woodbuck27
06-19-2006, 07:00 PM
Linemen are in a zone
Written by PackerChatters Staff
Monday, 19 June 2006
Jagodzinski shares secrets of Packers' new blocking scheme
Green Bay - The minute offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski joined the Green Bay Packers, the buzz started over his plan to have the offensive linemen employ zone blocking. It soon became clear that the Packers' linemen will have to be athletic in this scheme. The running backs will have more options but will have to be choosy.
Any high school football player knows what zone blocking is. But with the final week of the June minicamp finally here, it seems like a good time to go back to Football 101 and review exactly what zone blocking is in order to understand why the Packers seem so genuinely excited to install it as a permanent part of their offense.
While Jagodzinki was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, he learned first-hand how to implement, teach and perfect zone blocking from Alex Gibbs, and he was willing to share some of those philosophies and rules in an interview with the Journal Sentinel.
Broken down to absolute plain terms, an offensive lineman can be assigned a defensive player and block him man-to-man or he can block an area in zone blocking.
Zone blocking's No. 1 priority is to prevent penetration and eliminate lost yardage.
When offensive linemen take their typical positions - from left to right, tight end, left tackle, left guard, center, right guard, right tackle and tight end - the spaces beside them are defensive gaps.
Keeping that line and the eight gaps in mind, there are three basic rules of zone blocking for the offensive lineman to follow: On, play side gap, second level (linebacker).
On: The lineman blocks the defensive man lined up across from him, and this is his first responsibility.
Play side gap: If there's no defender in front of the lineman, he blocks his play side gap (the direction the ball is going), helping another lineman with a double-team. That's the second duty.
Second level: The offensive lineman moves beyond the defensive linemen to block the linebackers.
Following those covered and uncovered rules, here's an example of what right tackle Mark Tauscher would do in zone blocking:
A defensive end is lined up on his inside left shoulder. Standing to his left could be right guard Jason Spitz. Tauscher blocks the defensive end, following the first rule, and Spitz joins him in a double-team, play-side gap, which follows the second rule. After the double-team, Tauscher can go to the second level and block a linebacker, following the third rule.
"You stay on (the double-team) until the second-level player flashes over the top," Jagodzinski said.
Zone blocking is used for running plays only. The rules apply to everyone: the tackles, guards, center and tight ends. It doesn't affect quarterback Brett Favre's responsibilities.
It covers either a 4-3 or 3-4 defense and can withstand a blitz because it secures the eight gaps, no matter which defenders start or end up in them.
"Zone scheme allows us to emphasize the execution and fundamentals of the technique," Jagodzinski said. "When you make a commitment to it, it's sound schematically. This zone scheme allows our players to be physical without any restrictions. They know where they're going, and that's why we drill so fast.
"And it allows us to secure the line of scrimmage without any penetration."
But the most beneficial part of zone blocking is that it gets the best production out of all five linemen working together.
"You can do it with lesser talent," Jagodzinski said. "In Atlanta, I had three seventh-round picks, the left tackle, center and right guard, and at one time last year I had a fifth-round at left guard. And Barry Stokes was a free agent. So three sevens, a five and a free agent."
Nearly every team runs some zone blocking, but the Packers are committed exclusively to the scheme, just like Denver and Atlanta.
"What people try to do is everything," Jagodzinski said. "They want to be a gap-scheme team, a zone team. What you emphasize is what you get. If you try to do everything, you'll be good at nothing."
What Jagodzinski especially likes about zone blocking is the collective effort required by all the linemen.
"When you zone block, you're dependent on the whole group," Jagodzinski said. "When you man block, you're dependent on each individual. Now would you rather depend on one individual, or the whole group, when it's concerning the team sport?
"Man blocking, you're dependent on single blocks. So you get one guy missing his block, the play is blown up."
It also means the linemen have to be in top shape. Taking Daryn Colledge, Jason Spitz and Tony Moll in the draft, the Packers specifically targeted players who could move and not just guys who tipped the scales.
"We want them lean," Jagodzinski said. "All that stuff around the midsection that's hanging over your belt? That just doesn't help the player. You can't be a guy that can't move, so that's why I put such a premium on guys not being heavy, for two reasons.
"One, they can't get there and, two, they're more susceptible to lower-leg injuries. If they have a weight issue, having those guys recover from injury takes a lot longer, too. Plus, if you're really heavy, you're going to shorten your career. I want to extend these guys' careers as long as I can."
The critical factor in zone blocking is the running backs' primary and secondary reads. Although they will have more options because they have vertical and lateral movement within the offensive line, they'll get only one glimpse of daylight.
"He's only allowed one cut. One," Jagodzinski said. "That's all he gets. It puts a real premium on the running backs having vision."
Ahman Green, Samkon Gado and Najeh Davenport have all mentioned this spring how much they like the options of zone blocking, but they won't have time to dance around or wait for a hole to materialize at the line. They've got to make a read and run with that choice.
Jagodzinski isn't concerned that the rest of the National Football League already knows that the Packers have committed to zone blocking.
"How we do it and how we teach it, that's what's different," Jagodzinski said.
