Any Coaches out there 3: zone running keys

[cmhargrove]

Well, only two weeks left until practice starts for my kiddos and I am finally putting together the pieces of the offense. Our name will say "Raiders," but we will very much be the Jake Plummer era Broncos.

We are going to start our gameplan with some strong side zone running plays, then use a change of direction with some bootlegs and weak side misdirection plays. I'm good with that.

We will be zone blocking because I think it is the easiest way to teach the kids how to deal with multiple defensive looks. And, we get to use quick teamwork (which is better for us than brute strength).

My question is this.
Does anyone know the "keys" I should give the RB on a zone running play? I am going to get him the ball about 4 yards deep and have him run at the outside pocket of the strong side guard. Then, do I just trust his vision and tell him to hit the hole that looks most open? Do I tell him to watch the strong side LB? Any keys for breaking it outside vs. inside?

I am actually looking to give my RB (actually my son) the best chance to hit the hole hard without killing himself, so any advice would be appreciated.

Any articles, videos, links, or smartass tips will be accepted.

[vancejohnson82]

i was a smaller, scat back at that age and the other running backs and I were taught to "hide" behind the lineman.

Find one of hte lineman and basically run off their back...if you can see their numbers at an angle they are doing their job and use their back as a target point to make your first cut right behind them....

we ran drills with no defense where hte back had to tap the lineman on the back before cutting through the hole...it worked

[montrose]

CM - First and foremost I'd recommend that you don't overcoach him as if he's thinking too much about hitting a specific hole, he'll be hesitant. Let him trust his vision but give some keys to work on at practice and let it get instinctive. Our RB's were always taught to read guard-to-backer. For example, lets say your running a Zone-Right; one thing young RB's struggle with a great deal is reading their own blocks. Young RB's have a tendency to know the area their running too and simply run to the area instead of allowing their blocking to setup. I would give your son a key of guard-to-backer, meaning he needs to "find his stong-side guard's ass" and run off of it. If the guard is sealing the LB to the inside, the RB should run the ball off of his backside and take the run outside; if the G is in a heads up stalemate with the LB, the RB should find the side with more leverage and if the G is driving the LB to the right - cut that "sum bi*ch" back!

[uk bronco]

the zone system is good i really like it but the backs have to be able to make good read. A drill i run for my RBs in an man blocking I form is to not tell them the hole just a side, the line know the play so the back has to find the hole. For your situation i guess your could just get the line to run and have your rbs look where the holes are appearing and go for it. Also running okies where the rb has to read off the lineman will develop the back and the lineman better (dont let the lineman say where he is moving the man and even try to get him to get his guy in the LBs face it'll seriously mess up their vision). You have to make sure your backs are patient as well and allow time for the line to make the hole. When i ran zone in the past i had my faster backs take check steps or even fake the other way before coming for the ball. Do you run any traps? i mainly deal with o/d line and receivers so if you need any help with them let me know.

Is it single back of i/pro form u re running out of

[cmhargrove]

Thanks guys, I like the simple approach, and the "tap the back" of the guard thought. I think I will run that drill with my "combo block" drill so he can react to the scrape on the LB.

If all else fails, I'll have him break it outside (he's a fast little booger).

And, i'm definitely using "sum bi*ch" as standard terminology.

[TheReverend]

On an off-tackle play, read your tackles block on the end, if he seals him out, bounce it to the outside and outrun/make the LB miss (have him have a stiff arm ready). If he has to wash the End to the outside and ride him out of the play, cut it up in the 8/9 hole and, unless your guard is good (which i doubt at that grade level), have him be ready to meet a LB in the hole. If the end is blowing the tackle up, cut back to the other side.

But really... at this grade level, why not just spend the time teaching them how to drive their legs better and to secure the ball?

[cmhargrove]

the zone system is good i really like it but the backs have to be able to make good read. A drill i run for my RBs in an man blocking I form is to not tell them the hole just a side, the line know the play so the back has to find the hole. For your situation i guess your could just get the line to run and have your rbs look where the holes are appearing and go for it. Also running okies where the rb has to read off the lineman will develop the back and the lineman better (dont let the lineman say where he is moving the man and even try to get him to get his guy in the LBs face it'll seriously mess up their vision). You have to make sure your backs are patient as well and allow time for the line to make the hole. When i ran zone in the past i had my faster backs take check steps or even fake the other way before coming for the ball. Do you run any traps? i mainly deal with o/d line and receivers so if you need any help with them let me know.

Is it single back of i/pro form u re running out of

I am going to keep it simple at the beginning.

First, we will be running a strong side formation with split backs.
I will have the FB lined up on the weak side. He will give one play side step, then his job is to seal off the weak side D-end.
The tailback will move forward, then cut to the strong guard and choose a lane.

