O-Line Blocking Scheme

It seems the Offensive Line has had some difficulty implementing zone blocking. Would you rather see personnel trained/acquired so the zone blocking scheme can be implemented, or go to a more traditional, one-on-one, hat-on-a-hat, style of O-Line blocking?

I actually don't care, either way. I just want the organization to dedicate itself to getting the proper personnel to execute the chosen scheme. I believe we have such a talented RB core that as long as there is some effective blocking, then we will see positive production, in the ground attack.

However, I am interested in seeing what the zone blocking scheme looks like when executed efficiently, and consistently.

Thoughts?

 

We just need better players on the OL. We are too small/weak on the guard positions. We need an athletic big man guard.

 

True. Because Kemo-therapy CLEARLY is not curing what ails the O-Line.

 

Agreed. What we need is more talent. Foster is big and strong, but a horrendous athlete. Legursky is more athletic, but a lot smaller and sort of mediocre all around. Kemo is huge and has a proportionally slow body, and a disproportionally slow mind, and is STILL not very strong. I don't know what he does with all that size, but he sure doesn't use it to get a push in the run game.

Personally, I'd rather go with the athletic type, to get to the second level better and be better in pass protection. But I'd settle for some big ol' chubbs if they were actually strong enough to get a push, and at least light-ish on their feet.

 

Funny you should mention this. For some time now I've thought the following about our OL:

Guards, especially legursky, were too small & slow.
Tackles (all of them) were too fat, slow & out of shape. I mean have you taken a close look at Essex?
Center, talking mostly Pouncey - is he way undersized to be taking on a 380 lb nose tackle or is it my imagination? He looks like he's maybe 250 tops, dripping wet in full uniform. All Pro status aside, he looked small this year and didn't play nearly as well as in his rookie season. Is he the right size to be a dominant center?

I see other teams linemen and most look tough, mean, nasty, and muscular. All our guys, with the possible exception of Pouncey, look fat, slow, and out of shape. There's barely a muscle in the bunch. I mean have Kemo stand next to Steve Hutchinson and you'll get my drift. I realize many players came into camp after the lockout out of shape, but this problem pre-dates this past season. Do we perhaps have a conditioning coach whose not paying enough attention to our boys on the line? Also look at all the injuries we had on the line this season - seemed as though someone was going down all the time. Kugler looks to be in good shape and has a muscular build; wonder why he doesn't expect the same from his players? Just an observation, so I could be wrong.

 

Pouncey is tiny compared to the rest of our guys, but I think he's around 300, and 6'4". He might not look big or strong enough to take on the big-a** nose tackles of the world, but he is. He's the best blocker we've got, and most equipped to handle the big boys. So much for size. He's also crazy fast. He didn't time very well at the combine, but I've done the first half of the first game, and there's one play where he gets out to block for Hines on one of those quick screens. He looks like Jimmy Graham. He literally outran the ILB McClain in a dead sprint to the sideline. I already knew he was quick and fast and athletic, but just that one play really impressed me.

 

Snack, he may be listed at 300, but I would bet you a happy meal he's closer to 265. He looked small to me in his rookie season but I figured that was because he was so young; wasn't he like 20 when we drafted him? I figured he would get big in the off season and come to camp looking like a well paid 2nd year pro. But he looked even smaller. Hey, if I can gain 20 or 30 lbs in a year (or less), why can't we get the same from him?

 

Ha, I thought he was listed at 310, so I took 10 off. I might go as low as 290 or 285, but remember everyone standing next to him is listed at 330 and on the opposite end of the spectrum, where their weight is listed on the low end. Kemo is probably like 360, Foster 340, Starks ??? ...Plus, those other guys, with all due respect, are tub-balls, and Pouncey is more muscle, which is heavier, and less fat.

In any case, it's hard not to be thrilled with him. He did slump a little this season, but he was hurt on and off, had no help, no consistency around him. A Center with ever-changing Guards is like a QB with ever-changing receivers. It doesn't help that those Guards stink. I think year three will be his best yet. He will start out healthy as a clam. If he can stay that way, he'll be a beast all year.

 

Draft Cordy Glenn in the 1st round.

 

You mean fat Albert? NO!

 

I admit I haven't done my research on Glenn yet, but I do get nervous about guys that big in the first round. Aaron Gibson, Mike Williams, Duke Robinson (who actually went in the 6th, but was mocked to us in the 1st). There's just so much potential for bust. Iupati was huge, but he was freakishly athletic. He could move that belly he had on him. They say Glenn's athletic for his size, but I'm skeptical.

