Everything you need to know about the zone read

[Vol8188]

I'm going to start posting in this thread about the ins and outs of the basic zone read (complete with diagrams), and then some of the interesting wrinkles you can expect to see of this play. Please feel free to throw in any question you have about the zone read, zone blocking, or any other portion of the running game.

First though:

I’ve read a lot of misinformation about the Butch Jones offense, especially the running game aspect.

Misconception: I’ve read that you can’t win with this garbage unless you have Cam Newton or Tim Tebow at QB.

Truth: Spurrier’s been running the zone read since he arrived at USC. If Garcia and Shaw are athletic enough, then so are Worley and Peterman. Secondly, Butch Jones only has his QB read 1 of the defenders if the box is loaded (1 deep safety or less). Like Chip Kelly, CBJ looks for a QB who can run, not a RB who can throw.

Misconception: I’ve read that you can’t run between the tackles and that you need a small quick running back to run the zone.

Truth: Marcus Lattimore, Trent Richardson, Ron Dayne, Terrell Davis, Arian Foster all zone running backs.

Misconception: I’ve read that learning/teaching zone blocking schemes was very complex.

Truth: Zone blocking requires linemen to learn only two rules, covered and uncovered. If covered they will attack the play side of that defender. If uncovered, they will work a double team on the next man to their play side.

Misconception: I’ve also read that all your most successful running teams are power teams.
Truth: Alabama, Oregon, USCjr, USC, Arizona, Nevada…All zone teams, along with a about a 100 others!

 

[Vol8188]

First comes the most important part of any running game, knowing when the numbers are in your favor. Most people like to talk about 7 or 8 man boxes. The problem is, that’s all relative to what personnel grouping you have on the field. If you are in 10 personnel (1 rb, 0 te, 4 wr), then 6 men in the box is equal to 8 men in the box for an I formation team.
So how do you move from 11 to 12 to 10 or even 21 personnel and still know when the numbers are in your favor to the run the football?
You simply count the number of deep safeties. If you see two deep safeties, our QB will not be involved in the zone read, because we have enough blockers in the box to handle their defenders.

That changes if the defense rolls the strong safety into the box. The defense now has 1 more player than we can block. The answer here, is to get the QB involved in the running game. The offense will now leave 1 player, and the QB will read him. If he chases the RB, the QB keeps it. You don’t need a QB with a 4.3 forty to be successful with this, because if the right read is made, the QB should be running into open grass.

 

[Vol8188]

For the offensive line, this scheme is simple and beautiful.

For 1 if you are about to double team a defensive lineman, you can come off the ball much harder than normal. This is because you have to worry less about being under control and having to protect your inside.

Blocking rules work like this:

If you have a man head up or to your play side, you will block his outside half.

If you are uncovered, you will work to the next defensive lineman over.

When you end up on a double team, you will both key the LB and whichever side he goes will determine which one of you takes him and which one stays on the defensive lineman (this is the part you have to work the most).

The best part here is that you are always securing the defensive lineman first and foremost. This prevents negative plays from happening.

 

[GBOVOLS]

Thanks man good stuff. Really appreciate this

 

[nicksjuzunk]

Op is butch jones, IMO

 

[Flipdaddy]

Nice!

 

[Vol8188]

Thanks man good stuff. Really appreciate this

Thanks guys. I'm still working on some diagrams. Simple stuff so far, but I plan on having a few more drinks and getting into some interesting wrinkles.

Let me know if you want me to explain anything in more detail, or have any questions.

 

[Vol8188]

One of the first things a defense will do to combat this, is called “scrape/exchange”. On this, they will assign their defensive ends to your RB and have the OLB take your QB if he keeps.

This not only messes with your OT’s block, but it messes up your QBs read as well. He tries to keep, and then the LB is there waiting on him.

 

[Vol8188]

Coach Jones spent a few years under Coach Rodriguez at West Virginia. One play they ran well there was called 18/19 man (using , the legend behind the Bronco’s running games of 90’s and the current Texans running game, Alex Gibbs’ terminology).
On this play you have everyone zone, except the backside of the offensive line. You have your OT now lock up with the DE and your Guard locks up with the DT, or works zone against a Nose Guard.
This now makes the OLB the read man. CBJ may or may not call this play 18 man, but I can guarantee it’s in his playbook!
Against a scrape/exchange team, this play is at least 5 yards a pop.

 

[Flipdaddy]

So there is no hole assignment the rb hits the first opening or bounces outside?

 

[Vol8188]

One of my favorite sets I saw while watching Isaiah Peed’s 2011 youtube highlights was an 11 personnel set with a wing instead of a TE. There are a few advantages you get with the wing back. The first is that he’s a better position to cut block a DE or DT on zone away. He doesn’t have to drop step to get there, because he’s already off the line of scrimmage.
But here’s the two biggest things I think Jones is looking for here:
1. Getting an extra blocker on the edge for the zone stretch scheme (think of toss sweep, without the toss)
For the offensive line, the blocking rules on stretch will be almost identical. The only differences are that we will move laterally down the line of scrimmage and we will change how we define being covered. Normally they won’t consider player head up on them to be have them covered. Instead they will try to outrun that player, and give him up to the next offensive lineman to the backside. For each defensive lineman our offensive linemen outrun, we create both a gap problem and a numbers problem at the point of attack for the defense.

 

[Flipdaddy]

Also. Show the assignments against a 4 man front. If you don't mind. I really like the zone blocking scheme.

 

[Vol8188]

So there is no hole assignment the rb hits the first opening or bounces outside?

The RB's are normally taught to read the defensive linemen, starting with the play side DE and moving to the play side DT.

