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. Xs and Oz: Outside Zone Rules Outside Zone Blocking The offensive line blocks Outside Zone Rules. endobj We need to open his shoulders and work to the outside LB. 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. Many Running Backs can find this to be a more difficult read because they are moving directly sideways which makes it difficult for them to cut and get upfield. The easiest example to see how this works is to talk about the defensive end. Before we talk specifics, we wanted to give you a general consensus of why teams are running the scheme. This outside zone from the Rams is a great example of an overtake from the BSG and BST. Slot T Offense Football Coaching Guide (Includes Images), Trips Formation Football (4 Best Plays Out of Trips), What is a Checkdown in Football? It requires speed and technique. This eliminates rules for the bend bang or bounces from the running back. He will identify the force player then make the decision on whether or not that player can make the play based on his leverage on the player who is blocking him. The count works out from there. 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. Follow us for breaking news and latest updates: Thanks for subscribing! The Offensive Line uses a zone blocking scheme on both of these plays, however, each play is a little different. Next is the play side guard. At the snap, the defensive end would quickly slant to his right, going through the B gap -- between the guard and tackle. 3 0 obj 4 hands on DLM, 4 eyes on LB. 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 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 backside guard gives a post arm to help the BST overtake. (Full Explanation), Air Coryell Football Coaching Guide (Includes Images). Coach Ferentz calls it a "force the hole" play and that hole is usually the C gap. ", Milt Tenopir, the legendary offensive line coach under Tom Osbourne at Nebraska, believed in the same philosophy of having his covered offensive lineman really work to get to the second level. Let's take a closer look at what the zone blocking scheme is, starting with the problem in man blocking that was created by the slant and angle defense. Reps. Reps. Reps. Reps. Reps. That's all my guys did in practice. Outside zone is a simple yet effective running play. stream 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 [email protected]. 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 linemen still count their defenders to the play side when determining their responsibilities. That caused offensive coaches to try to come up with a new blocking scheme thatd counter the slant and angle scheme and also protect against future defensive schemes that coaches might create. Offensive linemen, when facing twisting defensive linemen, can also either lock on man-to-man or pass it off in a. 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. Tenopir talks about the pull and overtake method by the uncovered lineman. Head Up, 50% chance he is mine engage and release if he goes inside. If the defensive end stays to the outside (through the C gap), then the offensive tackle will stay on him while the offensive guard peels off to pick up the Mike. Teams who run outside zone from under center typically require the running back to make a quicker decision, as the ball will be in the hands of the running back closer to the line of scrimmage. 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. That can then open huge cutback lanes in the middle of the field for running backs to take advantage of. The last thing we wanted to address were the various "pin and pull" techniques that some coaches are using to get to the perimeter. In this instance the Running Back will line up next to the Quarterback opposite of the play call. It was extremely difficult to figure out who was blitzing, who was dropping . 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. Aiming points and angles are some of the most important rules for the OL 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. While they ranged from 1-3 yards outside the tight end or EMLOS, we selected two of the more specific responses we received. xTMo@[n%Oc Know your steps and calls. 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. Right shoulder, 90% chance he is mine. 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. The idea is to "stretch" the entire defense the width of the field. This play is diagramed against a 3-4 scheme. cd0uw0o! They must be taught through practice and game reps to get a feel for when the Tackle does not have his man sealed so they can turn it upfield to gain yards. This is similar to the philosophy of pin and pull, which we wrote about here. Man blocking schemes gave each offensive lineman the responsibility of blocking a specific defender on every play. Behind the Inside Zone it is the second most popular scheme at the professional and college level. The scheme attacks space instead of players and offers a versatile play that doesnt demand vertical movement and instead stresses defenses on the perimeter. 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. I use about 10 blocking rule calls to create the best angles for our offensive linemen. Before we talk specifics, we wanted to give you a general consensus of why teams are running the scheme. But against stunting first level defenders, keeping both shoulders squared becomes a difficult fundamental to accomplish. This will allow them both to peel off successfully to the second level. Thats where the overtake comes into play. We are trying to put both hands on the far shoulder pad. Teams that can effectively execute outside zone will have success. "When you do both you're marrying two different principles so we need to really work on this. Flag football is a great game to play, especially during the offseason. %PDF-1.5 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. The Promotion & Instruction of Youth Football, Home / Uncategorized / Maximizing the Outside Zone Blocking Scheme. The outside zone concept is simple, but it doesnt need to be run only by multiple-back formations. Inside Zone Run to the right (14) or left (15) w/ a lead