Inside Zone Read: Three Ways to Combat the Games Defenses Play

by: Eric Driskell
Offensive Line Coach, Blue Valley HS (KS)
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Our base running play is the inside zone read out of the shotgun. We don’t block the backside end and since we are in the shotgun he becomes our read. Our offensive staff has had the opportunity to ask a lot of defensive coordinators at various levels ‘how do you defend zone read?’ Most of them answer that they have one defender on the backside responsible for chasing the running back and another to stay at home and ‘rob’ the QB. This can be done out of many different fronts. Defenses have now evolved to changing the personnel that are assigned to the above mentioned responsibilities. The games that defenses play with these two players can cause the offense problems and make it a difficult read.

Three ways to combat the games that defenses play:

1. From Offset to Pistol:

Moving the back from an offset alignment to the Pistol has been one of the most effective changes to our offense since we went to the gun. Originally, we noticed that defenses would set their front toward or away from our back. Since the zone read is such a big part of our offense (roughly 40%) they would always know by the backs’ alignment where they needed their ‘chase’ player and their ‘robber.’ Since moving to the Pistol they are now required to have those players on both sides of the front. This makes them have more to prepare for and they may not have the same quality of players on both sides. This in turn helps give us an advantage (See Diagrams 1A and 1B).

Diagram 1A: Offset

Diagram 1B: Pistol

2. Run zone read to the tight end side as well as the split side:

The question about inside zone that I have heard from coaches is: ‘would you rather run it to the one or to the three?’ I think that both have merit and complement each other as well. In our offense in most formations we have a tight end. We have found it to be very valuable to run it tight side and split side.

Zone read to the tight side is more of a horizontal push play. It causes more horizontal distortion of the front which makes for good running lanes with the possibility of the cut back. It also puts the backside end more on an island which makes the read for the QB easier. Being on an island, the backside end must make a more distinctive decision on whether to take the running back or the quarterback. When running zone to the tight side we have the bubble by the WR which is our secondary read (See Diagram 2).

Diagram 2: Zone read to the tight side

Zone read to the split side is more of a vertical push play. You get truer zone double teams. We arc release our TE for the backside force player and still read the backside end. We don’t have the secondary bubble read unless we are in a tight end trips formation. In normal situations, it is blocked for a QB run if he gets a pull read (See Diagram 3). Even if you like running to one side more than the other, make sure to run it the opposite way occasionally. This ensures that the defense has to rob both sides.

Diagram 3: Zone read to the split side

3. Play games with the defense instead of letting them play games with you:

Defenses have started to play games on the backside of zone read to confuse the QB and get him to make a wrong read. The first example of this that we have seen is in a 4-2 scheme. They will chase the running back with the DE and scrape Willy to rob the QB (See Diagram 4). This leaves no one for the backside tackle to block and gives the QB a pull read. When he pulls it, Willy is waiting for him. The second example of this is from teams that run the 3-3 stack (See Diagram 5). We don’t see it often, but they also play very similar games on the backside of zone. If you are caught off guard with one of these schemes, it could make for a long night.

Diagram 4: Against a 4-2

Diagram 5: Against a 3-3 Stack

We have begun to change who we are reading (leaving unblocked) on the backside of Zone Read. If we change this up and play some games with the defense it causes them some hesitation. Any time you can get a defense to hesitate, especially linebackers, it gives the offense a great advantage.

Our evolution of changing reads on the backside of zone:

The first thing we did was to have our backside tackle read the backside stack. Our tackles worked on taking a zone step (6-inch lateral) and reading which player was responsible for the running back. His alert was when the Willy LB would widen out and cover him up. On his first step he would watch the backside LB and read if he was scraping outside for QB or filling through his back side run-through for the running back. If the tackle got any type of weak side scrape movement from the LB he would step back with his second step and turn out the 5 Technique. The QB would make this an automatic give. We did this part of the time but found it to be challenging for high school tackles to do.

Trying to make this easier and simpler we had the backside tackle make a call any time he was alerted to a wide weakside backer. This call was for the rest of the line as well as for the QB. It told the backside guard that he was not getting any help and that the QB was now reading the backside LB. This seemed to work better for us but there were still some ‘gray’ areas that made the backside tackle question when to make the call.

The final step in this process has led us to make it even simpler and easier for every one. We decided to take the call and the read for the backside tackle out of the equation and tag the call to the play from the sideline. It has now become a designed play. So now we have two versions of zone read. We can either read the backside defensive end and block the backside linebacker or we can block the backside end and read the backside linebacker (See Diagrams 6A and 6B). The technique of the tackle’s block has also changed. If he is blocking the backside end he is going to take a short playside zone step and try and ‘cover up’ the backside end. We don’t want him to turn the DE out because he can get in the way of the QB if he pulls the football. Since his job is to zone base the end he doesn’t need to get a lot of vertical push. The most important thing for him to do is ‘lock on and stay on.’ This has been our latest and most successful step in changing up and playing games with the backside of zone. It has been very effective and seems to slow down the defense.

Diagram 6A: Reading the backside DE

Diagram 6B: Reading the backside linebacker

The combination of all of the above mentioned concepts has helped us find success in running zone read. It has also aided us in trying to keep up with the ever changing and always improving defensive schemes.

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The Square-Pull Technique

At Blue Valley we have been using the square pull technique over the last couple of seasons. It has been one of the most revolutionary blocking techniques that I have seen implemented in years. It has opened up many options for us and helped our kids be in a position to be more successful. The square pull is an explosive pull that we use to put ourselves in a position to block linebackers. The major advantage it gives us is that we stay square throughout our entire path and we never lose sight of the second level defender. Once kids grasp the technique they move much faster laterally than with a traditional pull technique.

Players need to push off of the foot that is towards where they are pulling. As they explode off of this foot laterally and slightly backwards, their backside foot will cross behind their playside foot. As soon as their backside foot lands, they will step with the playside foot to re-establish their base. When the second step lands, the next step is upfield into the hole. Then they widen their base, sink their hips and pound their feet to meet the linebacker.

There are slight variations to this technique depending on the play it is being used for. All players on our offensive line use this technique in various situations. Backside tackles use it on counter, backside guards use it on our power play, centers use it on QB counter, playside tackles use it when uncovered on outside plays to wrap around for playside backers, and all of them use it on various screen releases.

This technique has created many new opportunities for our linemen to be athletes. It also gives us a great advantage for other techniques in blocking linebackers in space.

Watch Coach Driskell teach the Square Pull at AmericanFootballMonthly.com.

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