Featuring presentations made by several of America’s most outstanding coaches, including Paul Boudreau, Alex Gibbs, Joe Gilbert, J.B. Grimes, Art Kehoe, Jim McNally, Scott Peters, Jim Schwartz, John Strollo, Ed Warinner, and Bob Wylie.

A Brief History of the C.O.O.L. ClinicThe concept of a clinic geared specifically toward addressing the needs and interests of offensive linemen came to fruition in 1982, when a group of about 18 coaches met with Jim McNally, an assistant coach with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, in the Bengals’ training facility. This situation continued for a few years, before the clinic eventually became too big for the Bengals’ facilities. In response, McNally moved the clinic to a hotel in Cincinnati in the mid-1980s. Among coaches at the initial meeting were Bob Wylie and Paul Alexander, both of whom were to remain involved with C.O.O.L. Clinic over the years.

In 1995, McNally left the Bengals for a position on the staff of the Carolina Panthers. Bob Wylie, whom McNally had asked to be the caretaker of the clinic, then conducted the clinic for one year in Tampa, Florida. Upon being hired by the University of Cincinnati, Wylie brought the clinic back home to Cincinnati in 1996.

Since that time, the C.O.O.L. Clinic has been at the same hotel in Cincinnati, although it has changed names over the years from the Clarion Hotel, to the Regal Hotel, to the present-day Millennium Hotel. Traditionally, the C.O.O.L. Clinic has been held the third week in May each year to accommodate the large number of college coaches who incorporate this event into their spring schedule.

About the Mushroom SocietyThe Mushroom Society was established by a group of professional offensive line coaches. The mushroom logo signifies the similarity between the “O-line” coach and the fungus—both are kept in the dark and fed garbage, yet continue to flourish! C.O.O.L. (Coaches of Offensive Linemen) are proud to be mushrooms.

A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO ALEX GIBBS—A FOOTBALL LEGENDAlex Gibbs, the godfather of the modern zone blocking scheme, has 44 years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and professional levels. During his NFL career as both an offensive line coach and an assistant head coach, Gibbs worked with the Denver Broncos (1984-1987, 1995-2003, 2013), Los Angeles Raiders (1988-1989), San Diego Chargers (1990-1991), Indianapolis Colts (1992), Kansas City Chiefs (1993-1994), Atlanta Falcons (2004-2006), Houston Texans (2008-2009), and Seattle Seahawks (2010). He also served as a college assistant coach at Duke (1969-1970), Kentucky (1971-1972), West Virginia (1973-1974), Ohio State (1975-1978), Auburn (1979-1981), and Georgia (1982-1983). Gibbs was born in Morgantown, North Carolina, and is a graduate of Davidson College. A well-known proponent of the zone blocking scheme, Gibbs popularized its use while he was offensive line coach of the Denver Broncos.

2015 Offensive LineCoaches Handbook

Featuring Lectures From the 2015 C.O.O.L. Clinic

US $19.95

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ing 2015 Offensive Line

Coaches HandbookFeaturing Lectures From the 2015 C.O.O.L. Clinic

Edited by Earl Browning9 7 8 1 6 0 6 7 9 3 4 1 1

ISBN 978-1-60679-341-151995

2015OFFENSIVE LINE

COACHES HANDBOOK

FEATURING LECTURES FROM THE 2015 C.O.O.L. CLINIC

Edited by Earl Browning

www.coacheschoice.com

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© 2015 Coaches Choice. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Coaches Choice.

ISBN: 978-1-60679-341-1

ISSN: 1945-1172

Telecoach, Inc. Transcription: Emmerson Browning, Kent Browning, and Tom Cheaney

Diagrams: Chuck Butler and Reggie Sugabo

Book layout: Cheery Sugabo

Cover design: Cheery Sugabo

Front cover photo: Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

Special thanks to John Widecan of the University of Cincinnati for taping the lectures.

Coaches Choice P.O. Box 1828 Monterey, CA 93942 www.coacheschoice.com

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Speaker Team Topic Page

Paul Boudreau St. Louis Rams The Rams Key Play With Drills and Techniques ................5

Alex Gibbs NFL Alumni Inside and Outside Zone, Bootleg, and Thoughts on the Power Play ............................................................................. 17

Joe Gilbert Indianapolis Colts Weakside Counter Play (Wrap) and the Drills to Teach It .......................................................................................... 28

J.B. Grimes Auburn University Run Game Emphasis From an Auburn Perspective ......... 37

Art Kehoe University of Miami Pulling and Different Sets on Pass Protection ................ 45

Jim McNally Cincinnati Bengals Current Trends in Offensive Line Play ................................ 56 Offensive Consultant

Scott Peters Safe Football LLC/ Securing Control/Finishing Techniques in the Hand Combat Specialist Run Game ....................................................................................... 62

Jim Schwartz Former Detroit Lions Breaking Down the Offensive Line/What the Head Coach Defense Is Looking For .............................................................. 71

John Strollo Ball State University Circular Force ............................................................................... 84

Ed Warinner The Ohio State The Ohio State Spread Run Game ......................................... 90 University

Bob Wylie Winnipeg Blue Bombers/ Conflict of Assignment Using Slide NFL Alumni Protection Concepts ................................................................. 96

About the Editor.................................................................... .......................................................................................................101

Contents

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Thank you. It is good to be here today. I think you guys do a hell of a job of coaching. I have been in your shoes. I have coached football in high school, I-AA, and Division I football. I am going to share with you the drills we do, and talk about some of the plays we run. Also, I am going to talk about the misdirection zone play.

I am all about targets. It does not matter if you teach an outside or inside zone play; you must tell players how to step. You have four leverage points. You have your feet and your hands, and you must get leverage. I watch tapes and look at players. The worst thing they do relates to their pad level.

In the NFL, we have restrictions as to working in pads. It takes me through the fourth pre-season game to get my players with their pad levels down to the point where I like them. We cannot practice with pads, and we cannot practice against the defense anymore. You cannot beat press coverage because you cannot practice that in the pre-season.

You draft a lineman from a big school, but you cannot teach him in the pre-season. You can teach him pass protection, but he cannot go against a defensive lineman. He can practice against another offensive lineman, but that is not a true example of what he will face. That is the hard part of coaching at the pro level.

Some of the college players have just gone through the combines. They hire gurus that teach them how to run a 40-yard dash. In the NFL, they will never run another 40-yard dash in their lives. However, they train for it. When they run a 40-yard dash, they have a narrow base and run on their toes. To play offensive line, you must have a wide base and have all the cleats in the ground.

In offensive line blocking, the first three steps is the leverage point for the lineman. He cannot step with his foot at an angle if he wants to knock the defender off the line of scrimmage. He has to step at him. He has to have a target.

I teach the target as six inches outside his number. However, in the stance, the offensive lineman cannot see the defender’s number. Therefore, I teach the target as the defender’s feet. If we are running an outside zone play, I teach a vertical crossover roll step. If the offensive lineman needs to knock the defender off the ball, he has to roll off his dominant foot.

On the third, fourth, and fifth steps, the offensive lineman starts to block with the duck step with all of his cleats in the ground. In the stance, I do not want the heels off the ground; however, on the first, second, and third steps, I want to see daylight under the heels. When they hit the point where they have to drive and change direction with the block, that is when the feet get flat-footed to the ground.

When we drill the steps, we say you must walk before you run. We teach the first three steps from the two-point stance to begin with. The first step is a six-inch step to the outside shoe of the defender. The second step is where the contact occurs. That foot must be going vertical upfield at contact to get vertical movement off the line of scrimmage. If the second step is at an angle, you are not knocking anyone off the ball.

If we run the tight zone, the target for the second step is the defender’s inside shoe. If there is help on the block, the footwork for the help blocker is somewhat different. With the help blocker, he

Paul Boudreau

THE RAMS KEY PLAY WITH DRILLS AND TECHNIQUES

St. Louis Rams

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takes the same three-step footwork, but loses a little ground on his first step so he can gain ground on the second step. He wants to be in an overlap position with the first blocker.

I have a lineman we drafted last year from Auburn. Greg Robinson was our first pick and second overall in the 2014 draft. You heard Coach Grimes, Auburn’s line coach, speak last night. They have four running plays and one pass protection. They do not have a snap count. All the offensive linemen watch the ball for the get-off on the snap. However, every drill they did with him, they put him in a three-point stance. I looked at his practice tape to make sure he could bend. I had a Hall of Fame lineman when I was with the Saints, and this kid may be better.

He is 330 pounds and runs 4.9 for the 40-yard dash. He can lie on his back and do a hand spring to his feet without touching the ground. He is gifted, and there is a lot of crap I cannot teach him because there is no one else that can do what he can do. He is just scratching the surface right now.

We do the same footwork drills every day. We start on air, working the three steps. We work the same drill over the boards and against dummies. On the first step, we want the lineman to spring out of it into his second step. We tell them to step at the defender’s crotch with the second step.

We want the step to the outside number of the defender. I want the blocker to be square. I am not talking about being square to the line of scrimmage. I am talking about the blocker being square to the defender. I want him to cover up the framework of the defender’s body.

I have learned many things from my great players. When I was at Detroit, we had Barry Sanders. I was a lot smarter coach when I had him. I got a chance to go to New England when Curtis Martin played there. He told me one day, “If I would move the down defenders, he would move the linebackers.” He had that kind of talent. He had the ability to stick his foot in the ground and break backside into the C gap away from the fill of the linebackers.

We do not have running backs that can do that. That is where the misdirection zone play comes into play. We needed a play that would allow the offensive

linemen to get movement on the down defenders and let the linebackers flow and block themselves.

When we teach the daily footwork drills, we want to watch the linemen to make sure they do not wind up with their hands. We want the hands and their punch to come straight from the ground into the breastplate of the defender. We do not want the linemen to drop their hands down and wind up to hit the defender. When the hands and arms go back behind the hips, it exposes the chest of the offensive blocker.