blocker. Click here. Think inside shoulder to outside shoulder. Outside zone is run strictly off of leverage and cutoff blocks. Here we need to attack the play side armpit with the inside hand first, then work to the second level. This topic is about teaching the inside and outside zone using 3-person groups during your individual periods. The first stage of this example is the double team blocks. On the right side, they'll double team the defensive end. And again, this is also not universal. Where the defensive end goes -- and how the offensive linemen double team him -- will determine which offensive lineman blocks the Mike. On inside zone there will be double teams where as outside zone there will be no double teams except on the edge between the PS Tackle and the PS TE. The backside tackle and tight end fight to cut off their defenders and prevent them from shooting gaps. ", But against stunting first level defenders, keeping both shoulders squared becomes a difficult fundamental to accomplish. The Outside Zone blocking scheme is one of the most universal schemes in football. Make your splits work for your advantage. "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. stream endobj Get 3 free templates to help you build an organized and structured team. On running plays, this is especially important. For years, offensive linemen were given man blocking responsibilities. It works great as a horizontal flow and is common to use on boot legs and play action. Zone blocking uses very consistent rules that do not change according to the defensive front. Communicate with each other. 6 0 obj Be aggressive, run your feet. With zone blocking, all the offensive linemen will work in tandem to block the defenders, rather than each lineman being responsible to block an individual defender. On this play, the offensive tackle would have man blocking responsibilities for the defensive end, while the offensive guard would have man blocking responsibilities on the Sam linebacker. Before getting into the actual drills, a few things must be understood. 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. In our example, the offense will have a fullback and running back in the backfield, a quarterback under center, and one tight end lined up to the right. Covered linemen are those . Outside zone is one of the hardest plays for the defense to stop, simply because it takes the element of power completely out of the situation. For all intents and purposes, the objective of the uncovered offensive lineman in the outside zone scheme is to take over the play side down lineman while the covered offensive lineman works up to linebacker level (Diagram 3). Some teams base their entire offense on it, including the NFL 's Washington Football Team, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, and Los Angeles Rams. Those numbers for the defense can adjust in real time with pre-snap motion and fakes that move defenders into different alignments. If I were going to run both schemes, it would be all I would do during inside run sessions. 5 0 obj Tenopir used to call this the "play boy" scheme because it's a fold block with the center and play side guard. "When we put the lead foot where it is supposed to be, the rest of the body will come with you," said Tenopir. toInside Zone Rulesin that they use the covered/uncovered read and playside direction. Zone-locking or man-locking principles may also be applied to pass blocking. Chip and GO. Covered: There is a first level defender (DLM) from my nose to the nose of the adjacent lineman play side. Team Tempo - Inside Zone blocking. The backside tackle is looking to cut off the defensive lineman to his play-side gap. Below, I explain how that method translate into one-on-one blocks in the inside zone. There is nobody in his play-side gap, so he helps the tackle overtake the block and then looks inside for exactly this type of flow from the linebackers. by Anonymous. What are the key pieces of a successful Zone Run Scheme? Even if they cannot gain the edge, running backs will work outside-in until a gap pops open. It provides a lot of advantages for offensive linemen, no matter what defensive play is called. The main philosophy in the outside zone is to cut off every defensive lineman. If he tries to pull and come around the back-side number of the tackle, he will never get it done. The Hawkeyes have averaged over 160 yards per game on the ground each of the last four seasons. By doing this a couple of different things are accomplished. 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 . 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. In a clinic setting, Coach Greatwood teaches the inside zone concepts of the devastating Duck ground attack. Remember above assume BOB. "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." 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 Click here now! 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. You should receive a confirmation email shortly asking you to verify your subscription. 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. This provides for numerous cutback lanes for the ball carrier to insert himself. endobj 1. !~EV9qJ/f}T}%^=uL!5w\+J#AXz^eyMU=`h2ayaU\d{ gb VJ0 NR|PVp%%s|k/Dd1@aj$H>687 $ Instead, each lineman is responsible to block an area . For clarification, the first blocker is the tight end, the second blocker is the fullback and the third blocker is the wide receiver play side. A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled in favor of blocking the enforcement of a Louisville ordinance that allows 10-foot-wide buffer zones outside health care facilities, including a . 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 goal is to stress the defense horizontally and the back has to be ready to take it if its there, but especially at the NFL level, getting on the edge is unlikely. 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. 