Source: Lori Nickel - Milwaukee Journal Sentinal
There ! Now don't you all feel better ? woodbuck27
Written by PackerChatters Staff
Monday, 19 June 2006
Jagodzinski shares secrets of Packers' new blocking scheme
Green Bay - The minute offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski joined the Green Bay Packers, the buzz started over his plan to have the offensive linemen employ zone blocking. It soon became clear that the Packers' linemen will have to be athletic in this scheme. The running backs will have more options but will have to be choosy.
Any high school football player knows what zone blocking is. But with the final week of the June minicamp finally here, it seems like a good time to go back to Football 101 and review exactly what zone blocking is in order to understand why the Packers seem so genuinely excited to install it as a permanent part of their offense.
While Jagodzinki was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, he learned first-hand how to implement, teach and perfect zone blocking from Alex Gibbs, and he was willing to share some of those philosophies and rules in an interview with the Journal Sentinel.
Broken down to absolute plain terms, an offensive lineman can be assigned a defensive player and block him man-to-man or he can block an area in zone blocking.
Zone blocking's No. 1 priority is to prevent penetration and eliminate lost yardage.
When offensive linemen take their typical positions - from left to right, tight end, left tackle, left guard, center, right guard, right tackle and tight end - the spaces beside them are defensive gaps.
Keeping that line and the eight gaps in mind, there are three basic rules of zone blocking for the offensive lineman to follow: On, play side gap, second level (linebacker).
On: The lineman blocks the defensive man lined up across from him, and this is his first responsibility.
Play side gap: If there's no defender in front of the lineman, he blocks his play side gap (the direction the ball is going), helping another lineman with a double-team. That's the second duty.
Second level: The offensive lineman moves beyond the defensive linemen to block the linebackers.
Following those covered and uncovered rules, here's an example of what right tackle Mark Tauscher would do in zone blocking:
A defensive end is lined up on his inside left shoulder. Standing to his left could be right guard Jason Spitz. Tauscher blocks the defensive end, following the first rule, and Spitz joins him in a double-team, play-side gap, which follows the second rule. After the double-team, Tauscher can go to the second level and block a linebacker, following the third rule.
"You stay on (the double-team) until the second-level player flashes over the top," Jagodzinski said.
Zone blocking is used for running plays only. The rules apply to everyone: the tackles, guards, center and tight ends. It doesn't affect quarterback Brett Favre's responsibilities.
It covers either a 4-3 or 3-4 defense and can withstand a blitz because it secures the eight gaps, no matter which defenders start or end up in them.
"Zone scheme allows us to emphasize the execution and fundamentals of the technique," Jagodzinski said. "When you make a commitment to it, it's sound schematically. This zone scheme allows our players to be physical without any restrictions. They know where they're going, and that's why we drill so fast.
"And it allows us to secure the line of scrimmage without any penetration."
But the most beneficial part of zone blocking is that it gets the best production out of all five linemen working together.
"You can do it with lesser talent," Jagodzinski said. "In Atlanta, I had three seventh-round picks, the left tackle, center and right guard, and at one time last year I had a fifth-round at left guard. And Barry Stokes was a free agent. So three sevens, a five and a free agent."
Nearly every team runs some zone blocking, but the Packers are committed exclusively to the scheme, just like Denver and Atlanta.
"What people try to do is everything," Jagodzinski said. "They want to be a gap-scheme team, a zone team. What you emphasize is what you get. If you try to do everything, you'll be good at nothing."
What Jagodzinski especially likes about zone blocking is the collective effort required by all the linemen.
"When you zone block, you're dependent on the whole group," Jagodzinski said. "When you man block, you're dependent on each individual. Now would you rather depend on one individual, or the whole group, when it's concerning the team sport?
"Man blocking, you're dependent on single blocks. So you get one guy missing his block, the play is blown up."
It also means the linemen have to be in top shape. Taking Daryn Colledge, Jason Spitz and Tony Moll in the draft, the Packers specifically targeted players who could move and not just guys who tipped the scales.
"We want them lean," Jagodzinski said. "All that stuff around the midsection that's hanging over your belt? That just doesn't help the player. You can't be a guy that can't move, so that's why I put such a premium on guys not being heavy, for two reasons.
"One, they can't get there and, two, they're more susceptible to lower-leg injuries. If they have a weight issue, having those guys recover from injury takes a lot longer, too. Plus, if you're really heavy, you're going to shorten your career. I want to extend these guys' careers as long as I can."
The critical factor in zone blocking is the running backs' primary and secondary reads. Although they will have more options because they have vertical and lateral movement within the offensive line, they'll get only one glimpse of daylight.
"He's only allowed one cut. One," Jagodzinski said. "That's all he gets. It puts a real premium on the running backs having vision."
Ahman Green, Samkon Gado and Najeh Davenport have all mentioned this spring how much they like the options of zone blocking, but they won't have time to dance around or wait for a hole to materialize at the line. They've got to make a read and run with that choice.
Jagodzinski isn't concerned that the rest of the National Football League already knows that the Packers have committed to zone blocking.
"How we do it and how we teach it, that's what's different," Jagodzinski said.
Source: Lori Nickel - Milwaukee Journal Sentinal
There ! Now don't you all feel better ? woodbuck27