Running Back will line up next to the Quarterback opposite of the play call. Assignments change based on whether there is a defender present in their gap or not. The zone blocking scheme allows the offensive linemen to take a wait-and-see approach with blocking, allowing the play to develop before determining wholl block the linebacker on their side of the field. Starting with the center, the philosophy is to cut off the person in your next gap. It can also efficiently be run with one back, which would still give you the advantage of the leverage on the defense based on what you put into their gaps on either side. It was extremely difficult to figure out who was blitzing, who was dropping . The linemen open up and get on a 45 degree track. The same read rules apply as before, but now if the DE goes upfield, the QB keeps it and runs off the FB block. This play is diagramed against a 3-4 scheme. Everything that Zweifel teaches in his outside zone progression is based upon the "reach and overtake" mantra that he drills into his linemen from day one. The Outside Zone blocking scheme is one of the most universal schemes in football. Know your steps and calls. We're talking full displacement of defenders. The backside guard takes his track to overtake for the center while putting his hand on the near hip of the player in his backside gap. endobj The PSG works through the man that appears in his gap as he climbs to the linebacker and the center works to help him. The backside guard gives a post arm to help the BST overtake. As that defensive tackle slants inside, the center leaves them because he knows his BSG is going to be on his 3-step track to overtake. So, what defensive coaches did was ask all of their defensive linemen to slant one way or the other after the snap. The two plays are based on the teaching that in any inside or outside zone play, there are "covered" and "uncovered" linemen. Individuals - Inside Zone drills. The running back has three primary rules: bend, bang, and bounce. At the snap, the center is responsible for blocking the nose tackle lined up head-up on him. 28 Zone 'Slice'" - now we can still read what the DE does, but we have a body blocking him. "He wants to get started up field because he is going to come off on the next level. 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When the EMLOS is aligned in a wide-9 technique or way outside the PST, the PST now has to kick that player out. Zweifel will do this when he sees a C gap down defender to the play side. 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. There are two primary rules: covered and uncovered. The double team on outside zone will be short lived and evolved into a co-op block between the PS Tackle and PS TE. Case 2: "Uncovered" Blocking Concepts to the Play Side (Reach and Overtake). Pat Ruel, the assistant offensive line coach for the Seattle Seahawks, teaches a stretch hook concept (a combo horizontal stretch and hook) for his covered linemen to the play side of zone. Required fields are marked *. Its great for QBs, RBs, WRs, LBs, and DBs. Get X&O Labs' New Report Revealing Boise State and Oregon's "Trigger" Concepts May 24, A tight or inside shade first level defender, A cheating second level player to the edge of the defense, Short 45 degree step, target is play side number of adjacent down lineman, Rip off hand and shoulder though his play side armpit (rip and run), Hook him using your shoulders and butt by leaning into him, not by turning your shoulders, If you're on the ground, defender can get up first and make the play, They can still go over you and make a play on the QB or RB. The fullback is responsible for picking up the defensive end on the left side of the field. With the track of the running back, Jacksonville has forced the secondary of the Browns to flow hard over the top and get sealed off to the play-side. 5. In outside zone, offensive linemen will never step backside. 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. by Anonymous. The tight end is responsible for kicking out the Sam linebacker. Zone Read Scheme Rules, Techniques and Drills. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright text 2022 by Football Advantage. The count system works the same for any front whether youre running inside zone or outside zone. It also includes my OLM One Pager 90 minute practice plan for coaching offensive line youth football. 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. 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. 101K views 4 years ago In this description of the inside zone you learn a new and simple way to make sure your lineman know who they will be working with on their combo blocks. The center goes through or pulls for the Mike LB. The combination will come with the Center and RG (0 & 1) on the 3t and the Mike (0 & 1 on defense). The next step in the zone blocking scheme deals directly with how to block these two linebackers -- the Will and the Mike, in our example. We can't get a soft shoulder." By having the Running Back coming downhill the defenders are forced to react or risk being beaten to the edge. the difference between an inside and outside zone, and how . If the defense has a bigger, slower defensive lineman, this is great to get them running and ultimately tired out. . Hh9%9|6s$a=|/a!$T|{&q9z\1R3'kNCy@;XgGC8z|T?5B/XI4& Get X&O Labs' New Report Revealing Boise State and Oregon's "Trigger" Concepts May 24th. Second, the offensive linemen must keep their shoulders square. <>/XObject<>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 10 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S>> Knee through the crotch. These are the primary rules for outside zone. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The benefit of cutting off defensive linemen is that it naturally opens up running lanes for the running back. The outside zone uses the same blocking rules as the inside zone. It simplified the roles and responsibilities for each offensive lineman since he was only asked to worry about one defender. 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. "When you do both you're marrying two different principles so we need to really work on this. Thats where the overtake comes into play. endobj To start on offense, the count will begin with the Center and then work to the front side. The responsibility of blocking these two players will land with either the offensive tackles or the offensive guards. 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. 