On our misdirection plays, the FB chips the outside shoulder of the D-end, then runs a three yard crossing route. The strong side TE will chip, then cut to the weak side at 7 yards. The WR will cut towards the middle of the field, then run a 10-12 yard out. (3 targets on the boot).

These are the bread and butter plays we will be working, then we will have a few options for blitzes or overload defenses.


UK Bronco - any ideas of a good zone trap play you would use with this? As I said, I will be using a strong formation with split backs.

[cmhargrove]

On an off-tackle play, read your tackles block on the end, if he seals him out, bounce it to the outside and outrun/make the LB miss (have him have a stiff arm ready). If he has to wash the End to the outside and ride him out of the play, cut it up in the 8/9 hole and, unless your guard is good (which i doubt at that grade level), have him be ready to meet a LB in the hole. If the end is blowing the tackle up, cut back to the other side.

But really... at this grade level, why not just spend the time teaching them how to drive their legs better and to secure the ball?

I guess I thought that was a part of every scheme. We will be working a lot on ball security, leg drive, proper cutting technique, conditioning, etc.. The idea is that I need one simple offense that can be used against multiple defensive fronts. I think too many packages will be confusing, and there are some varied defensive schemes in our league.

Last year (before we joined the team) they were just calling plays like "Right, 24 Dive." Kids were getting teed off on, then hesitating, then playing scared. I want to give them the ability to adapt and find weaknesses with one simple scheme.

[TheReverend]

I guess I thought that was a part of every scheme. We will be working a lot on ball security, leg drive, proper cutting technique, conditioning, etc.. The idea is that I need one simple offense that can be used against multiple defensive fronts. I think too many packages will be confusing, and there are some varied defensive schemes in our league.

Last year (before we joined the team) they were just calling plays like "Right, 24 Dive." Kids were getting teed off on, then hesitating, then playing scared. I want to give them the ability to adapt and find weaknesses with one simple scheme.

At that age, isn't it too fast for them to process and more just reaction? I'm asking because I don't know, but giving them a play, and then coaching them up with adjustments on the sideline may be more beneficial.

[cmhargrove]

At that age, isn't it too fast for them to process and more just reaction? I'm asking because I don't know, but giving them a play, and then coaching them up with adjustments on the sideline may be more beneficial.

Two main points with all my zone running plays.

1) The Qb will get the ball quickly and deeply to the RB (4 yards deep). On snap, he will pivot, then take three steps to the point of handoff.

2. The Rb moves quickly on the snap, then takes a line for the strong side OG. He then chooses the right or left side of the guard (open lane). If they are full, he bounces outside. I think its pretty simple if we practice it.

Also, it give the Rb a chance to play at full speed and still protect himself. You can talk about ball security and leg drive, but players will lose their trust if they are constantly cracking into a brick wall "because I told them so."

[montrose]

And, i'm definitely using "sum bi*ch" as standard terminology.

You should, my college coach used it profusely along with other classic lines like (WARNING: Language)

"God Da*nit! Tackling's 1, 2!" - In missing tackles, he would get mad at us as he was a believer that tackling was 1, 2 yet he never really explained what it meant. I think he meant making initial contact and then driving through while shooting your arms. I'm not really sure, no one ever dared asked him what he meant.

"If you fairies can tackle a tree you can tackle a fullback!" - Prior to playing the DIII leader in rushing we formed a straight line behind a huge tree and had to literally attempt to tackle it. It may be the low point of my entire life, never before had I felt so degraded - god I miss playing football.

"Hold him! Hug him! F*** him up the @$$ for all I care! Your man doesn't make the f***ing tackle!" - In response to our LG getting beat two straight plays because our opponent was delayed-blitzing the B gaps and our coaching staff didn't adjust to things well.

"I don't give a sh*t what it is, we're going for it." - While being summoned by our Offensive Coordinator to see if we could go for it on 4th and inches. He was over yelling at the LB's on the bench at the time which led to this classic comment:

"You're a bunch of god da*n pussies! I swear to god I'm going to go up into the stands and slap every one of your daddies for not making a man out of ya! If I have to watch them gash us one more series, I mother f***ing swear I'll have every one of ya running dusk till dawn and when you get finished you'll turn in your uniform and I'll cut off each of your needle d*cks and keep it as a trophy for the years your taking off my mother f***ing life by not god da*n tackling!"- This, I kid you not, in response to game in which we we're giving 2.8 ypc.

I'll try to think of more, I'm sure I can pull some out. Man I missing playing football.