 

He is a very large guy. He seems to have decent feet but not overly quick overall. I would also be worried about his weight and his durability. He seems to be fat and soft and we already have more than our fair share of fat and soft guys. He doesn't seem to have the strength I'd expect for a guy his size. Long arms on the guy though. He played some G and T in these clips against Boise St and he seemed to be getting pushed around more than he should. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dthFeAS70I

 

I admit I haven't done my research on Glenn yet, but I do get nervous about guys that big in the first round. Aaron Gibson, Mike Williams, Duke Robinson (who actually went in the 6th, but was mocked to us in the 1st). There's just so much potential for bust. Iupati was huge, but he was freakishly athletic. He could move that belly he had on him. They say Glenn's athletic for his size, but I'm skeptical.[/quote]
He is a very large guy. He seems to have decent feet but not overly quick overall. I would also be worried about his weight and his durability. He seems to be fat and soft and we already have more than our fair share of fat and soft guys. He doesn't seem to have the strength I'd expect for a guy his size. He played some G and T in these clips against Boise St and he seemed to be getting pushed around more than he should. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dthFeAS70I[/quote]

This should be the title and subject of its own thread! No more fatties please Colbert!

 

Pouncey was apparently really sick all year, flu or something? It might have contributed to his weight loss because he did look really small compared to even last year.

Even so he shouldn't have to take NT's by himself we need some stud guards yo help him.

I don't know if Zone blocking is better than man (I am assuming it is better), but I think we have been running zone blocking for a long time now, and I think BA's play calling has kind of hung the offensive line out to dry a bit. All deep routes and no one in the backfield to block doesn't make it very easy.

 

If not Cordy, then I don't think there will be any guard worth taking in the 1st round for us. Maybe we take Mark Barron, S from Bama?

 

We need athletic people on the OL that are mean,play mean
and can move. Yea Its nice to have 6'5" 325 people on the line
but if they can't move and can't block run or pass then its time to get rid of them.

 

Here are the offical 2010 combine measurements for Pouncey. With combine results there is no fudging the numbers for weight, and this only be 2 years ago, I think it is pretty safe to assume he is going around the 300 pound mark. Now if he was sick this year maybe he lost some weight, but I doubt he lost 30-40 pounds.



Height Weight Arms Hands 40 Yd 225 Vert Jump 20s 60s
Maurkice Pouncey C Florida 6044 304 32 1/2 10 5.23 DNP DNP 7'11 4.92 DNP

 

Hmmmm that didn't come out the way the preview showed .... anyway Height = 6'4 Weight 304

 

alot of the reason i like kelemete. he's strong and athletic. at 6-3 he played LT. i think he's got some of that pouncey ability in him from watching him play. putting these two together inside could really bring a quickness factor to the middle of the line. another reason i like joe looney too. i could see these 3 as our new interior threesome. they are strong compact and mobile. their ability to hit multiple moving targets on any given play would help all aspects of the game. especially when ben gets running around back there, i'd rather these quicker guys have the shot at picking up rushers going in all directions to help him out. right now after the initial blocks, our big guys turn and watch ben do it on his own. these guys would be much better with their mobility to continue to help him out.

 

Why didn't he do the bench? I don't remember him being hurt at any point.

Maybe he just didn't perform well on it and didn't want to lower his stock? I would believe it. He runs faster than he timed. He plays very strong. Maybe he plays stronger than he measures.

 

First of all, Kemo, Foster, and Essex are all fat guys who are not good in a zone blocking scheme. Kemo is the guy who they used to pull to his right on Arians famous play where the RB runs opposite of Kemo's block when he pulls, the RB would follow Kemo's block and go the opposite way of kemo's block. Now in a zone blocking scheme you must get a double team with the center and the guard, then they get movement on the NT or T and then they look for the LB off the double team and where ever the LB shows up the Guard or the Center takes him on the next level. Pouncey is the perfect center for that scheme but our guards are not.

Our guards and tackles are all big guys who needs to lock up with the nearest thing to them. Legursky is also perfect for the zone scheme because he is small and athletic enough to get to the next level. All of the rest of our O-linemen are not. Thats why there should have been a power blocking scheme like they had during the Bettis years. BA had the stupidest formations especially that one back formation with Parker and Mendenhall running out of it. He got Parker broke up with it and Mendenhall was a dancer always afraid to run up in the hole because there was always a linemen or LB waiting on him in the hole.

It was a terrible scheme. Good riddance Arians!!!

 

I believe the official reason given was the he was recovering from a shoulder injury. Bench pressing is hard on the shoulders. But, I think he was so clearly the best center option that he just passed and let his skill drills speak for themselves. Why injury and/or bad performance if you don't have to (his brother didn't lift either). I agree that the measurable really don't apply to him (actual now that draftees train for the tests, they really are not very good indictors any more). It is his short distance speed (burst) and the explosive hand pop coupled with excellent body position (leverage), that makes him so exceptional (IMHO). All of this is not captured well in the tests.

 

the first thing that stood out to me was his ability to make multiple blocks on any given play. sometimes he block 3 guys on a run play. they are not pancakes, but chip blocks, which are long enough to get the rb through the hole. thats mobility and we need more of it. a guy with a good strong base or anchor with some short area quickness is whats needed. putting them together makes them all better. a concept that this team has not grasped yet. they seem to be under the mindset that bigger is better. heck faneca was 6-5 305.