The main idea of the scheme is that you want to get the linemen pursuing laterally, and use their momentum against them. Also, you need to be good at cut-blocking on the backside, to open up cut-back lanes. (Note: A proper cut-block is aimed at the thighs of the man being blocked, NOT his knees. Most football writers don’t understand this.)

What often gives a zone scheme trouble is when the D-linemen set their mind to occupying the offensive linemen, and preventing them from moving laterally, like the scheme dictates. Really, the Broncos have often struggled to run the ball against 3-4 schemes with large linemen. The bright side, though, is that if defensive linemen are programmed not to pursue, you can get a lot done with play action and bootleg stuff. It gets to be a matter of picking your poison.

The key to success of the zone scheme in running the ball, is getting blockers to the second level, and hitting linebackers with good timing. If you can do that, and you can get the big DTs moving laterally and/or cut them to the ground frequently, you can gash a defense repeatedly.

Part of a zone scheme is forcing the defense to maintain their responsibility, the trouble with bigger DT or NT is not being able to disengage or get movement on the lineman. When we played Baltimore they were very good at holding our lineman and allowing Ray Lewis to run free and make plays, it comes down to technique, usally what will happen is the C and G will double team a bigger lineman and get movement, then one or both will disengage and attack the second level, thereby allowing a hole or lane for the RB, either on the front side if the lineman doesn’t move or on the backside if there is over pursuit. The RB is still expected to make a good cut and go and make one man miss. So to answer your question, FSU needs to force BC to play the entire fied and maintain their repsonsibilities, if they can cut or get movement on the bigger DT, then they should be fine, if they can’t get to the LB or the edge, then that would favor BC.

Lighter more athletic linemen that move in unison, like a dance number. They use proper angles to compensate for the size difference and all pull one way or the other. The back side of the play/line will then try to “cut” or take the defensive player to the ground, so if the lane the back is trying to run into is clogged, he can cut back and have daylight.

give you the X’s and O’s, he has a ton of knowledge.

does it ever seem like Zone blocking produces more of a “feast or famine” distribution than a man scheme?

See here for the link. I do not think you will have too much difficulty with the size disadvantage.

Shouldn’t it be easy to run bootlegs out of the zone block scheme?