Zone blocking scheme

[Hawk.Eye.Am]

Many talk about our predictable offense and how easy it is to scout, however, I believe it's the zone blocking scheme.

When was the last season that this scheme worked consistently? 2002? Since then, our running game has struggled against any defense with a pulse by selling out and our pass blocking hasn't been any better.

I understand that Coach Ferentz is a guru of this complicated style but it's time to simplify things and have our Olineman just put a hat on a hat. Offensive line recruiting hasn't lived up to expectations and the ones that we've signed clearly can't "dance in unison" like the Shanahan Broncos.

Akrum Wadley will still find cutback lanes and defensive lineman and linebackers won't be able to shoot gaps with regularity. We can get creative with our line by exploiting matchups, double teaming and/or pulling guards. If this ever happens, New Kirk will have officially arrived.

 

[kcgolfer]

This line struggles to block anyone. Pathetic is the only word for it. We had 19 rushing yards today! 19!!! You can't beat a Pop Warner team with stats like that.

 

[pocha444444]

I wish we blocked like Wisconsin.

 

[Hawkfan5220]

Two 1000yd rushers last year, it's personnel, not scheme. The coaches weren't the ones dropping passes, or missing assignments or blocking.

 

[Pete in LA]

Our RB situation is probably the strongest its been in years. We have an embarrasment of riches in RBs. There is something fundementally wrong with our blocking assignments/schemes. We are literally training the next generation of NFL O-lineman (12 currently active I think) but it doesn't seem to be translating into rushing production for the Hawks.

 

[HawkGem11]

Two 1000yd rushers last year, it's personnel, not scheme. The coaches weren't the ones dropping passes, or missing assignments or blocking.

The coaches were the ones putting the kids in spots to fail. That is all KF is god for anymore his butt needs gone he stjnks

 

[hawklover69]

Hawks rushing attack will be fine. Relax, fam.

 

[HawkNole09]

Hawks rushing attack will be fine. Relax, fam.

I don't know that it'll be fine. They've got a lot of guys missing blocks, consistently.

This offense needs to change things up. Defenses know all our keys. We're not doing enough to keep them off balance. Fant and Hockenson should be tearing it up with them committing to stop the run.

 

[And1Hawk]

Our RB situation is probably the strongest its been in years. We have an embarrasment of riches in RBs. There is something fundementally wrong with our blocking assignments/schemes. We are literally training the next generation of NFL O-lineman (12 currently active I think) but it doesn't seem to be translating into rushing production for the Hawks.

I believe its personnel. We have put some guys in the NFL on the line but this group is lacking. Aleric Jackson is young and has potential so it's so early to tell. James Daniels is athletic but meh in terms of blocking. Welsch is a very good player but way undersized for the pros. There's really nothing else to speak of except Wirfs given his potential. It's just underwhelming and I think we see that in the performance week in week out.

 

[madmustang4]

Hawks rushing attack will be fine. Relax, fam.

Not saying you're wrong, but what do you see that gives you confidence O line will be good?

 

[mvhomerj]

Hawks rushing attack will be fine. Relax, fam.

I'll take your word for it, after that 19yd. performance.

 

[Mohawkeye]

Seems like we go through this at the beginning of every year not 2002 or when Shonn Greene was running. We get better as the season gets on, but not sure it is worth the early season struggles.

 

[And1Hawk]

Again Wadley's ability to make people miss and take it to the house is masking the weakness of this line. They need to make changes and start trying out other guys. The first criteria needs to be toughness. A lot of these underperforming guys are way too soft. If you are driven 2-3yards into our own backfield by a defender every other play that's a yo. Penetration disrupts everything in an offensive scheme. I cannot believe that kind of performance is allowed week after week. Yet consistently this program is slow and unwilling to make personnel changes due to poor performance. We've made 1 so far in Hooker and it was an immediate upgrade. There are more needed on both sides of the ball though. Too much union card.

Time to try Wirfs, Paulsen twins, etc. until you find some guys willing to be physical at the point of attack.

 

[BubsFinn]

It's all well and good that we are training NFL linemen, but that hasnt seemed to translate into wins on Saturday. If Coach Ferentz wants to run an NFL farm team, he can go coach the indoor league. If it is a problem with recruiting, we should just switch to the veer and be done with it.
Pissing on my cornflakes and calling it honey just doesn't fly anymore.

 

[EpenesaEpenesa]

Hawks rushing attack will be fine. Relax, fam.

Based on?

 

[iahawkeyes17]

This line struggles to block anyone. Pathetic is the only word for it. We had 19 rushing yards today! 19!!! You can't beat a Pop Warner team with stats like that.

So you're saying no Joe Moore Award this year. But yes 19 yard rushing is as pathetic as our 19 yard punts yesterday.

