Offensive Line Blocking Schemes

[TFBaum]

Would someone enlighten me as to the differences between trap blocking schemes and zone blocking schemes. As I remember the Steelers in the 70's use trap blocking and was very successful and I am not sure how much trap blocking is used today. Thanks in advance.

 

[Parkview57]

Trap blocking schemes generally involving blocking down (or inside) on the playside and puling an offensive lineman from the backside to trap or block the defensive lineman. Two advantages are that the playside lineman get the angle on their defender and you may be able to double team at the point of attack, and the trap can be an easy way to open up a hole if the defender is "getting upfield" to rush the passer as they want to do in today's game.

In zone blocking offensive lineman are generally stepping to their outside making the defensive lineman to their outside to react by stepping with them. At the point of attack you can get double teams on the lineman but as the linebackers flows to fill , the appropriate offensive line from the double team slides off and blocks the filling linebacker. OL stepping to the outside creates a stretch of the gaps and as the linebacker tries to read the back's path and fill it creates holes, the back initially steps to the point of attack and then is free to bang it through the hole, bounce to open areas in the outside or cutback as the linebacker pursues to the backs initial path. It is sorta like building a moving wall to one side and allowing the back to flow and then cut when a hole is created.

The backside end needs to be blocked by another back or read as in "zone read". The backside end is free because the Oline wall is moving away from him, so if he goes hard inside after the back the qb can read and keep it and run where the end vacated, or you can block the backside end in some way with another back /receiver to keep him from coming down hard on the back.

The good thing abut zone blocking is that the rules can be really simple and you can easily run it out of a one back four wide receiver set.

 

[pittdan77]

Trap blocking schemes generally involving blocking down (or inside) on the playside and puling an offensive lineman from the backside to trap or block the defensive lineman. Two advantages are that the playside lineman get the angle on their defender and you may be able to double team at the point of attack, and the trap can be an easy way to open up a hole if the defender is "getting upfield" to rush the passer as they want to do in today's game.

In zone blocking offensive lineman are generally stepping to their outside making the defensive lineman to their outside to react by stepping with them. At the point of attack you can get double teams on the lineman but as the linebackers flows to fill , the appropriate offensive line from the double team slides off and blocks the filling linebacker. OL stepping to the outside creates a stretch of the gaps and as the linebacker tries to read the back's path and fill it creates holes, the back initially steps to the point of attack and then is free to bang it through the hole, bounce to open areas in the outside or cutback as the linebacker pursues to the backs initial path. It is sorta like building a moving wall to one side and allowing the back to flow and then cut when a hole is created.

The backside end needs to be blocked by another back or read as in "zone read". The backside end is free because the Oline wall is moving away from him, so if he goes hard inside after the back the qb can read and keep it and run where the end vacated, or you can block the backside end in some way with another back /receiver to keep him from coming down hard on the back.

The good thing abut zone blocking is that the rules can be really simple and you can easily run it out of a one back four wide receiver set.

Zone blocking is similar to out-running the defense to an area. The RB cuts back if he sees that the defense is over running the OL. Trap blocking is what @Parkview57 said but it is usually about misdirection and getting more people at the point of attack to outnumber the defense. Trap can also be useful if you have to deal with a stud DL-man to keep him "honest" in his reads.

 

[Cap pitt]

What ever type of blocking the Pitt OL does, they better do it better then they have been, run or pass

 

[jrnPitt]

Trap blocking schemes generally involving blocking down (or inside) on the playside and puling an offensive lineman from the backside to trap or block the defensive lineman. Two advantages are that the playside lineman get the angle on their defender and you may be able to double team at the point of attack, and the trap can be an easy way to open up a hole if the defender is "getting upfield" to rush the passer as they want to do in today's game.

In zone blocking offensive lineman are generally stepping to their outside making the defensive lineman to their outside to react by stepping with them. At the point of attack you can get double teams on the lineman but as the linebackers flows to fill , the appropriate offensive line from the double team slides off and blocks the filling linebacker. OL stepping to the outside creates a stretch of the gaps and as the linebacker tries to read the back's path and fill it creates holes, the back initially steps to the point of attack and then is free to bang it through the hole, bounce to open areas in the outside or cutback as the linebacker pursues to the backs initial path. It is sorta like building a moving wall to one side and allowing the back to flow and then cut when a hole is created.

The backside end needs to be blocked by another back or read as in "zone read". The backside end is free because the Oline wall is moving away from him, so if he goes hard inside after the back the qb can read and keep it and run where the end vacated, or you can block the backside end in some way with another back /receiver to keep him from coming down hard on the back.

The good thing abut zone blocking is that the rules can be really simple and you can easily run it out of a one back four wide receiver set.

That's exactly why it worked for Pitt two years ago when they also had two good sized backs that could run quite well. But it also resulted in some very dismal pass blocking as most of the bigs we started up front were only comfortable at zone blocking.

 

[pittdan77]

That's exactly why it worked for Pitt two years ago when they also had two good sized backs that could run quite well. But it also resulted in some very dismal pass blocking as most of the bigs we started up front were only comfortable at zone blocking.

And why a couple struggled mightily in the pros. There aren't many "perfect" blockers that can do both pass blocking and run blocking very well. You can call plays that help your line. When you don't have a balanced attack, it makes it harder on everyone.

 

[steelcurtain55.]

Why would any run blocking scheme effect it's pass blocking ability? That literally makes no sense.

