Zone blocking a power play.

[Vince148]

I want to know how zone the backside of a power play where I will be double teaming at the POA. I'm trying to avoid pulling linemen and think that getting doubleteams closer to the poa would be more advantageous.

Example for this would be
X & T double teaming the man on the T.
H is blocking the DE.
Z is in motion and will lead through the 5 hole with F.
The QB is carrying.

Now, what I'm not sure about is zoning towards the playside or away. In down blocking, G would be one on one. I would rather have more people double teaming near the poa rather than away from it. So my initial inclination is to have G & C combo on G's man, leaving g and t one on one on the backside of the play. Is this correct?

...C..............S.........................C
................B....B
.....V.....V..V....V..V...........V
.........X.T..G.C.g..t........Y
........................F.......................Z
.............H....Q

[mahonz]

I want to know how zone the backside of a power play where I will be double teaming at the POA. I'm trying to avoid pulling linemen and think that getting doubleteams closer to the poa would be more advantageous.

Example for this would be
X & T double teaming the man on the T.
H is blocking the DE.
Z is in motion and will lead through the 5 hole with F.
The QB is carrying.

Now, what I'm not sure about is zoning towards the playside or away. In down blocking, G would be one on one. I would rather have more people double teaming near the poa rather than away from it. So my initial inclination is to have G & C combo on G's man, leaving g and t one on one on the backside of the play. Is this correct?

...C..............S.........................C
................B....B
.....V.....V..V....V..V...........V
.........X.T..G.C.g..t........Y
........................F.......................Z
.............H....Q

Umm...zone is zone. You arent telling anyone to do anything. Its all about being covered or uncovered...that is what is telling them what to do. Then the ball is snapped and things can change.

I read your post three times....and dont really get it.

[Vince148]

Umm...zone is zone. You arent telling anyone to do anything. Its all about being covered or uncovered...that is what is telling them what to do. Then the ball is snapped and things can change.

I read your post three times....and dont really get it.

I understand about covered/uncovered. Let me see if I can rephrase it?

...C..............S.........................C
................B....B
.....V.....V..V....V..V...........V
.........X.T..G.C.g..t........Y
........................F.......................Z
.............H....Q

If I OZ this to the left, I lose the DT I'm looking for at the poa except at G&C. If I zone it back to the right, I'll get the DT at the poa, but then get wasted blocks on the backside.

So I'm trying to get two DTs, one at X&T and another at G&C. But as you can see, what I want to accomplish does not fall into the general zone blocking rules. Is there another blocking rule that would be more appropriate?

[Michael]

Yeah, it's the "my guard and tackle are freakin' pansies and need help" blocking scheme.

Alex Gibbs has a version of it for his center, but he shames the center into never using it.

[CoachShad]

.

[Michael]

If I OZ this to the left, I lose the DT I'm looking for at the poa except at G&C. If I zone it back to the right, I'll get the DT at the poa, but then get wasted blocks on the backside.

So I'm trying to get two DTs, one at X&T and another at G&C. But as you can see, what I want to accomplish does not fall into the general zone blocking rules. Is there another blocking rule that would be more appropriate?

If you run Zone Left, probably either the C or the LG is eventually going to the RLB.  If you run Zone Right, probably either the C or the RG is eventually going to the LLB.  And in each case you might need/want a plan to get to the remaining backer, or keep him from causing trouble, anyway, if you think he can cause any.

It sounds (to me, anyway) that want you want to do is use the covered/uncovered rules to help you get double-teams at the point of attack.  In that case, having the uncovered guy help the covered guy on the side of him closest to the hole might be what you are looking for.  So if the ball is going B gap, the uncovered X helps the covered T, since the T is closer to the hole, and the uncovered C helps the covered LG, since the LG is closer to the hole.  And no climbing.  That would get you what you want, I think.

It might cause other problems (guys coming free and that sort of thing), and it might not.  But that seems (to me) like it would get you the double-teams you want.

[CoachShad]

.

[Michael]

If you start chasing defenders to get double teams, its going to be chaos.

I agree completely.  That is what I meant by guys possibly coming free.

It doesn't sound like Vince really wants a zone scheme.  It sounds like he wants to use covered/uncovered rules to guarantee him double-teams at the point of attack.  That's a completely different thing.

[mahonz]

I understand about covered/uncovered. Let me see if I can rephrase it?