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. Blocking Outside Zone Using the Count System The play is designed to go to the right. Alright, so you've got your basic outside zone run, and that's working pretty good, but your opponent is adjusting. North Texas runs Iso Pop Pass down inside the red zone. But against stunting first level defenders, keeping both shoulders squared becomes a difficult fundamental to accomplish. %PDF-1.5 "So we think there is no chance anyone from the play side A gap back can make a play on the outside zone. Yes, he did just say front side A gap. No. We've found the structure the play (either in gun or under center) dictates how fast that ball can get to the edge. Although the play is intended to circle the defense, it will often cut-up instead of cutting back like inside zone schemes. (Full Explanation), Air Coryell Football Coaching Guide (Includes Images). 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 slant and angle defense exposed one fatal flaw in the man blocking scheme -- that offensive linemen were asked to follow their assigned defender wherever they went. Coach starts off with a powerpoint lecture and then proceeds to his two main drills on tape and then advances to game film. They called it the 28/29 Edge play. The defensive line wins outside leverage from both the defensive end and play-side defensive tackle spots. "We got it from Glen Mason while he was at the University of Minnesota. This play, known as "Outside Zone" in their system (they called what most people would consider Outside Zone "Mid Zone"), quickly became one of the best plays in their offense. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. Teams who use outside zone as a primarily outside zone run play may have their running back trying to get to the edge no matter what. If the Tackle is unable to seal his man the Running Back must plant with his playside foot and cut vertically upfield. The Outside Zone allows an offense to do this in a variety of different ways. Once again, it was a pleasure to report on the offensive line principles in the zone scheme. It keeps our shoulders pointed up field. Third, the offensive linemen must keep their eyes on the linebacker. It is critical that he is able to read the Tackle. The Hawkeyes have averaged over 160 yards per game on the ground each of the last four seasons. #12nzsMfBhJ@x~G$4BhOACeQ6Z98E y 'ILj*k>W\R The difference is the wide zone blocking is horizontal, either going toward one sideline or the other. By doing this a couple of different things are accomplished. Again, the zone blocking scheme will start with the offensive tackle and guards combining for a double team block at the line of scrimmage, followed by one of these linemen peeling off to block a second-level linebacker. Download now just $7. Team Tempo - Inside Zone blocking. The aiming point is to track the outside hip of the play side tackle (note: The aiming point of the back is chasing the outside hip of the tackle. In 2011, Oregon averaged 9.8 yards per play as they ran this play 36 times for 353 yards and 2 touchdowns. I use about 10 blocking rule calls to create the best angles for our offensive linemen. Teams that can effectively execute outside zone will have success. Which player comes off the initial double team block will depend on where the defensive lineman is lined up and where the initial push goes. 10 0 obj Various trigger concepts: By "trigger" concepts we're referring to the actions off zone option such as the flash or speed sweep, the outside zone option as well as the reverse package. x[[o6~GkPs(>t.MC&dI9$EHxn$CQ/."_F They teach a run to rip technique, similar to the responsibility of the uncovered lineman to the front side of the play. Perhaps no other coach knows the zone scheme better than Stan Zweifel. Outside zone is run strictly off of leverage and cutoff blocks. "We must open the defender's shoulders. So why teach it? Be aggressive, run your feet. Navigate to Security > WAF > Tools. "He was the best in the business at that time and he used to tell us he always wanted to see our butts so that he can make the right cut. <> For years, offensive linemen were given man blocking responsibilities. Teams who run outside zone must have athletic linemen that can cut in front of the defensive lineman. The 3 templates include: Last, the running back needs to read the block of the play-side tackle. Here, the end man on the line of scrimmage to the play-side jabs in on the snap which allows for left tackle David Bakhtiari to be able to seal him and give the Packers the outside. On the backside, the LG & LT (-1 & -2) will take care of the Nose and Will (-1 & -2) and the QB will read (or boot) the BSDE (-3) to account for him in the blocking scheme. Sometimes that deep step is needed to take over the next down lineman. This was very similar to a man-to-man defense. Maximizing the Outside Zone Blocking Scheme. The TB chases the butt of the tight end on this. Zone blocking philosophies can differ, but since it attacks space and gaps, the scheme can be incredibly versatile and effective against whatever front and look the defense presents. The tackle would have to follow the end, based on his man blocking responsibilities. Xs and Oz: Outside Zone Rules Outside Zone Blocking The offensive line blocks Outside Zone Rules. We base block the TE, block back on the 3-technique, pull the guard, and the center. 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) 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. Each O-Lineman's goal is to get in between his man and the sideline, however, this lateral step will sometimes cause the defender to . It gave the OZ play a chance to cut into C gap. A covered lineman who has help from the uncovered team mate should rip through his man, which will. At the snap, the defensive end would quickly slant to his right, going through the B gap -- between the guard and tackle. Instead, each lineman is responsible to block an area . The backside tackle and tight end fight to cut off their defenders and prevent them from shooting gaps. Even if offensive linemen lose ground, the back can run off of those blocks and create positive plays that exploit fast-filling linebackers. But how these coaches teach their blocking assignments will vary, as we will explain below. The easiest example to see how this works is to talk about the defensive end. Here is one last example of how the flow and horizontal pressure of outside zone can exploit defenses. 