We have five defensive linemen that are first-round picks. If you expose your chest to anyone of them, they will beat you every time. It does not matter if you play high school, college, or pro football, the player that gets his hands inside will win. If he does not win, it will be a tie, which is good for us.

On the second step, the blocker must roll off the ball of his foot and toe in the first step. That allows for good pad level. If he is flat-footed on the first and second steps, his pads come up, and you see his numbers. He is too high. If you are too high, you cannot get the surge you need to create movement. On the third step, he wants to roll his hips into the block and get all his cleats in the ground and start to drive on steps four, five, and six.

When we teach this technique, the first important coaching point is to “get the knees over the toes.” When the lineman makes contact on the second step, his knee should be over his toe. That is where the leverage comes from. If the foot turns outside, his knee is not over his toe and he loses leverage. When he steps with his knee over his toe, he is exploding up and begins to flat-foot his footwork on the third step.

We use a drill called “barrel olé cut drill” (Diagram #1). This is a backside block for an uncovered lineman. If we work on the inside zone or misdirection zone, the offensive blocker wants to capture the defensive lineman or linebacker going straight up the field. On his first step, he has to open his foot and toes so he loses ground. He does that so he can gain ground with the second step. We set the barrel on the line of scrimmage and align it on the shoulders of the offensive blocker. The blocker opens on the first step and gets his second step on the line of scrimmage as he comes around the barrel.

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Boudreau #1 Cut Drill $

Diagram #1. Barrel Olé Cut DrillHe hits the line of scrimmage on his second

step, and that should put him square to the line of scrimmage. On his third step, he is running upfield to the linebacker. This is a cut drill; however, no one goes to the ground. The dummy holder holds the dummy to the side and low so the blocker can bend and rip through the dummy with his inside arm.

The target for a cut block is the thigh board of the linebacker. If he aims for the thigh board, he will hit the knee. If he aims for the knee, he will hit the ankle or lower leg. He wants to use his inside arm and rip through the dummy. This block simulates the path for a backside slip block or a backside A-combo block with the center. If he were scoop blocking with the center, he would take over the block at the barrel or climb to the linebacker and rip the dummy with his inside arm.

The offensive blocker going to his right mentally loads all his weight on his left foot and toe. He has to get his right foot open quickly and off the line of scrimmage. When he takes his second step, he is square to the line and running upfield on the third step. He wants to rip through the knee of the linebacker. It has to be a solid block that takes the knee out. We do not leave the ground in this drill; however, in a game situation, that may be the case. If he leaves the ground, he wants to roll into his block.

What I am trying to do in this drill is to give them the technique on a blocking scheme we are going to use. I got lucky this year and drafted four linemen. I was trying to go for seven. I got four and a free agent that will probably make our team. We got a bunch of young guys playing in the offensive line. The good thing about it is they are all smart, tough, and have been well coached.

When you do a drill, make sure you go to the left as well as to the right. The coaching point we

continually emphasize is for the players to get their hips underneath them as they move. This is a footwork drill that teaches the basics of the three-step movement.

The next drill is a pull and cut drill. Jim Ringo, who played for the Packers, was talking to a Hall of Famer guard, John Hannah. They were talking about how to pull. There are all kinds of pulls. There is the skip pull and the ripped elbow pull. Hannah did not open up and throw his elbow on his pulls. He pivoted off his playside foot. He said it was not the first step that was important. It was the second step. He felt he could get to the target quicker by pivoting and crossing over with the second foot.

He said if he gained ground on the first or second step and did not step under himself, he would get to the target faster. The thing I am trying to say is: there are many ways to pull. The objective is to knock the crap out of the defender and do it quickly. You must teach your players using techniques they can execute. If the lineman is 6’8”, I am not going to teach him a technique that he feels uncomfortable doing. I want him to get to the block and execute. We refine whatever technique he is comfortable with using.

I am not going to try to fix something that is not broken. If he is having trouble, we tweak what he is doing to make it happen. When we set the drill up, we have a cone and dummy holder in the drill (Diagram #2). We place the cone on the line of scrimmage outside the offensive blocker’s playside foot. That is so we can watch what the blocker does with his first and second step. We want to make sure he is not stepping under himself. We want to find out how much ground he can cover in his first and second steps. He should make contact on the third step and rip through the defender’s outside knee. It is the same rip as the previous drill. He wants to run through the block, but on occasion he has to leave his feet.

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Boudreau #2 Pull Drill $

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Diagram #2. Pull and CutIn the NFL, the defenders try to keep the guards

and centers from pulling by grabbing them. They put

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the umpire behind the offense and they cannot see defensive holding anymore. If the defender is trying to grab the puller, he is going down. The backside cutoff blocker will be in the bend of his knees.

I came up with this drill. I call it “uphill leverage” (Diagram #3). It is the same drill you do on flat ground. You teach the same steps and techniques. I want to see the blocker snap his hips and rip on the second step. After he does that, he drives the defender up the hill.

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Boudreau #3 Up Hill Leverage !

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Diagram #3. Uphill LeverageWhen they drive up the hill you can see the

leverage. You can chase your hands with the feet. The hands go to the target, and the feet chase the hands. The hill I have in Detroit is not as big as the one I had in Atlanta. The bigger the hill, the better I like it.

We can also use the hill for teaching a double-team block. I want the players to get a feel of not getting split on a double-team. I want them to know where to put their hands on a scoop combination block or a double-team block. The thing I want to do is make them understand when they work on a double-team block, their hips must stay together. I have 600 pounds that is going to block 300 pounds.

The defender has a number of ways he can split the double-team block. He can drop and grab ankles. However, if he splits the double-team block because the offensive blocker’s hips come apart, the defender does not have to do anything. We work the scoop combination and double-team block going up the hill.

The post blocker wants to rip into the defender and make his upper body go up. The drive blocker stays on the double-team until he comes off on the linebacker. The slip blocker does not come off on a linebacker as long as the linebacker is moving laterally. He comes off on the linebacker when he

starts to attack downhill. If the linebacker is going sideways, the back is moving him. We stay on the double-team block as long as we can.

We teach the hip roll on a sled. We have a four-man sled designed for the offensive line (Diagram #4). The bags are tapered at the bottom and flare out at the top. It looks like an upside-down cone. When we do the hip roll drill, we do it from a six-point stance. The hands, knees, and toes are in contact with the ground. The players shoot their hands from the ground into the pad. The lift on the pad comes from the leg extension and the hips rolling to the ground. We do not want them to wind up with the hands and arms. If their arms go back, they are doing the drill wrong. They work the hands, the hips, and they snap into the pads.

Diagram #4. Hip RollWe work the double-team block from a fit

position. This is the “fit and lift drill.” We fit the offensive blockers into the block on the defender. On the command, we want the blockers to roll off the ball of the toe, roll the hips, and lift the defender while driving him back. The thing we want to see is the hips staying together. If the hips spread, they have a problem on their hands. What we want to see in this drill is the snap in their hips as they move the defender back.

After they work the fit and lift drill, we put them back in their stance and work the first three steps into the block. They know where their hands should be and what it feels like to have the proper fit. We work 2-on-1 with the defender having a shield dummy. After contact, we work two to three steps and do not worry about a finish at this point. The outside blocker is targeting his inside foot to the outside foot of the defender.

What we teach the blocker is to get the hands into the target and lock out on the defender. That gives him separation from the defender so the defender cannot grab the slip blocker.

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The next thing with the double-team block is the combo block. When we work the combo block, we target the feet of the defender. We work two combo blocks at a time in the same drill. The frontside combo has a 3 technique down defender and a 2 technique linebacker. The backside combo has a 1 technique down defender and a stacked linebacker. The footwork is different for the inside blocker.

The inside blocker on the combo to the 3 technique defender wants his second step to the 3 technique defender’s outside foot (Diagram #5). The outside blocker steps hip-to-hip with the inside blocker and shoves the 3 technique defender onto the block of the inside blocker. He is coming off for the linebacker when he attacks the line of scrimmage.

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Diagram #5. Combo BlockOn the backside combo, the center on his second

step is down the crotch of the 1 technique defender. The outside block has to overlap the center as he comes down. The linebacker in a stack alignment is a fast flow linebacker. The outside block has to take over the block on the 1 technique defender. His first step is a vertical step with the left foot crossing over to get into position for the takeover block.

The center drives up the field with the 1 technique defender. He wants to ricochet off the 1 technique defender coming off for the stack linebacker. He puts the 1 technique defender on the block of the guard.

In a situation where the playside is away from the 3 technique, the guard has a linebacker in the A gap. He gives a “quick call” to the offensive tackle (Diagram #6). That tells the tackle he does not have the help of the guard on the 3 technique. The guard takes a crossover step with his second step at the inside foot of the linebacker. As he comes off the line of scrimmage, he drags his left hand and holds off the 3 technique defender.

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Boudreau #6 Quick Call ....

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Diagram #6. Quick CallThe tackle has to pull to the inside to cut off

the 3 technique defender. The footwork on the combo block is based on where the down defender is aligned and where the second level linebacker is playing. The landmark tells the offensive blockers how to step.

If the defense slants their interior tackles, we borrow the center and use him in the scheme (Diagram #7). With the 1 technique defender slanting to the center, he reaches around him and sets up for the backside linebacker. The guard and tackle end up with a B-block on the slanting nose tackle because of the read of the defense. The center comes up on the backside linebacker as he pursues across the set.

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Diagram #7. Three-Man ComboYour drills must translate to the field (Diagram #8).

This is an inside zone play to the weakside with a lead back. The fullback isolates the Will linebacker. The left guard gets his second step down the crotch of the 1 technique defender with the center coming to take over the block. The center lead steps with his left foot and crosses over with his right foot at the outside foot of the 1 technique defender. On the backside of the play, the right guard and tackle run the combo block for the 3 technique defender and the Sam linebacker. They use the technique we talked about earlier. The tackle wants to overlap the guard and blocks the 3 technique with the guard coming off of the Sam linebacker.