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. That pressure allows for the BST get down the line of scrimmage and to be able to overtake the first-level defender. There were numerous reasons as to why high school coaches don't tell their kids to cut block, but perhaps no other coach was more straightforward about it then Sweeney. Now, this aspect of the scheme won't be covered in this report, but please know we are currently working on a report that outlines this package in great detail. If by the third step, the lineman cannot over take the down defender, he will work up to the next level play side. But how these coaches teach their blocking assignments will vary, as we will explain below. No more boring Sundays, everyone can enjoy football! Covered Offensive Lineman. The second player is a -2, and so on. In 2011, Oregon averaged 9.8 yards per play as they ran this play 36 times for 353 yards and 2 touchdowns. In this article, were going to show you exactly how to run outside zone and how you can install it into your offensive system. Todays breakdown I talk about blocking outside zone using the count system. Sign up for our weekly recaps, informed analysis, and film breakdowns. Any team running a pound-it between the tackles power offense should consider implementing outside zone. 5/5 Stars. These indicators can include: Although the outside zone or stretch scheme is an outside hitting play, any interior penetration could slow down the course of the ball carrier. 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. That opens up a nice lane down the middle. In our Indy period on Offensive Line, we will work our 2 on 2 blocking for the the Outside Zone. 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. Inside zone running is vertical blocking where you are trying to move your man either left or . Gets your play-makers the ball on the perimeter: Similar to the bubble concept, this scheme pushes the ball to the perimeter of the defense. Copyright 2023 vIQtory Sports, all rights reserved. This can be run from a variety of different formations and sets which makes it particularly difficult to defend. If by the third step, the offensive lineman is not in a position to overtake the down lineman, he's up on the next path to cutoff whatever comes. In this example, the RT will be on his own and is responsible for the DE (2 vs 2 in the count). 6. In the mid 90's, Alex Gibbs put in a zone blocking scheme for the Denver Broncos. 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. "If our linemen is covered, we let him cross over on his second step as long as it's up field," said Tenopir. There are two general approaches to how outside zone is taught. Uncovered: There is no first level defender (DLM) from my nose to the nose of the adjacent lineman play side. The tackle would pick up the block, but it would knock the guard off course in the process. This could ultimately lead to catastrophe. On the backside, the LG = -1 and the LT = -2. ,h_;9%Z*`0~`Wgaiwr>Qbsvo]9-o!N"e"wZQ'"-Hb.ZG: nwj?mCA7cQOc7Le:RDZD->Zu!+DGnz@NSSFWbk;Tlp`:@11ZcK :YZgGviGf]XkB`MvpN&:7 It has become even more popular in the past few years with Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay basing their entire offenses around the scheme. Later you might consider 8-9 hole QB options. . 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 . This is a simple way to zone block, without having to extensively teach zone blocking principles like covered-uncovered. "If we don't get engagement by ripping to play side number, then we automatically climb to the second level," he said. The key to running inside zone is the double teams that occur at the line of scrimmage from the lineman and the running back being patient. endobj As Jim Sweeney, a 16-year NFL center tells his lineman at South Fayette HS (PA), "We always try to stay parallel with our shoulders because we want the back to have a three way go. In addition to our research, we've also consulted with over a dozen coaches on this topic so that they can provide you with how they run the scheme. on October 11, 2013. Get stomach up field on third step - this ensures the defender is cut-off from his gap responsibility. For the zone blocking scheme to work properly, there are some keys that offensive linemen need to follow. 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. Outside zone plays follow the same basic rules listed above with a few general guidelines that should be followed. Again, the purpose of the outside zone is to show a horizontal stretch on the defense. South Carolinas own twist on the double swing screen Y delay. The rules for the covered linemen on the outside zone are through the crotch. We're here just to spark the debate and give you some fodder to decide how best to run your scheme. First, all defensive linemen would line head-up on an offensive lineman. Click here. It keeps our shoulders pointed up field. 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. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time. I found this excellent article that breaks it all down here. 2 0 obj x[[o6~GkPs(>t.MC&dI9$EHxn$CQ/."_F That PSLB thats unblocked is now the responsibility of the tight end. That movement will stop the penetration of the defender inside. Track blocking basically means putting the linemen on a track, and they engage only what shows up on their track. 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. This can be a great way to get the ball on the edge and utilize a WR who might not be getting a lot of passes thrown to him. Once the lineman is engaged with a defender, he needs to stay engaged until he feels the next adjacent lineman take his assignment over. The offensive lineman is told that he must read covered or uncovered. There are certain indicators that would "tip off" some form of angle or stunt to the play side of zone. 8 0 obj <> Join our Youth Football Movement today. The fullback is responsible for picking up the defensive end on the left side of the field. The Outside Zone begins with a lateral step to the playside; this is essentially a side step. We were first in the league in scoring and first in our league in points allowed on defense. -TTZ>{fclRPd7yY6)l,$]! The first player backside (of the center) is labeled as -1. @l7)j$v tPO8? He then would need to try to fight through or around the defender who was now in his space to get to his blocking responsibility, which is the linebacker. For outside zone, he will often read the second playside D-lineman and do the same.