Developing the Zone Scheme Using Man Blocking Principles

How Castleton State\'s Rich Alercio meshes the inside zone and stretch play using the heel to toe philosophy
by: Mike Kuchar
Senior Writer, American Football Monthly
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In the last issue of AFM, Castleton State’s new head coach Rich Alercio shared with us the importance of the heel to toe relationship in man blocking schemes. Regardless of the blocking scheme, it’s imperative to get that second foot down and make contact simultaneously in any blocking situation – man or zone. But the key is never to let that heel of the second foot advance further than the toe of the first for reasons of being too overextended and losing the power angles that are so prominent in the technique of blocking.

This issue, Alercio again gives us his heel to toe philosophy as it relates to zone blocking schemes. While many coaches teach the inside zone (an interior play that will hit within the tackle box) and the outside zone (a perimeter run scheme) in two separate ways, Alercio has found a way to combine the same blocking schemes in both runs. In theory, both zone plays, the inside zone and outside zone (which we will refer to as a stretch), rely on a vertical stretch by the defense in which it is the running back’s assignment to find an opening in a gap and explode through it. What may be interesting to some coaches will be the fact that even though zone schemes mainly rely on combination blocks between two offensive players at the point of attack, Alercio finds a way to use the man blocking techniques that were discussed in the previous issue of AFM to teach the zone technique to his offensive linemen. He teaches both plays the same exact way to the front side – the only difference is the backside of a stretch play when linemen need to work across the body of the defender to their gap. The play looks and feels the same to a defense, which is what makes using the two in combination so effective. The only difference is the path of the running back. On the inside zone, the running back pushes to the heels of the offensive lineman reading the first down defensive lineman to the play side. In the stretch scheme, the back’s aiming point is the defender on the outside of the tight end. For this purpose, we will spend the majority of the article addressing the blocking techniques used in both schemes.

Displacing Defenders on the Inside Zone

The inside zone scheme is a play that works off the displacement of defensive players – with the intent of getting them moving laterally down the line of scrimmage and cutting up into a gap where they have vacated. “The common misconception about the inside zone is that it’s a straight ahead play and that’s entirely false,” said Alercio. “You rely off the displacement of the defensive lineman or linebackers to find the spots that are vacated. It’s anything but a downhill play. It’s a slow to, fast through, play where we’re taking a look and seeing how defensive linemen have displaced themselves laterally. The whole idea of the play is to get the LB to run in the direction that we are running, hold linemen with combination blocks and find the spots in-between.”

How to displace them laterally relies solely on the steps of the linemen. Whether the called play is zone or stretch, all offensive linemen must take the same exact steps. “The critical thing is everyone is stepping with the play side foot – right or left,” said Alercio, who will actually have his linemen make a “Ricky” or “Lucy” call denoting the right or left foot. “What makes it simple is the play side lineman will either take a reach or a base step (the same steps addressed in the man blocking piece Alercio discussed in the July issue) depending on if a lineman is covered or uncovered.” Regardless of the type of step each linemen is taking, there are two components of executing the play effectively: never let the heel of that second step cross the toe of the first and keep your shoulders square to the running back. “Everything nowadays is about covering guys up,” says Alercio. “The days of putting your head on this or that side and steering him in a specific direction are over. There is no more drive him back for five yards and put him on his butt. When that happens, it’s a special thing particularly at our level.”

Blocking Scenarios on the Play Side of Zone

According to Alercio, there are four main scenarios that a player has to ask himself when determining what block to execute in a zone scheme: covered play side, covered back side, uncovered open gap, or uncovered closed gap.

Covered Play Side (See Diagram 1)

Diagram 1

The covered block to the play side is the easiest block to diagnose as an offensive lineman. To the play side of the zone play, if a lineman is covered – meaning his body is covered up by a defensive lineman on the line of scrimmage – chances are he will be in a solo block. More often than not, this block becomes a one on-one-block, providing the defensive lineman doesn’t slant inside (we’ll get into that later). If the defensive lineman slants inside, it becomes a combination block with the next adjacent lineman. In either case, if the play is going to the right it is a reach step with the right foot, driving him on a 45-degree angle. “If he stays in that gap I’m staying here and blocking you,” said Alercio. “I’m getting that second step down in a hurry and I’m punching with two hands.”

Covered Back Side (See Diagram 2)

Diagram 2

Any time an offensive lineman is covered to the back side of a zone play he is going to execute a base step with the play side foot. More often than not, this will turn into some form of a combination block. But the key is to step again with the play side foot, no matter where that player is, and again don’t turn your shoulders. “Anytime we’re in a combination block, we are going to block half the man,” says Alercio. “We’ll split him right in half, but we won’t commit the play side shoulder because that will turn the body. If he stays in that gap, I’m going to try and lift that play side shoulder getting him vertical.”