 

[RocknRollface]

My issue is constantly running to the short side against a stacked box, I get that its suposed to make cut back lanes and set up bootlegs, but it doesn't work when you get nothing on first down every time.

You have a guy in Wadley who thrives in open space.

Quit trying to force a square peg and play to his strengths, let him try to out run people to the edge. He can make his own cutbacks in space all day.

 

[cidhawkeye]

Two 1000yd rushers last year, it's personnel, not scheme. The coaches weren't the ones dropping passes, or missing assignments or blocking.

Finished about in the middle of Div 1 rushing last year.

 

[pocha444444]

Two 1000yd rushers last year, it's personnel, not scheme. The coaches weren't the ones dropping passes, or missing assignments or blocking.

Running game yards per attempt stats since 2004:

2004 - 117th
2005 - 21st
2006 - 38th
2007 - 96th
2008 - 26th
2009 - 106th
2010 - 57th
2011 - 75th
2012 - 100th
2013 - 72nd
2014 - 81st
2015 - 59th
2016 - 65th
2017 - 107th

These aren't the numbers you would expect from a program that consistently puts offensive lineman in the NFL. It is either scheme or play calling, probably a lot of both. You can't just explain those stats away with "well all those NFL players must've been missing their assignments".

 

[greenelite]

Iowa ain't going to win very many games getting blown off both sides of the ball. Unacceptable given our identity. Man up and start battling.

 

[MeetTheFerentz]

My issue is constantly running to the short side against a stacked box, I get that its suposed to make cut back lanes and set up bootlegs, but it doesn't work when you get nothing on first down every time.

You have a guy in Wadley who thrives in open space.

Quit trying to force a square peg and play to his strengths, let him try to out run people to the edge. He can make his own cutbacks in space all day.

You seriously think this coaching staff is going to adjust their game plan based on their personnel? You haven't been following Iowa football very long. Other than letting Drew Tate loose in 2004, and the Orange Bowl vs. GA Tech, this coaching staff has put together the exact same game plan for every single game for the past 19 years, regardless of our team's or our opponent's respective strengths and weaknesses.

 

[kcgolfer]

Hawks rushing attack will be fine. Relax, fam.

Oh, ok. LOL.

 

[LakeviewHawkeye]

Many talk about our predictable offense and how easy it is to scout, however, I believe it's the zone blocking scheme.

When was the last season that this scheme worked consistently? 2002? Since then, our running game has struggled against any defense with a pulse by selling out and our pass blocking hasn't been any better.

I understand that Coach Ferentz is a guru of this complicated style but it's time to simplify things and have our Olineman just put a hat on a hat. Offensive line recruiting hasn't lived up to expectations and the ones that we've signed clearly can't "dance in unison" like the Shanahan Broncos.

Akrum Wadley will still find cutback lanes and defensive lineman and linebackers won't be able to shoot gaps with regularity. We can get creative with our line by exploiting matchups, double teaming and/or pulling guards. If this ever happens, New Kirk will have officially arrived.

I doubt changing the run scheme is going to make much of a difference. The OL is bad and clearly the biggest problem with the offense. They desperately need to play better but I'm not sure they are capable. They aren't athletic or physical as a group.

Additionally, the 'check with me' play calling is allowing defenses to dictate too many play calls. It's really easy for defenses to bait Stanley into run plays that are killing drives right now.

 

[HawkLogic]

Two 1000yd rushers last year, it's personnel, not scheme. The coaches weren't the ones dropping passes, or missing assignments or blocking.

Yet the worst pass blocking in NCAA and a NFL QB didn't have enough time. Every year, KF offense doesn't get it done.

 

[Randall Stanhope]

When we have an experience and talented o-line who has gelled together and has the system down, the zone blocking scheme works great.

Unfortunately, this program spends 97% of our time trying to get the o-line there, and 3% of the time "there."

Which is why I agree with the poster who said the coaches need to simplify.

 

[Randall Stanhope]

You seriously think this coaching staff is going to adjust their game plan based on their personnel? You haven't been following Iowa football very long. Other than letting Drew Tate loose in 2004, and the Orange Bowl vs. GA Tech, this coaching staff has put together the exact same game plan for every single game for the past 19 years, regardless of our team's or our opponent's respective strengths and weaknesses.

True. And if we always had the 2002-2004 bullies of the big ten type players who could just enforce their will on the opponent, then what we do would work great.

But when was the last time we had that?

 

[RocknRollface]

You seriously think this coaching staff is going to adjust their game plan based on their personnel? You haven't been following Iowa football very long. Other than letting Drew Tate loose in 2004, and the Orange Bowl vs. GA Tech, this coaching staff has put together the exact same game plan for every single game for the past 19 years, regardless of our team's or our opponent's respective strengths and weaknesses.

No, I dont really expect much of anything but the same old same old same old.

