Death to BOB, or, how blocking should work

[Sven Draconian]

There has been a lot of talk about Madden blocking logic. The logic in itself isn't broken, in fact, it does what it's supposed to do. It assigns a lineman to a lineman (usually).

The issue isn't broken logic, the issue is that nobody in the NFL runs a scheme like that. When Jimmy Johnson brought the (modern) 4-3 defense to the NFL it ended Big on Big (BOB) blocked running games.

Along with the 4-3 defense, your modern defense provides the offense with innumerable looks during a game. They change alignments as late as possible and move people all over place. A play-caller can't accurate predict an alignment, so he couldn't possibly call a play with man-blocking principles.

The solution to this is area blocking. Instead of a person, lineman are assigned a gap to block. If you listen to a broadcast, announcers like to call this "zone" blocking, but that is too broad. Really, there are a few different schemes.

You have Gap blocking (also known as Down blocking).
You have the inside zone.
You have the outside zone.
You have the stretch.

Those 4 "schemes" are really the bulk of the NFL running game. From the Steelers to the Colts, Lions, Bengals, Browns or anyone else, that's what they run. They call them in a different ratios, they have slightly different rules, but that's the rushing game. Throw in a draw, maybe a pitch sweep.

Plays like "Lead," "Dive," "Belly," "WHAM," don't really exist. The "dive" and "iso" is the inside zone. "off-tackle"..."lead"..."blast" ect are the outside zone. Stetch is stretch (but, incorrectly blocked).

The "Power-O" play and all the counter plays are really gap schemes.

For example, all two-back formations should have: Power, Counter Trey, Inside Zone, Outside Zone, Stretch.

Singleback? The only thing you can't run is the "Power" play. You have Inside Zone, Counter Trey, Outside Zone and Stretch.

Next I'll explain each scheme.

[Sven Draconian]

To preface this next section I'll say this: You can't have it perfect in a video game. While there are no universal rules for "zone" running, a game can't possibly re-create all the different options a real team can have.

Certainly some things may be different than what I have, but my goal is to present something simple and practical to a video game.

Lets start with the Gap scheme:

This is the "power" play of the NFL.
Every offensive lineman will block their inside GAP (thus the name). Somebody (a fullback or H back) will kick out the end. The backside guard will lead through the hole. This is the "Power O" play in Madden. Let's draw it up.

.......w....m.....s
...e.....n......t.......e
....T..G..C..G..T..TE
............q..........
............F

The TE blocks his inside gap. If the Sam linebacker (S) blitzes, he blocks him. If the end (e) slants inside, he blocks him. If the tackle (t) slants, he blocks him. If the mike (m) blitzes, he blocks him. If nobody runs into his gap, he stays on his path and eventually blocks a linebacker (Usually "M")

Let's look at the tackle. He has a player, the tackle (t) in his gap. If he stays in that gap, he blocks him. If the tackle slants away, he leaves him alone. He stays in that gap.

The guard. He has to protect his inside gap. If he has a player lined up on his nose (such as the tackle "t") he wants to block him. However, his first job is to protect his inside gap. If the mike "m", sam "s", or will "w" or even the nose "n" threaten his inside gap, he has to block him.

The center. His inside gap is really backside. The nose is in his backside gap "n". If he stays there, he blocks him. If the nose slants away, he doesn't block him, because he's blocking his gap.

The backside guard. He pulls and leads inside the kickout block.

The backside tackle protects his inside gap. If the will blitzes, he blocks him. If the end "e" slants, he blocks him.If nobody goes in his gap, he stays on his course to a linebacker.

The fullback is looking to block the first man outside of the TE's block.

Lets look at a different offensive formation.


T..G..C..G..T..TE
........Q..............TE (H)
.......HB

Alright, there's no FB, but now there is an H back. What changes? Nothing, except the "H" back becomes the fullback. He'll motion into position so he can kickout the end.

Lets look at another.

T..G..C..G..T.......WR
........Q............WR....WR
.......HB..................

Here we have the tight bunch (think Steelers). No FB, so how do you run the power? Have that inside WR do it, he motions and kicks.


What about the counter, isnt' that different?

Nope. The only that changes is who kicks out and who pulls. Lets draw a formation.

T..G..C..G..T..TE
........Q...........
........F.
........HB

We're going to run our counter to the weak side, but we want it too look just like the power play.

Since we going to the weakside, the tackle and guard are going to protect their inside gap. The center is blocking back.

The backside guard, instead of pulling and leading, pulls and kicks the first man outside of the tackles block. The tackle protects his inside gap.

Since the guard is pulling and kicking out, somebody has to lead through the hole. Now the TE does it.

The fullback is faking the power, so he is going to block the TE"s gap for him.

The halfback fakes the power, and runs the counter away.

What NFL coaches love about the gap scheme is that you can come out in any alignment and the gap schemes blocks everyone. It doesn't matter who blitzes, it doesn't matter if anyone slants, everybody is protecting their inside gap.

Next up: Inside zone.

[rocknroll1968]

Seriously great writeup. If EA or anyone else is going to make an accurate football sim, knowing stuff like this is key. These are the fundamentals of football. If the developers at EA really are passionate about football (which I doubt they really are) they would find a way to get closer to replicating these schemes. And this kind of detail carries far beyond blocking. What about route running? Coverage? And how about coaching adjustments? The real x's and o's that make football work.

[KBLover]

This is awesome. I love reading about this stuff, the innards of football.

[CreatineKasey]

Much respect. This is a great read.

[Sven Draconian]

Lets look at the inside zone.

When run out of the I-formation, the Inside zone (IZ) should look like the ISO. It's an inside run (between the tackles), and the FB usually leads.