In any zone scheme where a combination block is involved, the technique of the next adjacent lineman is critical. If he is uncovered, he can anticipate helping by giving an “I got your back call.” This now tells him he can take a more aggressive base step, but to be effective, it has to look just like the steps of every offensive lineman. The uncovered lineman reads the shoulder of the down defender to see if he is slanting. “Every LB has to see you stepping the same way so that they start to drift. The problem is if two people take an opposite step, the LB can get a divide read because there are no levels. Again, you’re looking to laterally displace and hold people and find spots in between. I can’t commit both hands. It’s a one-hand punch. Both hands punch up but one of them is on air just in case that defender slants in to the next gap (See Diagram 3). I’m punching in anticipation of him doing that. If he does, it just becomes essentially a covered block to the play side which would put me in a solo block situation.”

Diagram 3

Uncovered Open Gap (See Diagram 4)

Diagram 4

Alercio defines a gap as the area between my nose and my next adjacent lineman’s nose. An uncovered, open gap principle refers to any lineman, play side or backside, who is uncovered by a defensive lineman with no one in their adjacent gap. This is usually the case for a guard in an odd defense where both guards are uncovered. In this situation an offensive lineman is going to anticipate climbing to the next level to block a linebacker. When blocking a linebacker in space the same footwork applies – shimmy your feet down and don’t let the heel of your second foot replace the toes of your first because of the threat of over extension. “I punch with no hands because I’m anticipating blocking a linebacker. If that defensive lineman slants I have time to engage. I’ll take a reach step and climb to LB depth. We don’t want to chase any LB’s. If he goes over the top that’s fine; I’ll just slow play him and have the back cut behind me. Whatever the LB does, he’s wrong and the RB will make me right.”

Uncovered Closed Gap (See Diagram 5)

Diagram 5

In this case, the lineman’s play side gap is occupied by a down defender at the point of attack. Now the uncovered lineman is in a combination block in which he will need to execute a reach step with his play side foot. “Our eyes stay on that near shoulder. If that shoulder disappears, and engages with my partner, we will disengage and look to climb to a linebacker,” said Alercio.

Backside of the Stretch Play (See Diagram 6)

Diagram 6

The front side of an outside zone or stretch play looks identical to the inside zone with each lineman taking either a base or reach step depending on whether he is covered or uncovered. But the back side of the play is where the major change lies. Because the stretch play is a full flow outside perimeter play, it is the responsibility of every back side lineman to “cut off” their down defender so he can not get in on the play. “On the backside of stretch, everybody is in an angle cutoff block. There are no solo blocks,” said Alercio. “We don’t care if you’re covered or not – the next adjacent lineman will worry about that. We’re taking an angle step and if we are covered our aiming point is biting the outside armpit of the down defender. We will rip that away side hand through and make sure we cut him off. We don’t get into punch or hand placement because there is none. It’s angle step, rip and cutoff.”

When deciding whether to run the inside zone or stretch play, Alercio recommends doing a ton of film study on your opponents’ perimeter players. If the defense has fast perimeter players and slow interior players, the outside zone will work because you can get guys sealed off and the play can be cut back side. “If we can out-leverage them right away, we will run stretch all day – outside, outside, outside. If they are a team with good perimeter speed with slower guys inside we will still run it with the intent of cutting it back.”

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WHAT IF?

Q1. What if you are running an outside zone or stretch scheme to a five and nine technique where both the play side tackle and tight end are covered? How would you get outside?

What Alercio will teach to a five and nine technique is a down block by the tight end and a pull block by the offensive tackle trying to hook the Sam linebacker inside. “We will read the block on that Sam linebacker,” says Alercio. “If his hat stays inside and he is reached, we’ll go outside of him. If he strings it out to the sideline, that’s fine. The back will just cut up inside.”

Q2. What if that backside end is crashing hard inside and stopping the inside zone down the line of scrimmage?

According to Alercio, there are three ways to account for that back side defensive end in zone. You can block him with the fullback who fills back side; you can block him with an additional tight end or H back; or you can run a naked scheme and get the QB around him on boot. Between the three, Alercio suggests using a fullback to account for him.

Q3. What if you’re facing an odd stack team with up to eight men in the box? Is inside zone a good play to run to that defense?

Anytime Alercio will see up to eight men in the box, he prefers not to run the inside zone. Realistically, since the fullback is filling backside, you only have seven blockers for eight defenders. Involving the QB in your scheme is another option. This is why so many teams utilize the zone read – now you can account for that eighth defender with the QB. If your QB is not a runner, the stretch play is a better option against eight in the box.

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