If the play side DE jumps inside or gets hooked, we'll take the corner.

After that happens to the DE a time or two, then we start trying to reach him again, he will turn his shoulders and run to the sideline. When he does that, he creates space back inside of himself.

The RB then moves his eyes to the DT. If he is hooked, we hit it in B gap. If he's still chasing, we cut back into A gap. The QB reading the backside of the defense really helps slow then down and open up these cut back lanes that the backside DE and OLB should be filling.

These two reads happen really fast, and there is 0 dancing involved. The RB makes 1 cut and then he lowers his pads and gets what he can.

 

[Flipdaddy]

One of my favorite sets I saw while watching Isaiah Peed’s 2011 youtube highlights was an 11 personnel set with a wing instead of a TE. There are a few advantages you get with the wing back. The first is that he’s a better position to cut block a DE or DT on zone away. He doesn’t have to drop step to get there, because he’s already off the line of scrimmage.
But here’s the two biggest things I think Jones is looking for here:
1. Getting an extra blocker on the edge for the zone stretch scheme (think of toss sweep, without the toss)
For the offensive line, the blocking rules on stretch will be almost identical. The only differences are that we will move laterally down the line of scrimmage and we will change how we define being covered. Normally they won’t consider player head up on them to be have them covered. Instead they will try to outrun that player, and give him up to the next offensive lineman to the backside. For each defensive lineman our offensive linemen outrun, we create both a gap problem and a numbers problem at the point of attack for the defense.

Nice! So adding the te made them bring a lb in and go to a 4 man front?

 

[Flipdaddy]

The RB's are normally taught to read the defensive linemen, starting with the play side DE and moving to the play side DT.

If the play side DE jumps inside or gets hooked, we'll take the corner.

After that happens to the DE a time or two, then we start trying to reach him again, he will turn his shoulders and run to the sideline. When he does that, he creates space back inside of himself.

The RB then moves his eyes to the DT. If he is hooked, we hit it in B gap. If he's still chasing, we cut back into A gap. The QB reading the backside of the defense really helps slow then down and open up these cut back lanes that the backside DE and OLB should be filling.

These two reads happen really fast, and there is 0 dancing involved. The RB makes 1 cut and then he lowers his pads and gets what he can.

Dancing running backs have killed us at UT. Hopefully that'll change. Seems like kiffin had that one cut and go philosophy.

 

[Vol8188]

Also. Show the assignments against a 4 man front. If you don't mind. I really like the zone blocking scheme.

Yes, sir! Keep the questions coming. Few things I love more than talking x's and o's.

 

[Vol8188]

Nice! So adding the te made them bring a lb in and go to a 4 man front?

There's other adjustments teams could make, but that's a common adjustment to that set from both 3-4 and 4-3 teams.

 

[Vol8188]

Dancing running backs have killed us at UT. Hopefully that'll change. Seems like kiffin had that one cut and go philosophy.

Probably did. Alex Gibbs is who got Carrol's running game going in Seattle, so there's a lot of similarities.

 

[Burger]

There's other adjustments teams could make, but that's a common adjustment to that set from both 3-4 and 4-3 teams.

When I played in a zone blocking scheme in high school, I played right guard and right tackle. The left and right guard would make two different calls to either double with the center, or the strong side tackle. If there is 4 D-linemen, the guard who had the closest tackle to the center in their gap would help double with the center. Another alternate would be to go BOB. BOB is not a common zone element. Bob is Body on Body, you'd be trying to get off the line quicker to create holes and running lanes.

 

[Flipdaddy]

So if the mike blitzes does the center automatically pick it up or does he double team quickly and then pick up the mike. Assuming he's coming in the a gap and or 2 hole side?

 

[Burger]

So if the mike blitzes does the center automatically pick it up or does he double team quickly and then pick up the mike. Assuming he's coming in the a gap and or 2 hole side?

BOB. The guard would pick up the blitzing linebacker, the linebacker would either blitz through the left shade of the center, or the right shade of the center. It would depend on the nose guard obviously.

 

[OLW1948]

Thanks OP. You must be a football coach or a former one

 

[Vol8188]

2. Here’s where things get fun. Anyone who played Dline in HS nows how much it sucks to get trap blocked. Like I said earlier though, zone teams don’t normally like to pull offensive linemen. So how do you trap? The wing back is the answer here. It’s called a Wham block, and is a great way of slowing down an overly aggressive defensive lineman. When a Dlineman is unblocked, coaches teach him to look inside for the trap block; however this play is coming from the outside. Normally the TE will completely blindside the DT or NG on this play. Between the DE who is running to the sideline trying not to get hooked, and the DT who just got whammed, there’s normally a massive hole that opens up here.

 

[Vol8188]

So if the mike blitzes does the center automatically pick it up or does he double team quickly and then pick up the mike. Assuming he's coming in the a gap and or 2 hole side?

Yes, he would go ahead and pick it up. The longer the LB waits (the longer we can ride the RB), the longer we can double team. Some teams will try to blitz you to prevent the double teams, but that normally only hurts them.

A blitzing LB can't flow outside. So you call zone stretch and just outrun the defense.

But yes the Center will always be responsible for A gap play side. Everyone has their play side gap first and foremost.

 

[Vol8188]

BOB. The guard would pick up the blitzing linebacker, the linebacker would either blitz through the left shade of the center, or the right shade of the center. It would depend on the nose guard obviously.

We always pick up blitzes based on our zone concepts. So if I'm the LG and someone blitzes A gap, and the plays going right, I pick it up.

If the plays going left and they blitz A gap, the center would pick that up for me, and I would continue to B gap.