Zone Blocking

Temperatures are well past 100 degrees in Phoenix, and the thought of going outside is unpleasant. However, preparations are underway for the fall football season, three months away. Preparation is the key word. To avoid the afternoon heat, many local high school players are on the field at 5:30 am to complete outdoor training and workouts before the heat becomes too oppressive. 

     DEFENSE

                                   B                        B                    B

                              E               T                   T              E

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

         9          7         5    T   3  G   1   C   2    G   4     T      6                 8                 

                                                          Q- 1

                                                 B -2           B  -3

OFFENSE

The illustration above show basic  offense and defense alignments with the dotted line of scrimmage dividing. Letters show the positions, Center, Guards, Tackles, Quarterback, and running Backs on offense. The numbers between the linemen show the holes to which the offense would block for a run, and numbers behind the line identify the backs. 

A play like 33 Dive;  The #3 back would run to the 3 hole between the left Guard and Tackle and the team would block for the play. Each player would have an assignment to block a Defensive lineman (T or E) or linebacker (B). A 28 sweep would be the #2 back running right, outside to the 8 hole and so on. This is a basic offense that has been used for a century. 

Zone Blocking is a new style blocking scheme that has been perfected over the last 30 years. Offensive Linemen do not have an assigned opponent to block, instead, the entire offensive line steps in one direction and blocks whoever crosses their face. 

This scheme requires trust in your teammates. The running back runs to an area, looking for the hole, then runs to 'daylight'.

It could be said: Linemen don't know for sure who they are going to block for a running back who doesn't know exactly where he is going to run. 

                                        /          /             /         /       /

                                 B   /          /  B        /       B/       /

                                    /          /            /         /        /

                            E    /          / T        /       T /        /   E    

-------------------------- /---------/---------/---------/------/----------------------

                               T         G         C        G       T

Linemen step at a 45 degree angle to the right or left, (in this case right) and step forward until a defender comes into their area to block. 

Variations of zone blocking have been around since World War 2, but the recognized Godfather of the zone blocking scheme is Alex Gibbs. Alex was a career offensive line coach in the NFL. In the mid 1990s, Gibbs became O-line coach for the Denver Broncos and his friend Mike Shanahan. Alex developed a new blocking scheme that no NFL head coach had let him experiment with. Shanahan agreed to use the new offense, and Zone Blocking became successful. Denver won 2 Super Bowls and Terrell Davis became a running back sensation. At least two Bronco offensive linemen from that team are in the Hall of Fame. Zone Blocking does not require large 300 lb+ offensive linemen, in fact most of those Denver Bronco offensive lines averaged under 300 pounds. 

In retirement, Alex Gibbs helped coach high school football with his sons at a local Phoenix high school about 10 years ago.  

Today, most college and pro teams use zone blocking as a major part of their offense. One big advantage for zone blocking, it is easier on the players.

Fewer bone crunching blocks and tackles, mean fewer injuries and a longer career for players. 

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