Both the FB and RB react to the block of the guard. Their path is at the outside hip of the guard. If that path is clear, they run into it and the FB looks for a LB to block. If the path path isn't clear (the defensive player is winning) they cut back.

It can also be run with the FB getting the ball (dive look), or, as a dive from a singleback look. Lets draw it up against a 4-3.

....w......m.....s
e......n.....t........e
T...G...C..G..T..TE
..........Q...........
..........F..............
..........H

The easiest way to put this in should be a track scheme. This should work nearly identical to a gap scheme, but almost like it's in reverse.

Let's say we want to run IZ to the right (strong side). Everyone would attack at roughly a 45 degree angle to the right. You stay on your track, block whatever you find on it.

TE: 45 degree angle. If the end "e" stays there, you block him. If he slants or stunts, you leave him.

T: 45 degree angle. The sam "s" in on the path, but if the end "e", mike "m" or tackle "t" stant/slant/blitz into your path, take him.

G: 45 degree angle. The tackle is on that path, but if he leaves you take whoever runs into it.

***C: 45 degree angle. If the mike blitz's, you take him.If he doesn't, just find whatever runs into your path.

G: The nose is on your path, if he stunts, you leave him.

T: Head down your path, find whatever is in your way.

Now, what about a heads-up defender? For example, a 3-4.

T......N......T...
T..G..C..G..T..TE

You block your path! If your the center that nose tackle is right in your path (unless he slants) so you block him. He's also in the path of the backside guard. Now we have a double team/combo block.

What about the backside end, nobody blocked him?

There are two things an offense does to take care of him.
1) Bootleg fake.
2) Split flow.

The bootleg is just that. QB fakes a rollout, if the end doesn't honor the fake, then you call the bootleg.

Split flow changes the job of the fullback, or H back. Instead of leading through the hole, the fullback blocks back on that end. Now you have a lot of movement to the right, the linebackers should flow right, but now you get what looks like a kickout left. Sounds (and looks) very similar to a gap scheme doesn't it? This opens up big cutback runs.

Now, everyone has seen this play and formation.

T..G..C..G..T..TE
........Q.............TE (H)
.......HB...

You run inside zone right, but now the LB's are flowing hard and you want to run split flow to use the cutback lane. You aren't using a FB, so the "H" back kicks that end instead.

Next time, the QB keeps it, you have everyone running zone right, but the H back running his split flow look. He's running behind the line, and the QB dumps it too him.

Edit: Forgot to draw up the tight bunch.

T..G..C..G..T.........WR
........Q..............WR...WR
........H

Inside receiver on the bunch *coughHinesWardcough* performs the role of the H-back/FB type.

And, of course, you can run it out of the shotgun.


***Center should really block back and double the nose (open the cutback lane), but this opens up a whole can of worms. As such, it might be easier to change the angle of their path so that it encompasses anyone aligned on them. But I don't want to get hung up on that point.

[Sven Draconian]

I'd like to again reiterate that there are other ways to run these plays (in fact, most likely, better ways). However, a video game can't replicate the 20 different ways to run the power play.

It certainly can't replicate all the different ways to run zone. A good zone team might have 3 different schemes and a lot of different tags to break the keys of the defense. But a video game can't process that, the rules need to be simple and uniform.

[Sven Draconian]

Outside Zone and Stretch:

These last two are similar, and relatively simple so they can easily be combined. We'll look at the Outside Zone first.

The outside zone is what I'll refer to as the classic zone (think Denver Broncos). There are two things that make it really different from the inside zone:
1) It goes one player wider (RB aims at outside hip of tackle rather than the guard).
2) You cut the backside lineman.

Let'd draw it:
....w......m.....s
e......n.....t........e
T...G...C..G..T..TE
..........Q...........
..........F..............
..........H

All the lineman take the same 45 degree path as they do with the inside zone (KISS, keep it simple, stupid).

However, remember the issue with the center during the inside zone? How he really is supposed to double that nose? Not an issue with the outside zone, because that guard is going to cut him.

That backside tackle is going to cut the will (w).

The center is going to try and cut the mike (m).

If anyone blitzes their path, they cut.

Lets look at what that does:

Here we have our ball carrier (and lead blocker, or, if it's shotgun, no lead blocker) going on a more horizontal pattern. The IZ is pretty north/south, but since we are heading fairly wide now the linebackers really have to east and west to be in position.

The ball carrier is watching his path. If it's open (IE, the guard wins his block and nobody stunts) you have an off-tackle run. If the guard doesn't win, look at the cutback lane.

The nose is laying on the ground. The guard has inside leverage on the tackle (t). The center has leverage on the mike (m). The backs simply cutback. If the backside tackle got the will, great, your free into the secondary. If he didn't, the FB tries to get him.

Heres your "One-cut" running play that announcers go on and on about. The back reads his path. If it's open, he goes, if it's closed, he bends it back.

If he tries to bend it back when his path is open, then maybe that tackle (t) stunted inside and is waiting for him. That's why you read the block, react to the block, and go.

That backside end isn't in position to make the play if it's going wider, so we don't have to block him. Either he turns and runs down the line (and we run the bootleg), or he'll never get to it.

**Sidenote: College fans, heres the zone read. You just read the backside end instead of running a bootleg**

The Stretch

Still a zone look. But now the back is going really wide, to the TE's outside hip. The goal is to get OUTSIDE of the end.

Now, you have the backside tackle, backside guard, center AND playside guard try and cut. The tackle and TE still zone at 45 degrees. The back is reading his path. Can I get outside the TE, or is the end coming up field?

If the end comes up field, plant and cut. if the TE is beating that end, you have the edge..****N.

Now you don't really need to bootleg, the end should never catch your running back, so you can have the QB drop deep and fake a PA pass (or, fake a bubble screen to freeze the LBs).