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Diagram #8. Inside Zone WeakIn the old days, if you got a defender on the

ground, you could get your hands on him and hold him on the ground. You cannot do that anymore. What we do now is lay on top of him with our arms extended to the sides. That is our airplane position. We do not hold him down with our hands, and the defender cannot get off the ground.

The running back runs the zone play in the frontside A gap or backside A or B gap. The running back is not allowed to make a cut until he gets to the feet of the offensive linemen’s original alignment. When the running back receives the ball, his shoulders should match the shoulders of the center and guard in the combo block. They should all be square to the line of scrimmage.

On the backside combo block, if the 3 technique slants inside or the guard cannot get off for the linebacker, we have a way to play that (Diagram #9). The tackle overlaps the guard to take over the block. However, if the guard cannot get off the 3 technique, the tackle ends up behind the guard. He pushes the guard up the field with his hands as the guard blocks on the 3 technique. He watches the linebacker, and he becomes the second-level blocker. If the linebacker comes over the 3 technique defender into the A gap, the tackle comes upfield and blocks him. If the guard washes the 3 technique inside, the tackle comes upfield in the B gap and blocks the linebacker.

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Boudreau #9 Backside Overlap !

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Diagram #9. Backside Overlap

If the defense holds the ballcarrier up and tries to punish him, we coach the offensive line swarm the ballcarrier. In the old days, you picked off defender trying to pile on the ballcarrier. They outlawed that, so we swarm the ballcarrier and push him forward. That keeps the defense from taking shots at the ballcarrier. It looks like a rugby scrum.

We have different ways to teach the same drills. We have a beach area at our practice facility. We work the fit and lift drill in sand. This makes it hard for the offensive linemen to keep their hips from separating. You can also watch the sand fly and tell what they are doing with their feet. The object is to change up the drills. You do the same drill, but give it a different look. One day we work on the hills, and the other day we work in the sand.

When we run the inside zone or misdirection zone play, we have to see the slants of the defensive linemen. You cannot look at the whole man to see the slant. We want to read the inside knee. For a defender to slants inside, the first thing that moves is his inside knee. It does not matter if you are a center working the combo block to the 3 technique or a guard working the combo block to the 5 technique.

If the knee shows, the offensive blocker knows he has to engage that slanting defender coming inside. If the knee does not show, he can push off and climb to the linebacker.

With the 3-4 front, the right guard reads the inside knee of the 5 technique defender (Diagram #10). He comes off the ball with his first step toward the playside. His second step is to the outside foot of the 3 technique linebacker. If he does not see the knee from the 5 technique defender, on his third step, he squares up to the linebacker and climbs. How many times have you seen an uncovered lineman work one step too far and he cannot get square up to the linebacker?

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Boudreau #10 Read Knee Out !

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Diagram #10. Read the Knee (Out)

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The second situation is when the knee shows to the inside (Diagram #11). The guard steps and sees the knee. The first thing he does is to get his hand up and punch the defensive end coming inside. He wants to be ready to punch because he does not want a mouthful of the defensive end. The tackle steps to the crotch of the defensive end. When he sees the crotch disappear to the inside, he climbs for the linebacker.

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Boudreau #11 Read Knee In

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Diagram #11. Read the Knee (In)The next situation is the guard covered with

a 3 technique defender (Diagram #12). The center reads the knee of the 3 technique defender. He has a 1 technique in his backside A gap. The center reads the knee. If it is not there, he is going backside to the linebacker. As he comes off the ball, he drags his backside hand and holds off the 1 technique defender so the guard can get into his scoop block.

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Diagram #12. Read the Knee (Center)The playside guard takes his first step, and his

second step is in the crotch of the 3 technique defender. If the defender is still there, he gets square and drives him off the ball. The center, guard, and backside guard shoulders should be square on the defenders. The reason we want them square on the defenders is to let the running back move the linebackers. We want him to have a choice as to where to run the ball. If the blocker is square on the defenders, the running back can break to either side of the block.

I am going to flip around from run blocking to pass blocking. If the offensive tackle has a loose or wide 5 technique aligned on him, there are different ways to kick over to the defender and stay square. I always want to see where the offensive lineman is when

he punches. If he has his shoulder parallel with the sidelines when he punches, you have big-time trouble.

We call this “slide protection angle kicks” (Diagram #13). The first thing I teach the lineman is to kick at an angle to the defender that makes him a 5 technique defender instead of a wide angle rusher. When we set the drill up to teach the slide, we place a board behind the blocker at an angle for the offensive lineman to kick and slide. The right tackle kicks on an angle to the defender so that puts his right foot to the inside foot of the defender.

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Diagram #13. Angle Slide KicksAs he kicks, he wants to maintain good balance

and even weight distributed. If he leans and puts more weight on one foot, he will have a problem locking out on the rusher. It is like doing a squat exercise with a bar on your shoulders. When you squat, you do not lean one way or the other. You want to keep the weight over the feet.

We drive this point home by actually putting a weight lifting bar with a neck collar in the middle on the shoulders of the offensive lineman (Diagram #14). The collar has two pads, which extend down from the middle of the bar on either side of the neck, that the offensive lineman grasps.

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Diagram #14. Balance BarThe offensive lineman puts the bar on his

shoulders and performs the angle kick slide going left and right. The object is to keep the bar level at all times. If one end of the bar goes down or comes up, there is more weight on that foot. The weight

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on one foot instead of both feet affects the punch of the lineman. This exercise tells the lineman when he gets more weight on one foot.

When we do this drill with multiple players in the drill, we want everyone to look the same. We want a 90-degree bend in the knees and the ankle outside the knee. He is not turning his shoulders. He is keeping his angle so he can stay square. We are not particular about the position of the hands. However, we do not want them extended out or hanging down. We want them working the hands somewhere around chest level. He can work his hands like a boxer, but I want them at the level of the punch point.

As the linemen slide, they want their outside shoe on the inside shoe of the defender. The pass rusher wants to beat the blocker on the inside. That is the quickest way to the quarterback. We can take the angle kick slide drill and turn it into a punch drill (Diagram #15). The lineman kick-slides outside along the board. We put a rusher holding a blocking shield into the drill. He attacks the blocker, and the blocker punches him. The rusher recoils, moves outside, and attacks him again. The blocker punches him and continues to kick-slide along the board. He gets three punches in each rep.

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Diagram #15. Kick Slide PunchThe thing he does not want to do is get forced

back and step on the board. Every punch he lands, he wants it down the middle of the breastplate aiming for the throat.

People want to know how we block the tight end game. What we try to do is force the switch (Diagram #16). The lineman cannot block to the outside and then shuffle inside and become a pass blocker. What we do is set on the outside rusher.

If he loops, the blocker becomes a run blocker on the inside defender. He is not pass blocking. He is blocking as if the play were a trap play. When we drill this, we have two defenders with shields. The blocker is in the middle. He sets on the outside dummy and aggressively goes to the inside dummy and run blocks him using run blocking techniques.

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Boudreau #16 Force the Switch

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Diagram #16. Force the SwitchWhen the offensive blocker faces a bull rusher,

he has to establish his leverage. We call this drill “sitting bull.” A bull rush situation occurs when the offensive lineman makes a mistake. His hands are too wide, he is standing too high, or his feet are too narrow. To defeat the bull rush, the blocker has to reestablish leverage. He has to refit his hands to the inside on the defender. He brings his hands inside the defender’s hands, rips up, and grabs cloth. Once he gets his hands inside, he has to hold on.

After he reestablishes his inside hands, he has to drop his ass. He spreads his base and locks out with his hands. That will stop the momentum of the rusher. He may have to hop a couple of times to stop the bull rusher.

Another drill we work is a punch drill. We have a mounted pad sled. The pads are divided into quadrants with numbers on them and are at eye level. You can put the pads on the wall like they do at Ohio State. It is a 15-second punch drill. When the players get into a two-point stance, the top of the pad is above their shoulders. They punch the pad for 15 seconds, using any combination of punches they want. They can hit it with their right hand, left hand, or both hands with any combination of punches. They can go right, right, left, or any combination. They must keep their hands up and continue to punch for 15 seconds.

We do another drill on the pads called “twister.” They punch with both hands. They can punch two adjacent quadrants, two over one another, or two

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on the diagonal. It is rapid movement of both hands at all different levels and areas on the pads.

The next thing we do is use the slide drill with the punch drill. We slide the players down the pad station, and they make two punches on each pad. Again, they can use any combination of punches. You can give commands to change their direction so they go in the other direction punching the pads. They can punch the pads high or low in their movements.

If you do not have a punch sled or no place to hang a pad, you can use a human punch sled. You line up your puncher across from a shield holder. We put a second player behind the bag holder as a brace so he does not back up while the punches are being thrown. It is effective and accomplishes the same thing the punch sled does. Each time the player punches, he wants to get a lockout in his arms. He does not hold the lockout, but tries to get that lockout with each punch. Fifteen seconds is a long time when you are going at a fast speed.

We have a two-bag kick and punch drill we use (Diagram #17). We have two bag holders and a pass blocker. The bag holders are four yards apart. The blocker aligns in the middle of the bag holders. To start the drill, the blocker kick-slides to one bag and punches it. The bag holders start to walk at a normal to slow pace. The blocker kick-slides to the other bag and punches it. He kicks to the other bag and punches it. He kick-slides from one bag to the other, punching the bag when he arrives into position.

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Boudreau #17 Bag Kick and Punch !

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Diagram #17. Two-Bag Kick and PunchThe blocker must stay under control and move

from one bag to the other. When he delivers the punch, it must be the proper technique for punching.

You want them to exercise good body position at all time. Most players, when they start to do this drill, get out of control and play too straight up and down. You want to be in a proper position to deliver the punch and not just throwing it from left field.