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. Due to the speed the runner is moving at he will not be reading the playside tackle and is automatically trying to get to the edge. Covered Offensive Lineman. Truth is, 53 percent of coaches feel that it doesn't need to be a top play in your offense for it to be successful. Even if they cannot gain the edge, running backs will work outside-in until a gap pops open. If the center cannot reach the nose, he will make a "me" call to the strong guard telling him to block the nose and the center will pull to block the MLB. The Outside Zone Read is similar to the Inside Zone Read in the sense that it the Quarterback is Reading the Last man on the Line of Scrimmage and the Line is Zone Blocking. That means the center will work to the backside linebacker and not the play-side linebacker (PSLB). The cornerstone of blocking rules starts with blocking seven for seven across the front in 12 personnel . !~EV9qJ/f}T}%^=uL!5w\+J#AXz^eyMU=`h2ayaU\d{ gb VJ0 NR|PVp%%s|k/Dd1@aj$H>687 $ 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. Uncovered: There is no first level defender (DLM) from my nose to the nose of the adjacent lineman play side. The off-season is an opportunity for your child to improve. This made it very easy to teach, especially for younger football players who were just learning to play the game. 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. 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. One of the toughest parts of running the Stretch play is in coaching the Running Back. Before we talk specifics, we wanted to give you a general consensus of why teams are running the scheme. The Packers here choose to help their backside guard with their center. Click here. In both of these cases, the guard wouldn't be able to get to the Sam linebacker in time to make a successful block. How he blocks him can vary - some coaches prefer lead or angle step up field, whereas some tell their offensive lineman to bucket step. Outside zone forces defenses to run horizontally and puts more responsibility on the running back to make the blocking scheme of the offensive line effective. 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. In fact, 64.9 percent of coaches believe that the uncovered vs. covered methodology is the most productive way of blocking the inside zone scheme. There are two general approaches to how outside zone is taught. Formation puts defense in a MOFO look and TE runs right by the LB to attack space in the middle of the field. <> But here comes the beauty of the zone blocking scheme. According to Sweeney, four things can happen when you cut on the back-side and none are good: Sweeney's negatives of cut-blocking on the back-side of OZ: Now we realize that we may be biased in these numbers. Lot of horizontal movement in the back field to open up the middle for the TE, Using the Sniffer Tight End in the Run Game, Outside Zone Midline in the Spread Offense. Chip and GO. Click here now! This provides for numerous cutback lanes for the ball carrier to insert himself. This can only be accomplished through practice with the backs running at full speed. An excellent progression. If so, you'll love my daily "Football Coaching" emails. Case 3: Back-side Blocking Schemes (To Cut or Not to Cut). This forces the safety to hold back and not come downhill for the run fit. But if it's not a base scheme, we were curious to find out why coaches are spending the time implementing it. Flag football is a great game to play, especially during the offseason. That can then open huge cutback lanes in the middle of the field for running backs to take advantage of. Sign up for our weekly recaps, informed analysis, and film breakdowns. The backside tackle is looking to cut off the defensive lineman to his play-side gap. This allows the Huskers to . Both ultimately accomplish the same thing. "We used to cut those defenders such as a back-side shade technique, but now our guard will try to take a deep drop step and take him over," he says. That movement will stop the penetration of the defender inside. Some general rules that are applied to these systems: Contrary to its name, outside zone doesnt usually hit outside. According to our research, 48.9 percent teach an up field, angle step as opposed to 36 percent who teach a bucket step. This takes some work and some practice, but they'll be able to easily pick it up over time. What's most effective about teaching this methodology is that the front that the defense presents is irrelevant. "We want the pulling guard (or whoever is uncovered) to get depth and distance on the pull. In this example, the RT will be on his own and is responsible for the DE (2 vs 2 in the count). If the first read is not reached, but is stretched and running outside, the back looks for the second read. So when we asked Zweifel the same question of whether or not his kids cut on the back-side, we expected a different answer. It provides a lot of advantages for offensive linemen, no matter what defensive play is called. 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. The tackle to the read side will be blocking the end on his side, and stepping with the opposite foot as the rest of the OL. Used for Outside Zone Blocking when covered and facing an OUTSIDE SHADE defender. 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 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. Another common way to utilize the Outside Zone blocking scheme is to get the ball to the running back out of the backfield. Outside zone plays follow the same basic rules listed above with a few general guidelines that should be followed. At the snap, they'd all either slant to the left or the right, depending on what defensive play was called, heading to the gap between two offensive linemen. "When you cut on the back-side of zone you knock off the rest of the offensive lineman that are trying to trail the play." UJZ h?l UIJTZQ,m(!L05O5-we 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. It's a curveball, so to speak, to keep defenses off balance and on its heels. Once the lineman is engaged with a defender, he needs to stay engaged until he feels the next adjacent lineman take his assignment over. Click here to sign up - it's FREE! These are the rules of the play-side tackle: It is up to the play-side tackle to take the end where he wants to go. Blocking Calls / Rules. 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. *@,$Oe* R:MnRO_ *?r&*o}OQ!*M$}M Outside zone can be run from different formations, depending on where the coach wants the play to hit.