There are 2 main blocking schemes - zone and gap. Traps are a version of gap schemes leaving a 1st level defender unblocked. I can't remember us running any traditional traps consistently since polite was here. We might run some counter trey over the years but that gap scheme with the guard kicking and the tackle wrapping.

You can run gap scheme with 1 back just as easily you can zone.

None of this has any effect on pass pro..

 

[Parkview57]

I can't remember us running any traditional traps consistently since polite was here.

I am not sure why trapping has gone away so much. My completely off the wall guess is with all of the film and information the defense has today , they read the LOS so quickly that it has made the pure trap less effective, particularly in the NFL and as usual following suite in D1.

Trap blocking is what @Parkview57 said but it is usually about misdirection

I still believe it is easier to trap out of two backs because of an ability to hold backers a split second with misdirection as you are often relying on washing Linebackers down. Plus if you get different front/stunt that covers adjacent OLmen you can fill with the misdirected back. You can trap with one back but beyond the A gap you need to account for the hole created by the pulling lineman or the defense will catch it from behind if for example the Center can't block back.

 

[TempleBAPittMPA]

I am not sure why trapping has gone away so much. My completely off the wall guess is with all of the film and information the defense has today , they read the LOS so quickly that it has made the pure trap less effective, particularly in the NFL and as usual following suite in D1.

As I recall from back when I played (OK, I didn't play beyond high school, but that doesn't invalidate the observation), traps were a very effective way of using defensive linemen's aggressiveness against them. With more read-and-react defensive schemes, traps have become less effective.

 

[chirurgo]

This is a great thread and an excellent answer by Parkview59. I miss the pulling guard and pulling tackle blocking schemes. I think the major factor is the speed of the defensive linemen now vs then. You could get away with pulling a guard and outrun the DT but with the DT getting off the ball faster and more stunts coming from linebackers and tackles, this has largely eliminated the efficacy of traps, especially since the fullback has disappeared. OL are simply not athletic enough to overcome the defensive fronts anymore in single set back.

I can’t say that there is much of a correlation between run blocking and pass blocking. It is much harder to pass protect though. You are a sitting duck trying to contain rather than getting off the ball and driving. 2 totally different concepts and skillsets.

 

[HopeandChangeforAntoons]

I still believe it is easier to trap out of two backs because of an ability to hold backers a split second with misdirection as you are often relying on washing Linebackers down. Plus if you get different front/stunt that covers adjacent OLmen you can fill with the misdirected back. You can trap with one back but beyond the A gap you need to account for the hole created by the pulling lineman or the defense will catch it from behind if for example the Center can't block back.

Plenty of spread teams run trap read out of single back sets. Urban used it OSU, Kelly did it at Oregon, Clemson does it too.

 

[pittdan77]

This is a great thread and an excellent answer by Parkview59. I miss the pulling guard and pulling tackle blocking schemes. I think the major factor is the speed of the defensive linemen now vs then. You could get away with pulling a guard and outrun the DT but with the DT getting off the ball faster and more stunts coming from linebackers and tackles, this has largely eliminated the efficacy of traps, especially since the fullback has disappeared. OL are simply not athletic enough to overcome the defensive fronts anymore in single set back.

I can’t say that there is much of a correlation between run blocking and pass blocking. It is much harder to pass protect though. You are a sitting duck trying to contain rather than getting off the ball and driving. 2 totally different concepts and skillsets.

Don’t be surprised if linemen get a little smaller and faster to keep up with the unbelievable speed of defensive players.

 

[jrnPitt]

Don’t be surprised if linemen get a little smaller and faster to keep up with the unbelievable speed of defensive players.

Sounds good until the smaller OLmen get bulldozed over when their much bigger and stronger opponent DLmen steam roll them on the snap.

 

[Parkview57]

Plenty of spread teams run trap read out of single back sets. Urban used it OSU, Kelly did it at Oregon, Clemson does it too.

Yes, a running threat at qb makes a one rb set into a two back set which helps.

 

[TFBaum]

First thank you everyone for the explanation.

 

[pittdan77]

Sounds good until the smaller OLmen get bulldozed over when their much bigger and stronger opponent DLmen steam roll them on the snap.

Aaron Donald can do it. He's smaller than everyone he plays against. It's not as simple as size.

 

[steelcurtain55.]

generally speaking, "speed" doesn't effect the trap game. If anything, it helps. The same can be said for teams blitzing. What kills the trap game is teams that have disciplined DL who squeeze their shaded man and refuse to give up a free lunch to the LB. You will always spill the ball to the unblocked defender in doing so and nullifying the play.

 

[steelcurtain55.]

Watch last year's Super Bowl and how the Patriots slowed down Aaron Donald. You'll see a ton of old school technique and scheme. I've said it for years, if you block Aaron with traditional zone schemes, he's just going to beat you like a drum. Make him think by the scheme and technique you employ. I saw old school cross shoulder blocks on his hips, that I bet he hasn't seen since HS.

 

[pittdan77]

Watch last year's Super Bowl and how the Patriots slowed down Aaron Donald. You'll see a ton of old school technique and scheme. I've said it for years, if you block Aaron with traditional zone schemes, he's just going to beat you like a drum. Make him think by the scheme and technique you employ. I saw old school cross shoulder blocks on his hips, that I bet he hasn't seen since HS.

Offensive coordinators draw up all kinds of craziness to trick defenses but rarely bother at the point of attack. They just expect their O-line to make the blocks. Usually the best you can hope for is that someone upstairs notices a tendency and calls a freaking veer. But almost nobody runs with a FB anymore.