You can tighten the bag holder up and concentrate on the punch. The drill is the same except you get more punches and less slide kicks. Another variation of the same drill is to tighten the distance between the bag holders slightly. You align the blocker up on one of the bag holders. On the command, he uses his angle kick slide to the other dummy and punches the bag. After that, the drill is the same with the exception of the angle kick slide.

We call this drill “three-bag jam” (Diagram #18). In this drill, we have three bag holders and one blocker. The blocker is working with the lineman next to him. This is a leap of faith. He sits square and punches the defender to the next blocker. In the drill, the first bag holder, attacks the blocker. He punches him to the right, and recoils to the next bag holder coming at him. He punches that bag holder to the left and gets ready for the last bag holder. The last bag holder moves forward and puts on a move or bull rushes the blocker. If it is a move, the blocker has to move his feet and get in front of the bag holder. If it is a bull rush, he punches the bag, locks out, and drops his tail using his bull rush techniques. If we work on a two-gap team, I start with the bags in the middle.

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Boudreau #18 Three Bag Jam !

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Diagram #18. Three-Bag JamThe next thing is “hand grab replacement.”

What do you do if the defender grabs your hand? The second smallest part within the body is the thumb. A guy told me a long time ago: if you want to teach something, try it. If someone grabs the wrist, simply drop the hands down and you break the

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thumbs loose from the wrist. We do this in a drill. You start with a blocker and a rusher. The blocker starts with his hand placement on the breastplate of the defender. The defender grabs the wrist of the blocker and starts to push the blocker backward.

The blocker rips his hands down, breaks the thumbs loose, comes underneath the hands of the defender and replaces his hands on the breastplate with a punch. The defender grabs the wrist again, and the blocker repeats the move. They continually repeat grabbing, breaking, and replacing as they work down the line. In this drill, they are thinking about breaking the thumbs and the punch replacement of the hands. They do not think about their feet.

In a game situation, we work on getting the hands into the breastplate and holding onto the defender’s shoulder pads. Once you get a hold on the pads, we are not worried about the defender grabbing our wrist. If he grabs our wrist before we set the hands, we break the thumbs, punch, and replace the hands.

At the combine, they measure the wingspan of the players from fingertip to fingertip. The lineman does not punch with his fingers. He punches with the heel of the hand. They should measure the offensive linemen from their wrist to the shoulder to get their effective punching distance.

We have what we call a “slug set.” If we have slide protection away from the tight end, the tackle to the open side of the set will have help to his inside in most cases. The defensive end has his mind made up what he is going to do when the tackle kick-slides to the outside. On any three-, five-, or seven-step drop, I tell my tackle to short set the defensive end and invite him to beat him to the inside.

Every defensive coach tells his defensive end on a short set to beat the tackle to the inside. The help guard has the “slug call” (Diagram #19). He gets his

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Boudreau #19 Slug Call $

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Diagram #19. Slug Call

inside hand on the 1 technique defender to help the center; however, he is looking outside. If any color shows from the outside, he is attacking that color.

The offensive tackle has anything from the defensive end working to the outside and coming up the middle on a bull rush. Anything that breaks to the inside, the guard handles. You cannot do it every time. You must change it up to keep the defensive off balance.

Everyone in here has run the shovel pass at one time or the other. The pulling guard on the shovel pass comes down the line of scrimmage and keys the defensive end. If the end works upfield, he turns inside. If the end stays on the line of scrimmage or comes inside, the guard traps the defensive end. The quarterback sprints out with the ball, draws the defensive end, and shovels the ball back inside to the receiver coming behind the line of scrimmage.

The guard reads the defensive end and turns up or traps him. That is what we tell the fullback on this play. Everyone else run the outside zone. The outside zone to the tight end is called “key.” The outside zone to the weakside is called “ring.” If we run the outside zone with no tight ends, we call it “lock.”

On this play, the offensive line is shoving the defense to the outside. Everyone is moving the linebackers with their angles. The fullback runs to the backside of the play and reads the defensive end. The running back comes over and reads the frontside A gap, backside A gap, B gap, and C gap.

On the backside, the guard wants to target the inside shoe of the 3 technique defender (Diagram #20). He wants his second step with his right foot going to that target and pushing in that direction. The offensive tackle to that side comes down and gets his head across the 3 technique defender to keep him from splitting the double-team with the guard up to the linebacker. The more the 3 technique tries to split the double-team, the bigger the hole becomes backside.

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Boudreau #20 Backside Blocking

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Diagram #20. Backside Blocking

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On the misdirection zone play, we block the outside zone play (Diagram #21). In the diagram, we align in a two-tight-end set. Everyone is blocking outside zone to the right. The fullback reads the defensive end playing in a head-up position on the tight end to the right side. If the defensive end comes up the field and plays the bootleg by the quarterback, the fullback wraps inside and blocks the linebacker. If the defensive end stays on the line of scrimmage or closes inside, the fullback traps him. We tell the fullback that if he cannot wrap inside for the linebacker, he should turn inside and swab out the hole.

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Boudreau #21 Misdirection Zone $

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Diagram #21. Misdirection ZoneIn the NFL, defenses have one front they play

when the offense aligns in an unbalanced line. When we ran unbalanced, we knew what we were going to get. We tell the running back to align at seven and a half yards. But it all depends on the speed of the tailback. They must be patient runners on this play.

We tell the quarterback and the receiver to the side of the naked, they are running the naked bootleg play. We tell the wide receiver to take an outside release and run an 18-yard comeback route. We tell the quarterback he is running a naked bootleg, and they must sell the play. We tell our receiver if he did not sell the naked bootleg, we were going to have him block the defensive end. He had a choice.

We can add some variations to the play that makes it more effective, and it holds some defensive players. This is key with a fake reverse instead of the naked (Diagram #22). The reverse fake serves the same purpose as the naked fake. It holds the secondary players.

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Boudreau #22 Key-Reverse Fake $

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Diagram #22. Key—Fake ReverseIf we run lock with no tight end, we have some

things to think about (Diagram #23). In the diagram, we run this from a bunch set right. The defense is in a 3-4 alignment. The backside tackle has a 4 technique aligned on him with the linebacker stacked behind him. With no tight end, we have two defenders we are not going to block. If the 4 technique tackle goes outside, the backside tackle goes up on the stacked linebacker. However, if the 4 technique slants inside, the tackle washes him to the inside. The inside slot in the bunch is the fullback on this play.

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Boudreau #23 Bunch Set Lock ....

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Diagram #23. Lock/MotionThe fullback comes in motion and is the backside

blocker. His is either going to block the inside linebacker or the outside linebacker. The outside linebacker aligned as a defender in the bunch set. Unless he closes hard on a blitz, the fullback will block the inside linebacker.

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Teams have seen the play and have started to play it as a backside play. When they do that, we take the ball to the frontside.

Defenses do not always honor the quarterback on the naked play. However, they almost always honor the speed sweep play. We can use the speed sweep as a fake play as we did with the reverse and run the misdirection zone play.

Guys, I appreciate your attention. Thank you very much.

ABOUT THE AUTHORPaul T. Boudreau, a veteran of 28 seasons of coaching offensive linemen in the NFL, begins his fourth season of his second stint with the Rams in 2015.

In 2013, St. Louis averaged 21.8 points per game, the club’s highest point total since 2006. The team’s offensive line had a great impact on the team’s play. Running back Zac Stacy rushed for 973 yards, third most by a rookie in team history. Over the last 11 games, only six NFL backs rushed for more yards than Stacy. In the passing game, the Rams allowed 36 sacks in 2014, the eighth lowest total in the NFL.

Prior to joining Jeff Fisher’s staff in 2012, Boudreau spent four seasons as the offensive line coach with the Atlanta Falcons. In both 2010 and 2011, the Falcons finished in the top 10 in the NFL in points scored, including a fifth place finish en route to a 2010 NFC South championship. Boudreau’s linemen helped the team total the second fewest sacks allowed per play in a single season with just one per 21.1 pass plays in 2009. His line’s strong play also enabled the Falcons’ offense to amass 330 first downs that year, the second-most ever in a season.

With Boudreau’s adept coaching, the offensive line allowed quarterback Matt Ryan to throw for 2,916 yards with a career-best 22 touchdown passes in 2009. Running back Michael Turner scored 10 rushing touchdowns, and wide receiver Roddy White topped 1,100 receiving yards with over 80 catches for the third consecutive season for the first time in team history with the aid of Boudreau’s charges.

In 2008, Boudreau’s unit opened holes for the NFL’s second-ranked rushing offense (152.7 yards per game). Turner ranked second in the NFL in rushing (1,699 yards), marking the third-highest

rushing total in Falcons’ history, en route to his first Pro Bowl. Boudreau’s line also assisted in Turner scoring a franchise-high 17 times and passing the 200-yard plateau on two occasions.

Boudreau’s offensive line also protected NFL Rookie of the Year quarterback Matt Ryan so that he could throw for 3,440 yards with 16 touchdowns. Ryan’s production could be credited to the fact that Boudreau’s offensive line allowed a franchise-low of 17 sacks, surpassing the previous mark of 25 (1982). The 17 sacks on 434 pass attempts were equivalent to allowing one sack per every 25.5 plays, which also set a new franchise mark. With the help of Boudreau’s linemen, the Falcons recorded a franchise-high 5,779 total net yards and the fifth-highest rushing total in club history (2,443 yards).

Boudreau’s stellar offensive lines over the years have helped pave the way for five running backs to top the 10,000-yard career rushing mark, including Barry Sanders, Curtis Martin, Thurman Thomas, Fred Taylor, and Steven Jackson.

From 2006 to 2007, Boudreau served as the offensive line coach for the Rams. In 2007, Rams running back Steven Jackson tallied his second consecutive 1,000-yard season behind Boudreau’s offensive line. In 2006, Jackson gained a career-high 1,528 rushing yards while nine different players started on the offensive line.