...C..............S.........................C
................B....B
.....V.....V..V....V..V...........V
.........X.T..G.C.g..t........Y
........................F.......................Z
.............H....Q

If I OZ this to the left, I lose the DT I'm looking for at the poa except at G&C. If I zone it back to the right, I'll get the DT at the poa, but then get wasted blocks on the backside.

So I'm trying to get two DTs, one at X&T and another at G&C. But as you can see, what I want to accomplish does not fall into the general zone blocking rules. Is there another blocking rule that would be more appropriate?

Gap On Down for X & T...but not for G & C so you are now teaching specials to C. Zone is the best bet but you have to teach specials to your TE's....which we do and that works fine. Their rules are simply when the edge defender is too far away....reverse your zone direction. That requires a back to pick up the edge defender which you have already planned.

As Shad states though....no guarantees that the combos happen. That all depends on the DL at the snap. 

[CoachShad]

.

[Rich Kelly]

I understand about covered/uncovered. Let me see if I can rephrase it?

...C..............S.........................C
................B....B
.....V.....V..V....V..V...........V
.........X.T..G.C.g..t........Y
........................F.......................Z
.............H....Q

If I OZ this to the left, I lose the DT I'm looking for at the poa except at G&C. If I zone it back to the right, I'll get the DT at the poa, but then get wasted blocks on the backside.

So I'm trying to get two DTs, one at X&T and another at G&C. But as you can see, what I want to accomplish does not fall into the general zone blocking rules. Is there another blocking rule that would be more appropriate?

Coach, Zone and Pwer are 2 different schemes entirely, I think that's where the confusion is coming in, what you are describling is a Power to the open side I beleive.

If that's the case I think you'd be better kicking out with the F or even the Z and having H lead the Q.

[Vince148]

Coach, Zone and Pwer are 2 different schemes entirely, I think that's where the confusion is coming in, what you are describling is a Power to the open side I beleive.

If that's the case I think you'd be better kicking out with the F or even the Z and having H lead the Q.

Yes, I know that they are different. I was trying a pulling power, but my kids can't execute it. That's why my thinking is that if I have kind of a 4-on-2 set up, why not just double team both defenders? It may not be a classic blocking scheme, but it might create a big vertical push off the line and with the FB, HB and WB also coming around to lead the QB, it could create a huge hole.

[Vince148]

Gap On Down for X & T...but not for G & C so you are now teaching specials to C. Zone is the best bet but you have to teach specials to your TE's....which we do and that works fine. Their rules are simply when the edge defender is too far away....reverse your zone direction. That requires a back to pick up the edge defender which you have already planned.

As Shad states though....no guarantees that the combos happen. That all depends on the DL at the snap.

Thanks. Got it.

[zoezachary]

Yes, I know that they are different. I was trying a pulling power, but my kids can't execute it. That's why my thinking is that if I have kind of a 4-on-2 set up, why not just double team both defenders? It may not be a classic blocking scheme, but it might create a big vertical push off the line and with the FB, HB and WB also coming around to lead the QB, it could create a huge hole.

what you are describing is called duo......its power without the pulling guard.......everything else is the same....

[Jburk]

I was just watching my Glenn Harris youth spread DVD's yesterday and he talks about running what he refers to as a "youth zone" when he runs his trap series from the spread. He basically has all of the linemen aside from the pulling tackle zone AWAY from the play. The line, regardless of covered/uncovered, would take a slide step to the backside to cover their gap; if nobody is there to block then work up to the linebackers. When I taught it this year, I told the kids to step away (slide to the backside) and then run a track up to the linebackers. (I emphasized their track @ 45 degrees and used PVC pipe to guide them)

Yes, this is very similar to SAB/TKO, but with differences.

He talks about emphasizing to the kids that they only have to protect their little piece of ground and then work up if that piece of ground is empty. I taught the kids to "step away and run their track". Apparently he tried for three years to make a true zone scheme to work at youth level, including middle school, and couldn't make it work; that's why he does it like I described above.

What I liked about it, in my scenario, was that the kids only had to learn track right and track left for our running plays. We ran his whole trap series using this, which was FB trap/Trap Follow (ISO with FB) & Trap keep. We also ran our jet sweep series with this zone scheme too.

If we really wanted to run the trap as a "power" play, we'd call trap follow, which gives us a tackle pulling and kicking along with a FB leading through the hole for the QB.