Zone blocking Scheme and Implications

[sushihorn 3233]

Offseason doldrums are in full swing and my hands are shaking from withdrawal.  For those like me who need a fix, here's a little taste of actual football discussion.

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Texas is building an Offensive Line that emphasizes mobility and brains over pure size and strength.  The concept is to optimize for zone blocking and engaging defenders in space.  The 2018 OL was undersized by FBS standards: 300, 325, 305, 305, 295 across the front from the official roster.  In reality Sam Cosmi was down to 286 by season’s end.  You have to keep in mind that the model here is the Mike Shanahan Denver Broncos who were even more undersized compared to their peers.  The 1998 Superbowl champs had an OL that went 285 lbs (Texas’ own Dan Neil), 287, 286, 291 and 300.  Zone blocking also uses different types of RBs who might not look great on paper but are very productive within the scheme.  See the long list of whodat backs who became stars at Denver.

https://www.hogshaven.com/2012/5/31/3054498/digging-deeper-mike-shanahans-one-cut-and-go-running-backs

With Herman, like Shanahan quickness and agility are required to beat a DL to the spot on a reach or cutoff block, to maintain balance and leverage in outside zone blocking and to engage LBs and DBs in space.  Good footwork and proper weight distribution are required to ride a defender in the direction he chooses to move.  This blocking style is a lot like Judo – help the guy keep going in the same direction with technique.  It’s a sharp contrast to the typical blocking scheme which is more like Sumo Wrestling and the ideal body types are just as different.

Basic gap or man blocking runs to a defined gap and tries to block the play accordingly.  The OL engage their assigned defender and try to push them away from the hole.  They sometimes have an angle advantage when blocking down but they must move the defender in the correct direction to make the play work.  One big advantage Is that gap blocking does not usually require the ball carrier to read and pick a hole.  QB power and QB counter are the primary examples of gap blocking in Texas' offense.

Zone blocking also assigns a defender to block but the requirement is to engage them and push them in whichever direction they choose to go.  This allows the OL to create an angle advantage with the flow on most plays.  Helping someone to move requires less power than opposing their movement so smaller linemen are acceptable if they can use balance and quickness to gain leverage.  The RB must have superior vision because there is no defined hole; he must pick a gap, make one cut and hit it decisively.  Shanahan made a living off of backs with that set of abilities that were not highly valued otherwise by the NFL (see Selvin Young).

Tom Herman’s OL at Ohio St was not particularly large: 311, 305, 291, 303 and 305 on the 2014 team.  His recruiting at Texas shows he will take a few guys over 300 lbs but not if they are carrying a lot of bad weight.  For reference, Javonne Shepherd was down to 318 per the NSD press conference.  Herman asks his OL to get directional leverage on DL and pick off smaller, quicker defenders on screens and swing passes.  They MUST have good feet.

  This contributed greatly to success on screens, the tunnel screen in particular.  One underappreciated advantage of zone blocking is that OL accustomed to executing it in the run game tend to do a better job of executing zone protections on passing plays.

[bschoolprof 6233]

Our run game under Giblet's V&S was based mostly on man blocking - predominantly the power play.  Our OL was not built for zone, particularly OZ, when Herm came in a they struggled mightily in that department in 2017.  Last year our zone blocking improved tremendously under Hand.   I expect/hope it will keep improving as more of our OL get recruited/groomed for the system.  

[sushihorn 3233]

4 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

Our run game under Giblet's V&S was based mostly on man blocking - predominantly the power play.  Our OL was not built for zone, particularly OZ, when Herm came in a they struggled mightily in that department in 2017.  Last year our zone blocking improved tremendously under Hand.   I expect/hope it will keep improving as more of our OL get recruited/groomed for the system.  

I think zone stretch might have been the fan base's most hated play of 2017.  That same blocking scheme with Sam carrying the ball was nearly unstoppable on short yardage in 2018.

Edited February 12, 2019 by sushihorn

[sushihorn 3233]

@bschoolprof we could still see the residual effects of the mismatch between scheme and personnel this past season.  The guy most likely to miss a block either zone runs or pass pro was Vahe.  When we ran QB power / QB counter he got to shine.  Vahe was at his best hitting someone in confined spaces with a head of steam.  Contrast that with Cosmi who would get hands on to control the defender every time and then choose whether to seal or kick out depending on the flow of the defender.

[Burt Macklin 19000]

Just now, sushihorn said:

@bschoolprof we could still see the residual effects of the mismatch between scheme and personnel this past season.  The guy most likely to miss a block either zone runs or pass pro was Vahe.  When we ran QB power / QB counter he got to shine.  Vahe was at his best hitting someone in confined spaces with a head of steam.  Contrast that with Cosmi who would get hands on to control the defender every time and then choose whether to seal or kick out depending on the flow of the defender.

I remember watching Vahe try to block stretch zone in 2017. It was one of the worst things I’ve ever witnessed.