Prior to joining the Rams, Boudreau was the offensive line coach for three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2003-2005). In 2003, the Jacksonville offensive line set a franchise record by allowing only 28 sacks (tied for ninth in the NFL). Running back Fred Taylor also rushed for a team-record 1,572 yards. Boudreau tutored the Carolina Panthers offensive line from 2001 to 2002 and saw the team set a club record by allowing only 31 sacks in 2001. From 1999 to 2000, he served in the same capacity for the Miami Dolphins.

From 1997 to 1998, Boudreau coached the offensive line for the New England Patriots, following a three-year stint with the Detroit Lions guiding the same unit. His first position in the NFL came in New Orleans from 1987 to 1993. In his seven seasons with the Saints, Boudreau’s line placed in the top three in fewest sacks allowed on four occasions. In 1992, the Saints allowed a league-low 15 sacks.

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Thank you. It is good to be back at the C.O.O.L. Clinic. I am going to do some things a little differently than I have done it in the past. I am going to try my best to not make the topic so broad and still get more specific with things I want to talk about. I have walked out of here in the past and felt I did not do the things I set out to do.

This is a great business we are in, and you have done so many great things. You need to pass it on and keep teaching young guys and helping players. I need to give back because I am the luckiest guy in the world. I got a telephone call late at night and was offered a job as a line coach. I did not know anything. I had not worked on a staff and had no experience. However, I had a reputation of being a good school teacher.

That is how it all started. I cannot tell you how many people that I have helped, pulled in, pushed along, and kept helping. You owe it to each other to keep doing the things you are doing. It improves our business and helps society. We have the best kids there are in football. Outside of the quarterback, we have the smartest players in football. In the offensive line, we must play and function together as a team.

The offensive line is a great place to learn the tools of teaching. I continue to try to get the message out and work with other publications and videos.

I am going to start with teaching the principles of the wide zone. I am not trying to talk you into doing anything that I talk about. You must do what is best for you in your situation. If you have a running quarterback, this may not be what you need. However, you can file it away or study it to the place where you may need it someday.

If you get to the point where you do not want the quarterback to run with the ball, this may be what you can use. In the NFL, they will never go to an offense that features the running quarterback. He is so valuable to the team that they cannot take the chance of him getting hurt. We cannot allow people to have free shots on the quarterback.

The only time the quarterback is a particular part of the NFL running game is with the play-action pass. Before I get into the topic, let me say this: The game of football has not changed as far as basics. The game is still about getting the second step on the ground and striking the defender with the hands and hat. The faster the lineman can get his second step down and strike the defender with his hands and hat, the better he is going to be.

It does not matter what drills you do or what type of equipment you have. If you cannot take that principle and put it into your offensive linemen, you are not going to be successful. What I am going to do is tie together the back and offensive line in teaching you the principles of the wide zone.

The thing that makes this so complex is the offenses want to be one- and two-back schemes. The problem is to have a fullback or do not have a fullback. If I have a fullback the defense will add another linebacker. If I do not have a fullback, they may not add another linebacker, but they may, and we have to figure out where he is playing.

Do not assume that if you have three wide receivers and a one-back system that the defense is going to change and match up to you. They will not play the entire game like that, but they will have the ability to do it. If they want to stop your ass, they will stop you.

Alex Gibbs

INSIDE AND OUTSIDE ZONE, BOOTLEG, AND THOUGHTS ON THE POWER PLAY

NFL Alumni

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In the NFL today, the best running teams without a doubt are Dallas, Seattle, Baltimore, Houston, and New England. Dallas is the best wide zone team in the league. They have the best running back and the best line coach. They run the best wide zone I have ever seen. Last year, they did a phenomenal job and were fantastic.

Seattle has a hammer. They take that hammer and run him at you with the wide zone until you stop it. They are good at it, know what to do with it, and they tie all the pieces together. Baltimore got Gary Kubiak from Houston and became one of the five best teams in running the ball as it relates to the categories I am going to talk about. Houston had all the elements in place to be a great running team.

The last of the best running teams in the NFL is New England. They are the best wide zone, short yardage, goal line team I have ever seen in the NFL. That takes in a lot of years. They will take the ball and run it right at your butt. If you do not stop them, they will run it up your butt. They do it out of one- or two-back sets. In short yardage and goal line, there is no one close to them. The naked bootleg and the wide zone go hand in hand.

I stole a lot of the outside zone scheme from Jim McNally when he had Ickey Woods here in Cincinnati. He could run the wide zone play. He ran it a little wider than I believe in. He was about a yard outside the tight end. He tore this league up for a couple of seasons, and then it caught up to his body like it does to so many in this league.

I am going to run the wide zone play because it makes sense to me. If I run the tight zone, the defense will squeeze from both sides. I want to run where the defense is not. As I got to the phase and ran it more and more, I realized there was one defender I could always turn loose and not block. I did not have to account for the defensive end away from the wide zone. That gave the back a better chance to take the ball back into the mesh or bounce it to the edge.

I had to learn the landmarks of the play and how to run it with one or two backs. I had to learn how to get a tight end to be a blocker. If I had a fullback in the two-back set, I had to have one that would go block linebackers. He was the extra offensive lineman in the backfield.

You must remember that a one-back set will not always mean a six-man box, and a two-back set does not always mean a seven-man box. You must have the ability to adapt to those situations. You must be able to get out of the play when you are outnumbered.

I am going to start with the landmarks in the one-back set. I assume that everyone running this offense is in a 2x2 or 3x1 set. In both those sets, we have a tight end. If you have a quarterback in the shotgun set, it does not change anything I am going to talk about. From the shotgun, the landmarks may be a little wider, but I will talk about that later.

When we first started to run this play, everything was set to go to the strongside first. As time went on, we began to see most of the wide zone teams run more to the weakside than to the strongside. That was especially true with the 3x1 set becoming so popular.

I do not know how the field fits into your agenda because the pro field is different from the college setup. If that is a part of your factor, you will have to figure all that in. I am not smart enough to do that. I simply know if there are three receivers to one side and one to the other, then I know where they are and what I can do.

I always want the ability to take the play and run it the other way. I want to run the ball where I have the best chance of being successful. I am not a big fan of checking from run to pass, but I like moving from one side of the formation to the other.

As I start to set the play up in my mind, I would run the weakside of the 3x1 set and move to the strongside. I would do that because if the defense was going to bring a secondary blitz, it would come from the three-receiver side. They are not going to blitz from the single-receiver side without showing it quickly.

In a 2x2 set, I would run the play to the tight end side. The blitz will come from the field. I can always check it to the field side if I read someone in the secondary coming down to the tight end. If the secondary is cheating someone down to the tight end side, I know there is no blitz coming from the weakside.

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I want to talk about landmarks and combinations. I want to talk about the tight end side to begin with. I will show you four different scenarios for the defense. The first defense is the 3-4 front (Diagram #1). It is the old 50 front look. There is a potential for the backside 5 technique to shift into a 3 technique and the linebacker stepping outside.

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Gibbs #1 3-4

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Diagram #1. 3-4The second front is a standard 4-3 front with

3 and 1 technique tackles and 5 and 6 technique defensive ends (Diagram #2). There are three linebackers in the set.

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Gibbs #2 4-3

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Diagram #2. 4-3The third front is the under 4-3 (Diagram #3). The

Sam linebacker moves onto the line of scrimmage and the defensive line shifts to the weakside of the defense.

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Gibbs #3 Under 4-3

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Diagram #3. Under 4-3The last front is the bear look (Diagram #4).

In that front, there is a 0 technique and two 3 technique defenders.

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Gibbs #4 Bear ^

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Diagram #4. Bear

Those are the fronts we see, and I have to figure out how to run the wide zone into those fronts with no lead blocker. I have to learn how to work my combinations. I have to come to the line of scrimmage and know whether the combinations are on the frontside of the play or the backside.

On every play, there is a call made. The center starts it out by declaring the Mike linebacker. That declaration used to be for the protection scheme. It is no longer only for protection, but for the run also. The declaration is not always the linebacker in the middle of the defense. Sometimes the designation of the Mike linebacker is the linebacker into the weakside of the defense.

If we are in a 2x2 formation, the Mike linebacker is sitting to the weakside in this particular front (Diagram #5). Before we run the play, I must establish the landmarks to the frontside and the backside. I have a call between those two combinations that I must tie together with the run.

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Gibbs #5 Designation Weak ^

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Diagram #5. Linebacker Designation WeakWith the wide zone play, we must run the

tight zone. If the defense is a fast flow defense, the tight zone gives you a cutback play. If they are a hang read team, as most NFL teams are, it is a completely different operation.

If I am going to the tight end side against a 3-4 team, the guard makes a call (Diagram #6). He is going to combination block with the tackle on the 5 technique defender and the inside linebacker. The tight end is by himself on the

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Gibbs #6 Wide Zone

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Diagram #6. Wide Zone vs. 3-4 Slip

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outside linebacker. The center declared the Mike linebacker to the strongside but he is working in combination with the weakside guard on the nose and backside linebacker. The backside tackle works into the backside B gap as a cutoff block.

The guard and center make a call. The guard makes his call, and the playside tackle repeats the call. The center repeats that call, and that tells the backside guard what scheme he uses. I have been so many places where the terminology changes for each of these calls. That is the first thing you must do. You must get a set of rules that describe each of the combinations.

When we call our plays, we call an eight play as to the right and nine play to the left. When we make the designation, it does not matter if there is a tight end to that side. Eight is the wide play to the right, and nine is the wide play to the left.

For the sake of this lecture, the guard-tackle combination block is slip. When the tight end hears “slip,” he knows he is by himself with no help. With no help, the blocker wants to keep his backside arm free to lock off any inside move by the defender. The tackle on this play knows the guard is working the slip block with him. That means he does not worry about an inside move by the defender. He does not use his inside hand to keep the defender from going inside.

The guard takes a flat step to the line of scrimmage with his first step. He cannot step back off the line of scrimmage. If he does that, people begin to step on him. He may trip the quarterback. His aiming point is the helmet of the player he is going to. He has to take three steps before he knows where he is going to block. The playside tackle and guard let the 5 technique defender tell them where they are going to block.

