Zone blocking
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zone blocking is a technique in American football that is a simple and effective scheme for giving the quarterback time and protection while simultaneously creating lanes for running plays.
In a zone blocking scheme, fleet-footedness and athletic ability trump size as desirable qualities in offensive linemen. Coordination and technique matter more than muscle in implementing a successful scheme because defensive linemen are often double-teamed at the point of attack. Creating movement on the defensive line is more important that opening a specific hole in the defense.
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[edit] Team support
One of the simpliest reasons many teams have incorporated zone blocking in their offenses, is that zone blocking rules do not change based on the defensive front. In a "man block" system, blockers are paired with defenders according to certain rules to create a running lane. If the defensive front changes, or if the defense stunts or blitzes, the blocking rules may change. This requires learning multiple rules for the same play. Zone blocking uses very consistent rules that do not change according to the defensive front.
Some teams base their entire offense on it, including the NFL's Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, and Green Bay Packers. Adopting a more complex version of many of this scheme's core principles (as used by the Denver Broncos), the University of West Virginia Mountaineers rely on it in their run-based "spread offense" (devised by head coach Rich Rodriguez and offensive line coach Rick Trickett).
[edit] Linemen techniques
Linemen execute two basic techniques, Zone Right and Zone Left.
Zone Right supports plays intended to be run to the right of the center. As the ball is snapped to begin the play, each offensive lineman simultaneously moves his right foot about six inches at a 45-degree angle away from his body and to the right. His second step is a long forward step with his left foot. This second step puts the lineman on his 'track'. Once on his track, the lineman seeks to block any defender in his path. The lineman's principal aim is to keep defenders from crossing his body. If it appears the defender will elude the lineman, the lineman seeks to cutblock the defender, aiming his shoulder below the defender's knee in an attempt to knock the defender off his feet. Although the play is designed to be run to a specific place on the right, the running back may improvise, choosing any hole opened by the offensive line to make his cut.
Zone Left is the mirror image of Zone Right, with the lineman making his first step to the left and with the left foot.
When each lineman performs his zone block correctly, the line's performance resembles that of synchronized swimmers or the Radio City Rockettes. As offensive linemen neutralize attacking defenders, their action creates holes in the defense through which the running back makes his cut. The running back runs parallel to the line waiting for these holes to open. Owing to his initial parallel approach, the running back enters the line upon making his cut at an angle closer to 45 degrees. Compare the conventional I-formation run-based attack, in which the running back typically enters the line more perpendicularly.
[edit] Cut blocking controversies
The linemen of some teams that use zone blocking schemes have been criticized for their penchant for cut blocking the knees of defenders, sometimes away from the play. Cut blocks from the side, although legal, are considered unsportsmanlike among some because they can tend to cause serious injuries in the defensive players being blocked. In 2003, Denver Broncos center Tom Nalen was suspended for several games for ending the season of defensive tackle Jamal Williams with a cut block to the side of the knee. In 2006, Nalen was again fined for a cut block on Igor Olshansky of the San Diego Chargers on a spike play, which resulted in Olshansky retaliating and being ejected from the game.
[edit] Sophisticated schemes
As offensive linemen gain skill, zone blocking schemes can be more intricate. For example, offensive linemen can work together, double-teaming a troublesome defender until a single lineman can handle the defender on his own; the other lineman then moving to the next unblocked defender on his track.
Zone blocking schemes frequently employ deception. For example, plays may be called in which blitzing defensive linemen and linebackers are permitted to rush into areas of the offensive backfield that are unimportant in the play called by the offense. Meanwhile, the offensive linemen who vacated the unimportant area migrate to the point of attack, blocking material defensive players.
Misdirection plays called Counters or Traps (see counter trey) feature prominently in offensive schemes based on zone blocking. In a Counter or Trap, the running back runs to the right as most of the linemen use the Zone Left technique, stepping first with their left feet. The left tackle or left guard (sometimes both) then "pulls" and blocks defenders on the right side of the field. The object of these plays is to slow defenders who try to discern the direction of the play from the offensive lineman's first step.
[edit] Other Players Role
Players other than offensive linemen may enhance the success of a zone blocking scheme. For example, in a run-based spread attack like West Virginia's the primary responsibility of receivers is less to catch passes than to execute downfield blocks, springing the ball carrier and extending the run.