[Katfid54 8593]

I think the OP is a lot of wishful thinking. We ran very little OZ last year--almost all of it was with Sam running the stretch play.

On the other hand, we were solid at insert inside zone, good at power, and okay at counter.

[nunna yo bizness 1687]

7 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

I think the OP is a lot of wishful thinking. We ran very little OZ last year--almost all of it was with Sam running the stretch play.

On the other hand, we were solid at insert inside zone, good at power, and okay at counter.

You sure?  Don't all running plays look the same to you?

[Machinator 32098]

7 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

I think the OP is a lot of wishful thinking. We ran very little OZ last year--almost all of it was with Sam running the stretch play.

On the other hand, we were solid at insert inside zone, good at power, and okay at counter.

Yep, about 10% of our running plays were outside zone.

[Dbeasy 14991]

Does a man or zone blocking scheme better prepare an OL for being drafted? Or does it not matter?

[JBJ 3649]

Without meticulously tracking carries and play selection, it feels that Ingram ran a lot of OZ, but Watson's feature was insert zone.

As Watson's carry share increased, OZ faded a bit?

[Burt Macklin 19000]

1 hour ago, Dbeasy said:

Does a man or zone blocking scheme better prepare an OL for being drafted? Or does it not matter?

Doesn't matter too much as NFL teams run both schemes. Our offense, while more zone-based than gap for sure, runs a pretty good amount of different concepts (we still run power, counter, etc.), so it prepares OL well from a schematic standpoint.

[Burt Macklin 19000]

1 hour ago, Katfid54 said:

I think the OP is a lot of wishful thinking. We ran very little OZ last year--almost all of it was with Sam running the stretch play.

On the other hand, we were solid at insert inside zone, good at power, and okay at counter.

THis is definitely right, although I do think Herman would prefer to run more OZ once he has linemen that really fit the zone scheme. OZ is the toughest play for guys who aren't geared towards a zone scheme, and he ran it a lot at tOSU, and Zeke fucking murdered Bama on OZ multiple times in that playoff game.  

Also, with us adding a better jet motion guy in Smith, the OZ play with the jet motion threatened to the weak side can shift the defenders half a step, or even just get them leaning the wrong way, which can create some really advantageous blocking angles for the OL on OZ. Makes that reach block that much easier. 

[sushihorn 3233]

1 hour ago, Katfid54 said:

I think the OP is a lot of wishful thinking. We ran very little OZ last year--almost all of it was with Sam running the stretch play.

On the other hand, we were solid at insert inside zone, good at power, and okay at counter.

We definitely ran more inside than outside zone.  I didn't specify a ratio in the OP and I'm not sure what part would be wishful thinking.

[Catdaddyhorn 3444]

12 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

Probably doesn’t matter a whole lot what they do in college as long as they have the physical traits, but most NFL offenses are primarily based on passing and zone running.  Baylor OL prospects who gap blocked every play and didn’t even really pass protect in the Briles RPO system were guaranteed busts, though, so it can be detrimental if the system is taken to the extreme.

Objectively, I still think man/gap blocking systems tend to work better for the running game.  In theory zone blocking and helping your man move in a direction instead of overpowering him sounds easier, but in reality gap schemes usually take advantage of favorable angles while zone schemes often ask the OL to make difficult reach blocks.  Zone plays also require more patience and more difficult reads from RBs.

Part of what makes Lincoln Riley’s offense so devastating is that he merged the air raid with a power play and counter play gap running scheme.  They get a lot more out of the run game than other air raid teams that typically use zone running.  Partly it’s because they have more talent than WVU or Okie State or whoever, but I think it’s also partly scheme.

On the other hand, unless you run the Briles offense, your OL also has to pass block, and the big maulers that thrive on power plays aren’t going to hold up well unless against a speed rush unless they’re truly elite.  I think needing more agile guys for pass protection, who in turn can’t just overpower the DL, has contributed to the proliferation of zone running by necessity.  

But some of these new offenses get the ball out so quickly or create so much conflict with RPOs that I’m not sure you need to sacrifice run game mauling for the ability to pass protect on a straight 7 step drop so much anymore, at least not at the college level (unless you’re playing Clemson’s DL).  None of these air raid QBs take a beating unless they choose to be runners, even the ones on bad teams.

I tend to agree with you, but my admitted bias comes from watching our Oline under Greg Davis attempt to run a zone scheme with Nunez and Mcwhorter at the helm. Outside of Mackovic holdovers and the VY years, we ranged from totally inept to marginally effective with our run game against stout competition during those years. 

Edited February 13, 2019 by Catdaddyhorn

[cmontexas 3255]

When I was a skinny tight end in high school I hated reach blocks and trying to hook the end lined up on my outside shoulder. Got called for several holds. I remember having to run because I told our oline coach the play was designed to fail lol

[sushihorn 3233]

17 hours ago, Burt Macklin said:

I remember watching Vahe try to block stretch zone in 2017. It was one of the worst things I’ve ever witnessed.

Futility level reminded me of this: