ZONE GAME

Inside Zone• Big Toe/Big Toe, Big Toe/Little Toe• Aiming Point = Sternum/False Reach

– Take defender where he wants to go

Zone• Big Toe/Big Toe, Big Toe/Big Toe• Aiming Point = Play Side Number/Zone Drive

Outside Zone• Big Toe/Little Toe, 2nd step thru crotch/Reach• Aiming Point = Play side hand peck, back side hand sternum

Offensive Line Footwork

• Assignment – “Play Wired In”

• Break the Huddle – Get to L.O.S.

• Alignment – Splits– Horizontal – 2 Feet– Vertical - Center & Guard sets alignment, Tackles up foot to inside foot of Guard

• Inside Zone – hand in the middle of Centers foot• Outside Zone – hand at the heels of Centers foot• Man Schemes (Short Yardage/Goal Line) – hand at Centers toes

• Stance - “balanced” Right side/Right handed – Left side/Left handed– Weight on the insides of your feet, slight stagger with outside foot, “Z’s” in the knees and in the

ankles– Tackles with no TE attached, 2 point stance, slight bend in the waist, hands relaxed ready to strike

• Pre Snap Awareness – Alert to alignment & secondary rotation

• “Start” – Step according to play, get 2nd step in ground, fit, drive, lockout– Alert to covered/uncovered

• Stay Low – “Waddle” in zone, “Base” in man

• FINISH / FINISH / FINISH

Huddle to L.O.S.

MENTAL IS TO PHYSICAL AS 4:1!

Cycle of a Snap“Do Your Job”

• Everyone is responsible for their zone. A zone is defined as the area from your nose to the nose of the man next to you. This is all about covering up defenders. Block them on the angle to which they align on you and take them where you want them to go. We want to give the back options and running lanes as he approaches the L.O.S. and presses our heels.

• Zone = Two or more adjacent lineman working in tandem to block a specific area, not a man.

• When you turn, you take away an option lane for the back. Learn this rule. Instead of trying to memorize. Learn this rule.

Inside Zone Technique

• Inside Zone Technique - Do it a million times - Repeat over and over and over, then do it one more time to be sure. Individual drills with defensive line, inside run, team work! Talk it, Chalk it, Film it, Walk it, Jog it, Run it...then run it again on film.

• Split = 2 Feet, Alignment, Hands at the Swoosh

• Patience, Patience. Stop the clock in your head

• Allow the back to move the defense.

• Visualize everyone stepping and going in the same direction – (like the Rockettes on stage)

• All must have one goal in mind - move the defense and run where they are not!

Inside Zone Play

• We talk in these terms - keep it simple.

• If you are the covered lineman working in combination with an uncovered lineman, you step according to the defender's alignment:– Outside Shade = set to base– Head Up = set to base/lead with 2nd step– Inside Shade = set to base/lead with 2nd step

• ...then wait for the uncovered lineman to force you off.

• Uncovered Lineman, you will take your zone step footwork on the LB over you and work in combination with the covered lineman:– vs. head up or outside shaded defender = use one arm, Read technique (step

and take your aiming points on the LB while feeling and reading the DL with your arm).

– See the LB, feel the pile– Stay on course for LB, use one arm until the DL tells you to use two arms.

Lead Man / Trail Man

Coaching Point: Lead man and a trail man! Trail man must get on back hip pocket of lead man.

"One Arm Read"

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Lead LeadLead TrailTrailTrail

Inside Zone Technique

Lead Man: We use a set step with the play side foot. This is a short wedge step to unlock our hips to get us going on our angle according to defenders alignment. Aiming points with feet are – Big Toe/Big Toe, Big Toe/Little Toe

Footwork & Aiming Points

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Lead LeadLead

Trail Man: We use a zone step (deeper than a set step) to unlock our hips and step with width and depth to allow us to get on the back hip pocket of the lead man in the scheme.

Footwork & Aiming Points

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TrailTrailTrail

• Your aiming points and 2nd step are the most important things in zone blocking. How quickly can you get your 2nd step in the ground to and thru the inside foot of the defender. Helmet will aim for the sternum of the defender and your hands will aim for pecks of the defender.

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Footwork & Aiming Points

Footwork & Aiming Points•I want to hear your FEET!! Make sure you get your whole foot in the ground. Hands should be inside. “Tight” base, punch and grab – we want a crease in your elbows. Punch = a controlled strike, thumbs up.

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12 vs. 43

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12 vs. 52

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12 vs. 53 Double Eagle

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One Arm Read

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One Arm Read

One Arm Read

• Helmet should ALWAYS be at the sternum of the defender - Lineman or Linebacker. Hands on the pecks.

