You would think that the pros, being great teachers/coaches , would take the most physically gifted player and TEACH HIM ZONE SKILLS then? That was sort of my point. In some cases the better physical specimen dropped under a player who had succeeded in a zone offense in college. I love the jump cut, any back that can double cut is a pretty good back.
Read the other day that 95% of colleges now FEATURE zone blocking (in BOTH run & pass schemes). What remains is for the Coach at the next level to blend him into his VERSION of it.
It isn't really any big deal. I see this done with EXCELLENCE in High School ball (& younger) right here in Va.
Here is what is so GOOD about it:
WHY WE ZONE BLOCK:
1. Zone blocking means that our blockers are responsible for only HALF a man (they have “ass protection” coming from an uncovered teammate to their inside). This way, we frequently get DOUBLE TEAMS from the DLM to the LBer. A blocker can come off the ball FASTER, & with MORE CONFIDENCE if he knows that he has help. If the DLM goes inside – he will be turned over to your inside teammate.
2. 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 than opening a specific hole in the defense.
3. You cannot MAN block all twists, slants, angles, stacks, etc. Sooner or later – you HAVE to zone off with another man, or defenders will run free. If you look at Vince Lombardi playbooks from the 1950’s & 1960’s – he EMPHASIZES zoning off on certain RUN schemes (he called it “Do-Dad” blocking), and on pass protection schemes vs. “twists”, etc.
4. It has proven to cut off penetration, & create movement on level 1 (DLM), with someone coming off on level 2 (LBer).
This is real good:
http://a.espncdn.com/ncf/columns/davie/1440703.html