The running back’s aiming point is the butt of the tight end (Diagram #7). If there is no tight end to the weakside of the formation, he still aims at the imaginary butt of a tight end. The steps of the running back match the steps of the guard. When he takes his third step, he should know what the read path is. He is going so fast to that seam that he must take two more steps before he can cut into the hole or bounce the ball to the outside. He takes

five steps to reach his cut point, but at the end of three steps, he knows where he is going.

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Diagram #7. Running Back’s StepsIn this defense, the tackle’s target is the

outside shoulder pad of the defender over him. His back hand comes inside with a punch into the belly of the defender as he moves toward his target. If the defender hangs, the offensive tackle drives him outside. If the defender pinches to the inside, he gets his inside hand on his outside shoulder pad and pushes him inside. That allows the guard to overlap and pick up the pinching tackle. The tackle gets his hand on him to hold off the penetration. He climbs up to the linebacker.

All great linebackers are coached to run underneath the block of the tackle. They are athletic, faster, and quicker than the tackle. The tackle cannot let the linebacker run under his block. He makes the linebacker run over the top of the block.

When the running back sees the pinch of the defender, he knows he is going to bounce the ball outside. When he bounces to the outside, he runs off the block of the tight end. The tight end gets his outside hand on the outside shoulder pad of the linebacker. We coach him to lock the inside hand on the inside jersey of the linebacker.

The outside linebacker is coached to take the blocker on a run block and shed him to the outside and fall back inside on the ballcarrier. That is where the inside lock comes into play. The tight end cannot let the linebacker fall back to the inside on the ballcarrier.

If the defender hangs on the tackle’s block, on the third step, the guard shoves the defender onto the block of the tackle. The tackle’s technique now

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becomes like the tight end. When the guard shoves the defender onto the tackle’s block, the tackle grabs with his inside hand onto the defender. That keeps the defender from shedding the tackle to the outside and falling back inside.

If the 5 technique defender works outside or hangs on the offensive tackle, the playside guard’s block is the linebacker. He has to understand that all good linebackers run underneath the blocks of the guard. He cannot allow the linebacker to come under his block. He must make him run over the top of his block.

The next defensive scheme covers the guard (Diagram #8). We can call the combination between the tackle and tight end “combo.” There is no difference between the techniques of the slip combination and the combo combination except it is between two different players. The tight end’s target is the outside shoulder pad of the defensive end. The tackle’s technique is the same as the guard’s on the slip technique. We coach the same techniques to the tackle and tight end in regard to footwork and targets.

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Gibbs #8 Wide Zone - 4-3 Combo ....

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Diagram #8. Wide Zone vs. 4-3 ComboIn pro football, we play with six or seven

offensive linemen on the roster. That means that all the offensive linemen learn the techniques of the combination blocks. That allows the left tackle to play the right guard position if needed. Most of our linemen can play every position on the offensive line, including the center position.

The center and playside guard run a gap combination. The techniques are the same for the covered offensive blocker and the uncovered blocker. The center steps flat to the line of scrimmage and reads the 3 technique defender. If he hangs or moves outside, his block is the linebacker. If the 3 technique pinches to the inside, he overlaps the guard and blocks him. The guard applies the techniques for the covered offensive lineman. His

target is the outside shoulder pad and the rest of the techniques are the same.

The teaching for all the combinations involving the center, guard, and tackle is the same. You have covered offensive linemen and uncovered offensive linemen. They apply the rules and technique for each position. I have not talked about the backside yet, but I will get to that. I have a couple of things that caused me problems in the beginning.

One of the problems is the 4i technique for the offensive tackle. The outside shoulder is now inside of him. Which foot does he step with? He cannot step with his outside foot. He steps with the inside foot. Everyone is this league plays a 4i technique to the tight end side because they want the offense to cutback into a 4i technique. You cannot cut back into a 4i technique. However, the blocking scheme does not change because the footwork changes.

The tackle steps with his inside foot and builds a wall off the 4i technique (Diagram #9). The guard steps flat at the helmet of the 4i defender. However, he is almost in the gap, and the guard cannot allow him to split the block of the tackle and his overlap. The center becomes a part of the backside combination. He works to the playside linebacker. He wants to force the playside linebacker to work over the top to the outside. His job is to block the backside linebacker.

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Gibbs #9 Wide Zone Vs. 4 ....

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Diagram #9. Wide Zone vs. 4i TechniqueThe backside guard is going to cut the nose

tackle (Diagram #10). He is basically going to pull and clip the nose tackle. The tackle will ride the center as he goes to the playside linebacker. The backside guard trails the nose and cuts him somewhere around in the playside A gap. The backside tackle comes inside and blocks the first defender in that gap. He uses a technique similar to the center on the playside linebacker. He comes down at the backside linebacker and turns back to cut off the pursuit. It could be the 4i defender, the safety rolling down, or some other defender coming from the backside.

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Gibbs #10 Backside Cut !

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Diagram #10. Backside BlockingTo the backside, we have an A, B, and C call. The A

call is what is shown in the backside blocking diagram. The B call is the technique the backside guard used to cut off the nose tackle. When the guard is covered, the tackle cuts the defender covering the guard. There will never be a C call unless there is a tight end to that side. In each case, the end defender on the line of scrimmage is unblocked.

We can run the wide zone to the weakside (Diagram #11). With the guard and center covered, we get two calls. The guard calls a gap, which brings the center into the playside combination block. The playside tackle is by himself on the block and uses the technique for the single block. He targets the outside shoulder pad, but locks the inside hand on the defender to prevent him from coming inside. The backside guard uses an A call, pulls, and clips the nose tackle. The backside tackle has a B call, and the tight end has the C call. They block those gaps for any defender.

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Gibbs #11 Wide Zone Weak

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Diagram #11. Wide Zone WeakThe gap combination is a hard block because the

center has so far to go. He flat-steps and aims at the defender’s helmet. The technique is the same as the other side.

In my opinion, the greatest equalizer in pro football is the matchup of the left tackle and defensive end. That explains why the weak zone play is the best play in the NFL running game. The defensive player that plays the right defensive end position is an All-Pro pass rusher. If you play 16

games, that player will be the best player on the defense. He is the guy that is making more money than anyone on your line with the exception of your left tackle.

That is why everyone in the NFL wants a great left tackle. I am going to run the ball at that player. On second- and third-and-long, he is going to be what they pay him for. He is coming up the field and rushing the passer. All game long, I want to run the ball at him and beat him up. I want to play physical with him and beat the crap out of him. We coach our offensive tackle to put his head on the outside shoulder and drive him straight down the field.

If the defensive end comes under the block, the running back bounces the ball to the outside. If the end stays outside, the offensive tackle takes him outside and the running back goes inside. The most important thing to do is beat him up. We want to do that to him every play he is in the game. In the fourth quarter, we want that defensive end slowed down.

One of the biggest problems we had in the wide zone play was the shade nose when we tried to run toward a 3 technique defender. When we first started running this play, we doubled the 3 technique defender with the guard and center and single-blocked the shade defender in the backside A gap. That was a nightmare. When the center stepped flat to the 3 technique, the shade defender had a field day.

My solution to that problem became a personnel decision (Diagram #12). I took my best guard and used him to single block. If he was on the shade side, the center blocked back and he folded around the center for the Mike linebacker, which turned out to be a cut block most of the time. If he was on the 3 technique side, he single-blocked on the 3 technique. The center and weaker guard combination blocked on the shade nose up to the linebacker.

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Gibbs #12 Shade Nose

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Diagram #12. Shade Nose

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I am going to stop right here and talk about the two-back wide zone play. If I am going to run a wide zone weak, the fullback is offset to the weakside (Diagram #13). We have two different ways to use the combination blocks. We can use a gap combination with the center and left guard and single block the 5 technique defender. Or, we can single-block on the 3 technique defender and use a combination by the center and backside guard for the nose tackle and Mike linebacker. If the backside guard cuts the nose tackle, the backside tackle uses a B call and blocks the Mike linebacker.

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Gibbs #13 Wide Zone Weak 2-Backs $

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Diagram #13. Two-Back Wide Zone WeakWhen you run the wide zone to the tight end,

there are three or four systems in the NFL that are in play. In theory, we can run the wide zone into an eight-man front with the strong safety down because we have an extra blocker.

The only thing we do differently now that we did not do 12 to 15 years ago is the position of the fullback. We would never be in an I formation if the defense aligned with a linebacker in a 9 technique and a strong safety down in the box behind him. We would always move the fullback to an offset position to the tight end.

All a great running back needs is a crease. We put the fullback in the offset position and ran the wide zone with the tight end and fullback in combination for the outside linebacker and the strong safety (Diagram #14). If the linebacker played outside or hung on the tight end, the fullback went through to the strong safety. If the linebacker crashed inside, the fullback blocked him, the tight end went up on the strong safety, and we bounced the play.

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Gibbs #14 Fullback/TE Combo !

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Diagram #14. Fullback/Tight End ComboToday, we run the wide zone from the I formation

(Diagram #15). That presents more problems for the defense. For teams that play a four-man front principle, this presents a problem for them. You arc the tight end, and he blocks the strong safety. The fullback comes through and blocks the Sam linebacker. The tackle reaches out to the defensive end, and the back cuts off his block.

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Gibbs #15 Wide Zone 2 Back TE $

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Diagram #15. Wide Zone StrongThe problem the defense has is the release of

the tight end. They do not know if it is run or pass.

You can complicate what the defense sees if you use motion. If we slot the tight end and bring him in motion to the opposite side, the defense has to move when we move. That puts the 3 technique and shade defender in a bind to move. They more than likely end up with the shade tackle in the 3 technique alignment. When you do this, the calls are the same, the techniques are the same, and the teaching points are all the same. The running back is still taking three steps to make him decision and making his cut at five steps.