• Push, Lockout, Harass, Chase your hands with your feet. Let the back move them for you - Patience when the defender goes to make a play or decision (Finish Him).

• Violent upper body - Furious or vehement to the point of being unjust, improper, or illegal.

Inside Zone Notes

• Combinations vs. inside shaded defenders require the covered man to now set lead & help with inside hand for uncovered lineman.

• The uncovered man zone steps, use two hands, come thru, take block over & force covered man off to LB.

Combinations are AT the point of attack: Lead/Trail

Combinations

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Front Side Combinations

ES

ES

EATTackle + Tight End

Front Side Combinations

GATEGuard + Tackle

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CAGECenter + Guard

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Gang Call

•This is a call used by the front side Tackle or Tight End to alert all lineman that we are in a full zone mode front side because of LB walk up or blitz•We will now adjust one man over to the call side still utilizing our set lead technique

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• The ball has been predetermined to go outside – we are either tossing it out there or handing it off and the back is going to run

outside through the 8 hole or wider.

• We will use the same concepts that we use on the inside zone with the exception that now we want to reach the defense.

• The offensive line will be responsible for the defenders inside the box and the backs will be responsible for support or anything outside the box.

• We still want to cover up the defenders in the box, but our angle to do it will change.

• The covered lineman must now drop his play side foot with depth and aim his big toe at the little toe of the outside foot of the defender. – 2nd step to and thru the crotch

Outside Zone Technique

• Your inside hand should aim through the sternum of the defender and your eyes and outside hand aim through the armpit – press up field on the angle to which he is aligned on you

• You must always keep your shoulders on the angle.

• Everyone is responsible for reaching their zone.

• The uncovered lineman will use the Lead man, Trail man tech in which he will zone step and get on the back hip pocket of the covered lineman allowing the defense to show itself.

• Front side & back side is all about cutting down the pursuit of the defense– If you lose leverage of a defender, stay on track and work up to the next level

Outside Zone Technique

JAILHOUSE - this is a technique we use on our outside zone play. • The uncovered lineman will jailhouse the covered lineman, running right

up his backside• This will allow time for the defense to show itself and let the play develop• Good zone blockers are patient.

– Jailhouse- think about it -visualize.

Outside Zone Technique

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1&2 BACK DART GAME

DART

Concept: MAN SCHEME. TACKLE PULL

POSITION ASSIGNMENT COACHING PT

PSTECOMBO TO SUPPORT OR MAN

ON.EAT/FALSE R.

PSTCOMBO TO SUPPORT OR MAN

ON.EAT/FALSE R/BASE.

“WIDE” TO ALERT B.S. OT.

PSG BACK BLOCK A GAP DEFENDER.VS. 3 TECH FALSE REACH.

VS ODD GASH.

C VEER TO MLB/BSLB.VS. ODD GASH.

VS. OVER SMASH.

BSG INSIDE BASE.VS OVER SMASH.

VS ODD OPEN PULL TO PSLB

BST OPEN PULL FOR PSLB.ALERT “WIDE” CALL.

VS ODD BASE OR TOE

BSTE(CUT 5/6/7 TECH VS 4-2)

ON: C GAP DEFENDER. (SIFT 9 TECH VS 4-2)

OFF: ARC TO BSLB TO SUPPORTVS ODD TOE

TBLIFT,OPEN,CROSSOVER

OPEN,CROSSOVER,PLANTB.S. HIP POCKET OF OT

DART

• BEST TO A GAP DEFENDER (TIGHTEN SPLIT)• B GAP DEFENDER=PSG FALSE REACH.• PST: INSIDE FT WRK VS HARD CALL.• BST: OPEN AND PULL GAIN WIDTH AND DEPTH.

– 2ND STEP FLAT. PSLB MIDDLE OF CYLINDER.– “WIDE”: ADJUST COURSE AND BLOCK OUT.

• BSG: COVER UP AND DRIVE.– LATERAL VS TIGHT TECH.– REPLACE VS WIDE TECH.

• PSG BACK BLOCK: AIMING POINT “V” OF NECK.– B.S. HAND STERNUM– F.S. HAND ARMPIT

DART VS 4-3

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C CFS

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FALSE REACH

BACK BASE

DART VS 4-2

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C C

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FALSE REACH

BACK

BASE SIFT

DART VS ODD

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C C

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FALSE REACH GASH TOE

2 BACK DART VS. ODD

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GASH

2 BACK DART VS. 5-2

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QT

SNAKE

2 BACK DART VS. 4-3

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DEUCESMASH