New Kirk, new OC, new old OC now QB coach, whatever. With KF it will always be the same. "Execute" runs into a stacked box, punt and repeat.

You take the good with the bad, it evens out to mediocraty or slightly better most years if we can keep the games slow and boring.

Every 5 or 6 years you'll get one pretty good year, one really underperforming year and the rest solidly mediocre and boring.

Thats football.

Some fans love it, some are sick of it. Me? Im just bored.

 

[Aethelstan]

Every team in the country uses zone blocking and gap blocking ( blocking down and pulling the backside guard ). It's not the scheme, it's the players. No blocking scheme works when you miss blocks and allow penetration. As for running to the short side, it's a matter of numbers. When a defense puts four defenders into the boundary with a safety on the hash mark, that is four and one half players you have to block or account for, vs. six and one half to the wide side. You figure it out Einstein. Once again, it's not the play, it's the lack of execution.

 

[mvhomerj]

Never thought of it like this, but "bored" is good way of putting it.
With ya' rocknroll.

 

[TailgateTom]

Lots of lulz in this thread. The scheme is sound. KF is right, it's execution...I don't understand why people can't take that at face value. Sometimes the guys across from you just beat you on certain days.

 

[drafthawk]

To me we have to try Wirfs at RT, when healty, and move Welch back to Right guard. Move either Reynolds or Render out of the line up and see if that works.

 

[cidhawkeye]

Find somebody that can get to the play side linebacker? It's one thing to get beat physically on a play, another to continue to allow free runs to the back field.

 

[ukrainehawk]

I'm probably wrong here, but I feel that the entire running game difficulties can be placed on two specific injuries: Ike Boettger (and to a lesser extent Boone) and James Butler.

Ike is a classic sized and skilled, future NFL tackle who allowed Sean to play at his natural right guard spot, where his lack of length makes him better-suited to playing in a phone booth instead of in space. By moving him outside, we make him work like crazy to keep Nate safe and clean, having to reach and extend time after time. But more seriously, we change everything about the strength and chemistry of the line. Keenan is a strong left guard who pairs beautifully with James and Sean, but nobody seals, pulls, moves and grades plays the right guard position like Sean. Thus the tumblers fall. If Boone were 100%, we might be able to make this work, but in the meantime, we have serious leaks to fill, chemistry to build and attitude to shape. The coaches all know volumes more than I do, but my answer would be to move Sean and Keenan back to their natural positions and center the training curve on right tackle, perhaps with Tristan, if he becomes healthy enough. Maybe we even reach down to Mark Kallenberger to start him getting occasional reps.

Losing James changed everything about our plans to rest and protect Akrum, to be able to use Akrum in space with James in the backfield, and to be able to rely on a trusted, proven (though smaller) 'thunder runner' (though maybe more like 'greased lightning.') My solution here is to take the chances on Toren Young, and go with the original plans - working in Ivory and maybe Toks as well. Ivory has certainly shown flashes.

The only comment I have on the passing game is that healing the O-Line play and the running game will help immeasurably and that the emergence of T.J. at tight end to accompany Noah augers great things to come. Nate will be great, and Tyler is ready.

 

[JAMAM]

Defenses in the NFL are dominating the stretch play. D lineman scrape into the gaps and get up field. College defenses have seen it and are destroying the stretch-play. Time to return to assignment blocking, power football.

 

[greenelite]

Unfortunately, this program spends 97% of our time trying to get the o-line there, and 3% of the time "there."

Nail on the head.

 

[RocknRollface]

Every team in the country uses zone blocking and gap blocking ( blocking down and pulling the backside guard ). It's not the scheme, it's the players. No blocking scheme works when you miss blocks and allow penetration. As for running to the short side, it's a matter of numbers. When a defense puts four defenders into the boundary with a safety on the hash mark, that is four and one half players you have to block or account for, vs. six and one half to the wide side. You figure it out Einstein. Once again, it's not the play, it's the lack of execution.

So, in your expert opinion how long do you continue to attempt the same or similar plays that you fail to execute nearly every time?

How long do you continue to audible into a run for nothing?

Almost seems like the defense is baiting Iowa to go exactly where they want them to.

 

[Aethelstan]

So, in your expert opinion how long do you continue to attempt the same or similar plays that you fail to execute nearly every time?

How long do you continue to audible into a run for nothing?

Almost seems like the defense is baiting Iowa to go exactly where they want them to.

 

[Aethelstan]

There is nothing unique about the zone scheme, and there is nothing unique about running where they ain't.
The zone scheme can be used by a variety of formations, but it is still the zone scheme, and every team uses it. For what it's worth, Iowa and everybody else also uses the gap scheme and the pin and pull scheme, but if you don't block people, none of them work. Some teams get the edge blocked, some don't. Some teams block second level defenders, some don't. Some teams get backside pursuit cut off, some don't. Put Iowa in the category of some don't.