[uk bronco]

what i would do to run a trap between weak guard and centre

run at the weakside,
weak tackle punches end to slow him slightly and then goes straight for the weakside backer
weak g/c double team the DT scooping to the mike backer
Strong guard pulls and takes the weak DE (should get some good hits from this)
Strong tackle takes strong DT
TE takes Strong backer
RB and FB take 2 steps to the strong side allowing time for the strong guard to pull and trap the end plus hopefully shifting the D to the strong side giving the line more time and better angles for hits


Coaching tips
Make sure people are folling angles of pursuit, dont run at the man run at where he will be
For pulling/traps what i was coached was to imagine you're starting a lawnmower and pull the cord back as hard as you can. This'll open up their body in the direction they should be running getting them to where they should be faster.

Note
I would have the strong tackle cut the DT but dont know if this is allowed in your league, you cant cut in the youth league in britian anyway. The weak G/C double team really depends on the man there. If the guard can take him solo i would have the centre fold in behind him and lead through the hole.

[cmhargrove]

You should, my college coach used it profusely along with other classic lines like (WARNING: Language)

"God Da*nit! Tackling's 1, 2!" - In missing tackles, he would get mad at us as he was a believer that tackling was 1, 2 yet he never really explained what it meant. I think he meant making initial contact and then driving through while shooting your arms. I'm not really sure, no one ever dared asked him what he meant.

"If you fairies can tackle a tree you can tackle a fullback!" - Prior to playing the DIII leader in rushing we formed a straight line behind a huge tree and had to literally attempt to tackle it. It may be the low point of my entire life, never before had I felt so degraded - god I miss playing football.

"Hold him! Hug him! **** him up the @$$ for all I care! Your man doesn't make the ****ing tackle!" - In response to our LG getting beat two straight plays because our opponent was delayed-blitzing the B gaps and our coaching staff didn't adjust to things well.

"I don't give a sh*t what it is, we're going for it." - While being summoned by our Offensive Coordinator to see if we could go for it on 4th and inches. He was over yelling at the LB's on the bench at the time which led to this classic comment:

"You're a bunch of god da*n pussies! I swear to god I'm going to go up into the stands and slap every one of your daddies for not making a man out of ya! If I have to watch them gash us one more series, I mother ****ing swear I'll have every one of ya running dusk till dawn and when you get finished you'll turn in your uniform and I'll cut off each of your needle d*cks and keep it as a trophy for the years your taking off my mother ****ing life by not god da*n tackling!"- This, I kid you not, in response to game in which we we're giving 2.8 ypc.

I'll try to think of more, I'm sure I can pull some out. Man I missing playing football.

There's not enough smileys to reward this post....
LOL Hilarious! :thanku: :charge: :nutkick :hitself: :kungfu:

[montrose]

There's not enough smileys to reward this post....
LOL Hilarious! :thanku: :charge: :nutkick :hitself: :kungfu:

The best part is there are better one's I want to make sure I have correct before posting. I've sent a few Facebook messages to former teammates to check for accuracy. Hey, I'm instantly more credible than half the writers for ESPN!

[Kaylore]

You should, my college coach used it profusely along with other classic lines like (WARNING: Language)

"God Da*nit! Tackling's 1, 2!" - In missing tackles, he would get mad at us as he was a believer that tackling was 1, 2 yet he never really explained what it meant. I think he meant making initial contact and then driving through while shooting your arms. I'm not really sure, no one ever dared asked him what he meant.

:rofl: This brings back memories. It's the funniest because it's so common from coach's. You alway here them repeat some catch-phrase that in their heads tells you all you need to know about what you're doing (Dig and stick!) - so much so that everyone just nods when they say it. And he's so passionately angry about it that no one would dare ask him what it means even if it's not the least bit intuitive, and he says we were getting it when we didn't do it any differently after he yelled at us.

[Peoples Champ]

i was a smaller, scat back at that age and the other running backs and I were taught to "hide" behind the lineman.

Find one of hte lineman and basically run off their back...if you can see their numbers at an angle they are doing their job and use their back as a target point to make your first cut right behind them....

we ran drills with no defense where hte back had to tap the lineman on the back before cutting through the hole...it worked



We did the same thing, although it was on counter plays.

Either way it can be affective, just make sure the lineman is athletic and aggresive (snowplowing his way along). We had a huge man that was the fastest on the line, it worked great.

[StevetheBronco]

You should, my college coach used it profusely along with other classic lines like (WARNING: Language)

"If you fairies can tackle a tree you can tackle a fullback!" - Prior to playing the DIII leader in rushing we formed a straight line behind a huge tree and had to literally attempt to tackle it. It may be the low point of my entire life, never before had I felt so degraded - god I miss playing football.

.

How many yards did your team give up to the DIII leader?


STB

[montrose]

How many yards did your team give up to the DIII leader?


STB

We gave up around 100, but we got smashed so bad he was out by halftime.