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There are some things that must be communicated at the line. It always came late in the play. If the linebacker walked up on the line of scrimmage, we had to go back to the base play, and it had to be communicated. However, it put more on the defense to make the proper adjustments.

When I worked on the sidelines, if the play made five yards, the coaches did not get after anyone. We all shut up. If he was in my group and made the wrong read, when he came off the field, it was my job to tell him. I do not want anyone else going to him and chewing his ass when he made five yards.

We coached the fullback if he could not get through on the frontside to find a hole and run backside and to block the first thing that showed (Diagram #16). If the shade defender follows the center into the playside, the backside guard washes him to the playside of the play. The fullback instead of working outside goes backside through the big hole created by the pursuit of the shade defender and blocks whatever shows. The running back follows him and has a big cutback lane.

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Gibbs #16 Fullback Backside $

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Diagram #16. Wide Zone CutbackOn every one of the wide zone plays I showed

you today, the quarterback is handing the ball off and faking a bootleg. They do not like to do it, but they do. I tell the quarterbacks to hand the ball off, sprint two steps away from the action of the play, and tell me what their eyes saw. If there is one defender on the quarterback, we do not need to think about the bootleg.

Sometimes we protect the quarterback differently than other people. I think in this formation, we were way ahead of many people

(Diagram #17). We kept the tight end to the backside of the play. He was the checkdown for the quarterback. He delayed released to the inside. If the quarterback pulled up behind the tackle, he stopped his pattern and was the checkdown throw. If the quarterback continued to run to the outside, he ran to the outside slightly behind the quarterback to give him an easy throw. We had other patterns on the outside, but that is another story for the people that coach that position.

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Gibbs #17 Bootleg $

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Diagram #17. BootlegThe line protection was simple and fit every

formation we ran. You never knew what formation the bootleg was going to come. The playside tackle had the first man on the line of scrimmage. The playside guard had the #2 defender on the line of scrimmage.

The center made sure that no one came between him and the guard. They went all out and were aggressively blocking those defenders without going downfield. The backside blockers went inside and picked up any leakage or zone dogs that were coming to the bootleg side.

Most of the quarterbacks in the NFL are not running quarterbacks. They are nifty, smart, and can throw the ball, but they are not runners. However, throws in the bootleg have about a 75 percent completion rate.

In the two-back set, the defense can scheme to take away the weakside zone play by rolling the strong safety down into the box (Diagram #18). He became the Will linebacker. The Will linebacker bumped over and became the A gap linebacker, and the Mike linebacker bumped over and became the B gap linebacker.

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Gibbs #18 Roll Check $

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Diagram #18. Safety RollWe ran the play to the tight end. The center gave

a gap call, and he blocked with the playside guard. The gap call told the tackle he was alone on his block. The tight end blocked the outside linebacker and the fullback blocked the Mike linebacker, who was now the strong safety.

I want to get to the tight zone play. I run the tight zone one time to every five wide zone plays. If you look at the statistics of the tight and wide zone, the wide zone statistics are so much better. The biggest key to any running game is no negative plays. Offensive coordinators complain that we cannot run the ball, but they can throw 14 balls and catch three, and that is all right with them. You must run the ball, particularly in the third and fourth quarters.

The thing you want to do is get the back into the second level of the defense. If he is talented, he will make some big plays for you. I tell the running backs to get something positive. It does not matter how many they get as long as it is positive. When they get the chance, it will be a long one. I want them to run the ball hard every play. If they need to come out, they tap their hat. They must complete every play they are in during the game.

We have to teach the tight and wide zone differently (Diagram #19). The landmarks are different, and the combinations that I just talked about go out the window. The back opens up to the playside, plants at the inside leg of the playside tackle, and gets square to the line of scrimmage. After that, he runs to daylight. Eighty percent of

the backs will run the tight zone behind the center. This play is going backside. It is a one-step system, and the landmarks change from outside shoulder to outside eye.

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Gibbs #19 Tight Zone $

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Diagram #19. Tight ZoneThe guard takes one step toward the helmet

of the defender and turns straight up the field. The ball is going backside and not outside. The backside tackle on a 14-tight zone is at the point of attack. I do not like the play, but you must run it to run the outside zone, and the play-action pass off the tight zone weak is the best there is.

The schematics of the tight zone are built for the ball to go opposite of the callside (Diagram #20). The landmarks are outside eye and the footwork is one step playside and straight up the field because the ball is coming back. You have to block it that way, and it is one of the hardest things in coaching to do.

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Gibbs #20 Tight Zone Blocking ....

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Diagram #20. Tight Zone BlockingYou have to steal as much practice time as you

can get to coach the tight zone. We come early, or we beg out of stretching. If I have the offensive line for 25 minutes, I must have the tight end for at least five minutes. We have a tackle/tight end drill

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that has to be all running and nothing to do with pass protection. While that is happening, I have at least two more drills going on. I will use anyone on the field to run a drill. I will use the water boy or managers, but I want to have as many drills as I can in a 25-minute time frame.

I have the drills in five-minute segments, and I want no talking going on. I do not want someone taking up time talking. I want as many hits as I can get.

I have a list on my wall of every drill I have ever used. Every technique has a drill. I have three groups going on different things I need to cover. What we did not do right in the game, we cover during that time. In the drills, I alternate run with pass drills. That sharpens their mind concepts if they have to change their techniques from run to pass.

I am tired of people telling me I do not like the power play. I want to go into every game with a power play. When you play teams that run nothing but power, the defensive end learns how to play the double-team block. When the offensive guard and tackle fires on the 3 technique defender, he drops to one knee, splits the seam, turns his shoulders, and starts to drive outside.

If you take the power play and mix it with the wide zone out of one or two backs, the defensive end cannot play that type of technique. The plays go together and confuse the defensive end as to how to play. If he buries at the line of scrimmage and the play is the wide zone play, he is out of the play.

If you have a fullback, you can use him to kick out on some plays and lead on others (Diagram #21). Sometimes the guard kicks out and the fullback turns up. The two plays go together. The 3 technique

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Gibbs #21 Power $

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Diagram #21. Power

does not know what he is getting because the blocking looks the same to him.

I wanted to leave some time at the end for a few questions. Sometimes I rumble and bumble so much that you did not get what I was talking about. Do you have a clear picture of landmarks and steps?

There are times when we need help on the backside with the wide zone. In short yardage, we need some help on cutting off the backside end. In short yardage, defenses like to pinch the backside end to the ball. At times, we need to bring a wide receiver in motion to keep him from catching the play.

This happens in the four-minute offense. Teams that are behind and trying to get the ball back will squeeze from the outsides. You need the extra blocker to keep the edges clean.

The bear defense will outnumber you to the tight end side (Diagram #22). They have one more defender than we have blockers. The wide zone weak is the play we would run against this front. The rules are the same. We use the gap scheme with the guard and center on the weakside 3 technique and an A call to the backside.

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Gibbs #22 Bear Weak Zone $

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Diagram #22. Wide Zone Weak vs. BearIf we ran the tight zone against the bear, we

slip block with the backside guard and tackle (Diagram #23). They are running a combination for the backside 3 technique and linebacker. The center blocks the nose, and the playside guard blocks the 3 technique. They take one step to the playside and straight up the field. The fullback blocks the playside linebacker. The running back takes the ball to the playside and bends it back to the backside. He is running on the backside of the center’s block on the nose tackle.

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Gibbs #23 Tight Zone Vs. Bear $

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Diagram #23. Tight Zone vs. BearThe question is: when do you teach the guard

to climb to the linebacker? When the guard starts out to the slip block, he reads the defender. If the defender is not coming toward him, he gets ready to push him on the tackle’s block. When he sees he is not coming down, he gets his eyes on the linebacker to see what his reaction is. Most linebackers are agile and physical. We do not want them blitzing the line of scrimmage and the guard to not know it.

We have made adjustments to our calls. If the offensive lineman is going to change his footwork, he has a call to do that. If his blocking assignment is on his inside instead of his outside, he will step with his inside foot. If he does that, he gives a bounce call, which tells the other blocker he is going to bounce outside with his footwork. He steps with his inside foot, and the defender causes him to move outside somewhat.

If the defender grabs the slip blocker and will not let him go, we stay on the double-team block and knock him into the linebacker. If the 7 technique defender grabs the tight end, the tight end and tackle continue to drive him off the ball. The tackle cannot allow the linebacker to run through the C gap. As long as the linebacker does not attack the line of scrimmage, they continue to drive him off the ball.

In your offense, you must have a call to take care of a double A gap blitz by the linebacker. If the down defenders are in 3 techniques and both inside linebacker threaten the A gap, you must have a call to block it. You do not know whether they are coming or not; however, you must protect the inside gaps going strong or weak. They will pull out of the bluff as much as they come, but you must protect those gaps.

The combination blocks are off, and we go to a standard blocking scheme that will block the A gaps. If we are going right, the center has the right

A gap and the left guard has the backside A gap. The right guard reaches on the 3 technique, and the backside tackle comes down on the backside 3 technique. If the linebackers do not come, the center and backside guard climb to the second level and block linebackers.

I have enjoyed this, and thank you very much.

ABOUT THE AUTHORAlex Gibbs, the godfather of the modern zone blocking scheme, is a retired offensive line coach with 44 years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and professional levels. During his NFL career, he worked with the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, and Seattle Seahawks. His college coaching career included stints at Duke, Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio State, Auburn, and Georgia.

The renowned offensive line guru joined the Denver Broncos in 1984 as the team’s offensive line coach. He left following the 1987 season to join the Los Angeles Raiders staff, then toured the AFC West with the Raiders (1988-89), San Diego Chargers (1990-91), and Kansas City Chiefs (1993-94). During his time with the Chargers, the team was among the league leaders in rushing in 1990, and in 1991 they led the NFL with 4.8 yards per carry and finished second with 2,248 rushing yards.

