Getting to the edge with the outside zone

Coach

We are a Tight Slot Spread Offense and the Outside Zone is our #1 play. We run it anywhere from 10-20 times per game. We made the same adjustment to our offense this year. We felt that last year our Running Back wasn't getting to the perimeter enough. He was cutting it back inside to the playside B-Gap a lot. We didn't change our blocking scheme at all, but we did change the path of the Running Back. We felt that we were much more successful with a wider aiming point. This allowed our back to get on the perimeter much more and he was still in a good enough position to cut it back if the playside End flashed across his face. His aiming point use to be the inside leg of the OT, but we changed it to the inside leg of the Tight Slot. The Tight Slot we align 1x1 off the tackle. Hope this helps! Couple of things to keep in mind...make sure that your running back is attacking down hill and not laterally....and make sure that your QB is getting the ball deep enough and wide enough to the running back. If your running back goes hard, than your QB will need to bust his @ss to get there. This will take some work. Running the Zone is more detailed than most people think, but when you get it going, it becomes very difficult to defend. Good luck...If you need anymore help, feel free to ask.

DJTrap2

PS: I might add that I don't believe you can improve on the way Alex Gibbs runs the play. They can go wide IF IT'S THERE, & take it north-south if it isn't!!!!!

I just watched hours of cutups of them running the play from an end zone view. You can drive a Mack truck thru the saems. They TRULY "STRETCH" the defense. "STRETCH" doesn't imply neccessarily that the play goes outside - it implies that the play will STRETCH THE DEFENSE, & the RB must find the "seams' thru his rather intricate system of READS!

PS: Order Alex Gibbs' two tapes on the WIDE zone (stretch) & TIGHT zone. Check them out online from GILMAN GEAR.

Is the rule read the second down lineman or the EMLOS?

Oneback

How many plays (or schemes) do you think you can have if you are "going to hang your hat on the zone"?
Also, does this include the varations of each play/scheme (like a fullback dive using zone rules and runing the zone bob or running the counter trey as well as the base powerplay)?