In 1995, Gibbs became the assistant head coach of the Denver Broncos, in charge of the offensive line. Over the next nine years, the offensive line blasted open holes for a quartet of 1,000-yard rushers, beginning with Terrell Davis in 1995 and continuing with Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, and Clinton Portis. During Gibbs’ tenure, the Broncos won two straight Super Bowls (1997 and 1998).

In 2004, Gibbs left the Broncos to serve as assistant head coach/offensive line coach with the Atlanta Falcons, where he stayed for three seasons. During that time, Atlanta led the NFL in rushing with more than 8,100 yards, and the Falcons were the only team over that three-year period to average more than five yards per carry.

Most recently, Gibbs served as an offensive line consultant with the Broncos during the 2013 season.

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First, I want to thank a few people. As Bob said, I have sat in your seats and attended this clinic for many years. I still enjoy coming back to visit. I sat in here this morning, and I learned a few things from the speakers.

There are certain guys in this room that I have learned from over my career. They are here today, including Jim McNally and Bob Wylie. Also, I want to include coaches Tony Wise and Mike Maser, who have retired. Those coaches went out of their way to help me when I was younger and just coming up in the coaching ranks. I would go to clinics where they spoke to learn from them. I would go up to them and grab them and ask them questions. I know I was a pain in the ass to Jim and Bob because I asked them questions all of the time.

For a lot of us, our coaching tree goes back to Jim McNally. To me, he was one of the coaches that always gave back to the coaching profession. My first job was as a GA at the University of Albany. My second job was as a part-time coach at the University of Pennsylvania in 1989. Dick Maloney was our offensive coordinator and our offensive line coach at Penn.

He took me to visit with the Cincinnati Bengals, where Jim McNally was the offensive line coach. At that time, we met over in the Bengal complex with about 15 other coaches. That is where the C.O.O.L. Clinic started. Now you can see how the C.O.O.L. Clinic has grown. In my opinion, this is the best offensive line clinic in the country. I tried to follow Jim and Bob where they were speaking so I could pick up a few things.

It is an honor for me today to be here to give back to the game in the things we do. They are the

things I try to teach our guys. It is a privilege to speak here, and I want to thank Jim, Bob, and Paul Alexander for having me on this clinic.

When coaches come to this C.O.O.L. Clinic, they are getting a lot of information. A lot of things may not pertain to exactly what you do. The way I always looked at coming to a clinic is like this: When I listen to a coach speak, I could not use everything the coach discussed, but if I could get one or two points that I felt would help in what we teach and believe in, it was worth my time to attend that clinic and listen to a certain coach lecture. There is no way you can take all of the information you are getting at this clinic and be able to utilize everything covered in the lectures. If you can get a couple of things out of the clinic, it will be worth your time.

The four college coaches that spoke last night did one hell of a job in their presentation. Hopefully, I will be able to give you one or two points that will help you in your coaching situation.

I am happy with the topic I am speaking on today. Prior lectures related to some type of zone blocking concepts. I am going to label my lecture a gap scheme concept. Our offensive coordinator, Pep Hamilton, came from Stanford, and they believed in the gap scheme. Stanford has not changed their gap scheme.

We have moved things around somewhat since the beginning of the season. As the season progresses, your personnel changes. At one time, you have all of your players and you can do more with the schemes. After a few games, you get players banged up and injured, and it can limit what you are doing with your different schemes. Your personnel changes as the year goes by.

Joe Gilbert

WEAKSIDE COUNTER PLAY (WRAP) AND THE DRILLS TO TEACH IT

Indianapolis Colts

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The topic I want to cover today is our split side counter play. It is a two-back scheme. We run it with 12 personnel, with two tight ends. Our second back is not a fullback. He is a tight end. We can also run it out of a true 11 personnel set, with one back and one tight end in the formation.

For those of you that use the spread game, I think you can take this and use it, regardless of whether you use one back, two backs, or two tight ends in your offense. You can use it in multiple personnel groupings. To start with, I am going to talk through some of the techniques we use.

I am going to go through some things I prepared for this clinic. Then I want to cover some of the drills we have used. I will cover the drills and then give you some samples from the videos. To end this session, I will show some game footage that covers our techniques used in the drills.

This is our wrap (96–97) play. It is our weakside counter play. It is a play we run away from the tight end. The concept is that we are going to leave two defenders for the two pullers. We leave one defender at the line of scrimmage and the first linebacker for the pulling linemen to pick up on the open side.

The first point I want to cover is our high leg technique. It is a part of our double-team block. The way we teach our double-team block is a concept I truly believe in for a couple of reasons. First of all, everyone talks about the 3 techniques we face in a game. In my opinion, we are not going to blow a defender off the ball anymore. That is a tough situation. Those 3 techniques are very good. They get paid a lot of money for what they do. It is harder than hell to move them.

Bob Wylie made a comment earlier about the fact the body has not changed in over 200,000 years. The body only bends the one way, and that is sideways. If the body bends anywhere else, it tears the hell out of the body. That is the way the knees get blown out. But you do bend at the waist sideways.

If you can attack the double-team with this in mind, it will help you. When the defender comes off the ball and his focus is straight ahead on the offensive guard, he is vulnerable at the hips. If we can hit the defender at his hips, we can displace him. That is our concept, and that is what I believe in. That is what we believe in as an offensive staff.

This is where this is stemming from, so you can understand where I am coming from.

We are going to look for displacement on the 3 technique. The other thing on the high leg technique is this: For the uncovered offensive lineman that is coming down to help on the double-team, when he works through a gap with the high leg technique, it allows him to get to the second level with his shoulders square.

I used to coach the old angle drive technique, where the uncovered blocker stepped down toward the man he is going to double-team. We tried to blow the crap out of the defender. The shoulders and hips of the blocker were in the opposite direction, of the linebacker coming over the top.

What we are trying to accomplish with the high leg is to take a small, short step on the first step. I want the knee inside the foot. One thing we talk about that is universal is leverage. We talk about leverage and power angles in our body. I never want to take a step where the knee is going to rotate outside of the foot alignment.

On the high leg, we take a short step up and inside. We try to be creative in how we can get this technique taught. We teach it a couple of different ways. We do the drill on a Crowther sled, we do it on air, and we do the drill on boards. Then, we get into a fit position and work on the short step.

With the power leg, there are a couple of things you need to be aware of. The uncovered blocker at times will over stride and he rolls his knee over and outside of his foot.

We want to emphasize our backside power leg. I want to make sure when we high leg that we are bringing the back leg with us. The uncovered blocker has a tendency to hit with the near shoulder and extending, but not bringing his back leg with him as he makes contact on the double-team block. This is where you get stuck on the block. If you do not bring the back leg with you as you make contact, it limits the amount of power in the hip area of the defender you are working against on the double-team.

As we step, we want our feet to come with the body as we make contact. The other point is this: We want to make contact with the same leg and the same shoulder at the same time. We want to

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move into the block with the same arm, shoulder, and leg, and we want to knock the crap out of the defender. We want to make contact on his hip so we can displace him to the offensive guard.

The other key to the high leg technique is this: We want our shoulders square to the second level. It is great if you can get movement. If the uncovered blocker comes down inside under control, and the defender spikes inside, the blocker can continue vertical with his shoulders square and get to the second level and block the linebacker.

If the 3 technique spikes inside, we do not want the uncovered blocker to cross over and then take a third step just to get his hips and shoulders square to get to the linebacker. There are multiple concepts here why the high leg technique works.

We do not want to take a back step. We want to gain some ground as we step forward.

The next part of the double-team block is with the covered blocker. It is what we call the “jab pop.” I will cover the problems we have had with this technique.

This is a gap scheme. If I am the right guard and I am covered, the right tackle is to my outside coming down on a high leg on a 3 technique defender. The guard takes two very short steps into the 3 technique. We do not want the guard to take a back step. We talk about leverage. We want the knee inside the foot alignment.

The first step is a jab step. It is a very short step. We want the knee inside the foot with the weight on the instep. The second step is a bang. We call it “jab and pop.” That second step is down fast. It is down toward the crotch.

The tackle with the high leg is still protecting the guard in the B gap. The tackle is working the double-team from the guard to the Will linebacker. If the 3 technique comes inside, the guard can take him down inside to the A gap.

The thing we do not want to do is this: For any blocker that is covered, we tell them “Don’t chase the double-team.” The 3 technique defender fakes an inside move, and then steps to the outside in the B gap. We do not want the guard to chase the 3 technique outside. When he does that, they are out

of phase, and out of their gaps. All of a sudden, the linebacker shoots the gap, and the blockers do not come off the double-team.

We can still give the 3 technique body presence with the guard by keeping the shoulders square. His eyes still are focused through his gap to the linebacker he is working through. He is working vertical up the field, or to wherever he has to go. If something else comes into the A gap, he will collect it.

PULLSToday I am only going to talk about our flat pulls for our open side counter play. The big coaching point is to make sure our weight is distributed correctly in our hips when we are in our stance.

If I am the right guard and I am going to pull to my left for a kick-out, I want to make sure the weight is on my right hip, my hamstring, and the instep of the right foot. I want to be able to drive off that right foot. I have never gotten into throwing the elbow as the pull is made.

The two big points I stress with our guys is to make sure they gain a little ground as they move on that first step, and to get the hips open so on the second step they are crossing over. I do not stress pulling the arm and all of that.

We work on the drill with a cone in front of the puller. As they take that first step, I do not want to see them take a back step on that first movement and crossover. If they take a back step, it means they have to take two steps and they do not go anywhere.

As we take that first step, we want to focus on the end man on the line of scrimmage. Our path to this play is into the line of scrimmage. Into the line of scrimmage. It is not a flat pull. I am not coming flat down the line of scrimmage. It is an angle into the line of scrimmage. I want to make sure if we have a double-team block on that frontside, I want to make sure I am coming in a path that is off the hips of the double-team and into the line of scrimmage.

On that block, we talk about kicking out at all costs. We want to try like hell to kick out on the block. If I take a really good track, and the defender uses a wrong-arm technique, I should be able to kick him outside.