HoofHearted

From a defensive perspective it's a tough scheme to stop if you master it because it's designed to have natural cutbacks. Essentially there's three different gaps the ball could end up hitting at. Gap scheme stuff essentially telegraphs where you're trying to go with the football and is simpler as far as conceptually to defend because you can manipulate blocks easier through stunting/blitzing. Zone schemes are designed to allow you to do all the movement/stunting you want and have an answer for it while also still providing three different gaps for the ball to hit in.

The rules are the rules. They are simple in principle. You're correct that movement makes it a lot more complex which is why everyone has to be on the same page and rely on their rules. If I'm uncovered initially, but they stunt to where I am now covered I have to follow my rule. I'm sure Kromer does work to their strengths - a lot of that has more to do with how he's teaching individual technique stuff though more so than scheme. As a defensive coordinator for many years, any time I call Man pressure's I am telling my coverage guys the ball has to come out quick because I'm bringing more than they can block and attacking their pass protection in a way that I guarantee I'll get an unblocked rusher. There should not be enough time for a QB to hang in the pocket and throw deep (unless you're playing press and they just throw up a shot, but why play press when you're anticipating something quick to be thrown - just sit on the route and drive it.) Perimeter screen game is effective against the 0 blitz stuff because of the run fits aspect of it. There has to be communication within the secondary as to when they are comboing coverage on receivers because of the picks that'll be set up by blocks in the perimeter screen game. The slip screens to the RBs rarely work against it because of Peel/Hug Up rules. Simply put, if you're an edge rusher you have peel rules on a RB meaning if he release to your side you have him man to man. If the back steps up to an interior gap (like he would on a slip screen) then whoever is responsible for that gap will "hug up" the runner and not allow him to release.

Yeah, everyone is essentially on 45 degree angle tracks to the play side. They all have to work in unison in order to work through their covered, to uncovered, to backside backer rules. Since I'm in season right now I haven't been able to really look all that closely into it, but just based on our personnel we're undersized for what we're trying to do. There's been a few times I've seen us not hold the double long enough for the other OL to overtake the block as well.

The deep threat isn't really the thing I'd worried about - rarely are you going to have time to even get it off. We have dudes who can create separation at the LoS - that's the big key. Quick hitters that'll generate big YAC because everyone else on defense has their back turned.

Nothing is solely on one individual or group every time, but yes the OL hasn't been very good. Zone rules are not very complicated. If you're covered block the guy covering you, if you're uncovered you double the guy to the play side, depending on the leverage and front one of those two then works up to the backside backer. With a new OL coach it could be an issue of players still getting used to the new terminology and their communication is lacking or it could be that we don't have the players to run a predominately zone scheme. Ideally you'd like a bunch of maulers up front who can get push and work up to the second level. Outside of Dawkins and Saffold we got a bunch of dudes who are 310 or under, but they move well. Like last year, we're probably better off running more gap scheme stuff where we can get Morse, Bates, and Brown pulling and kicking and use Dawkins and Saffold to block down and just lean on guys. Shoot, even Dawkins looks good as a puller. You saw it last week in the third quarter when we ran G Lead - condensed the formation - pulled Dawkins - and Motor ran for almost 20 yards.

Empty is a fantastic way to get people out of pressure. Forces you to play Cover 0 on the back end if you still want to bring the house. With our weapons I love that matchup.

Totally different techniques plus there's no chance Tre holds up in the box. You'd just be setting him up for failure.

Same reason our run game has been poor. Common denominator there... The OL.

Yep. It's called throwing the "gift". Happens a lot on the backside of 3x1. If the corner is playing off on the single side it's an automatic route conversion to a 5 yard stop. It's good stuff. Can't be treated as a replacement to the run game though - schematically those two are very different for a defense.

If you're blitzing you're not running cover 2 behind it. Most you can send is 5.

This is true for most teams right now in the NFL, and you really see it at the college level. The perimeter run game has been largely replace by fast screens, bubbles, and tunnel screens. From a defensive perspective these plays are no different than playing the run - run fits have to be on point. Add RPOs to the equation and now you get the best of both worlds - depending on how the defense reacts you can end up with something hitting inside or outside.

I’ve coached everything from high school to DI. I’m currently a DC. Yes, this is my full time job.

I coach football for a living.

That's fine if you don't "want or need an education", but there are others on this board who do like to know what is actually going on. I wasn't coming at you, I was simply describing what was actually happening within the play design. To be completely honest with you, Milano probably picks that pass off to the #2 receiver if it's thrown right off the snap because of how much it would pull the coverage. Progression can change based on pre-snap looks. In this instance the Bills had 3 over 2 on that top side - there's no logical reason to change the progression. Furthermore, the whole design of the play was to throw Duvernay open on the slant thinking they'd get the rub vs man coverage. The Bills played zone and the slant wasn't there. Lamar got pressured and it turned into scramble drill where all receivers work to open grass in the direction the QB is working to (that's how Duvernay ended up going from slanting to the middle of the field to the sideline). Again, I'm explaining all of this for the people that want to know.

1) He didn't lock on to a target - you must have missed me explaining that on this reply: 2) See above where I talk about him looking (with screenshot proof) to the two receiver side. 3) I guess you'll be impressed to know that I do work in the field. I thought this was a football message board - you know - where you talk football. Didn't realize only novice football fans were allowed to post here. That's on me. My bad.

Then this is a conversation no longer worth having. Everyone is more worried about being right on here than learning something I guess.

To be fair we ran a bunch of zone scheme stuff early on last year too and sucked at it. Once we switched over to more gap scheme stuff we started being able to run the ball more effectively.

It's okay to learn a little bit about how football actually works through these conversations. 😉

Andrews wasn't even the first read... Duvernay was. They were trying to pick to get him open. Also, he does look to the two receiver side first to try and pull the RAT that way before looking back to Duvernay. You can see it pull the coverage because of it. Sorry this isn't fitting your narrative big fella.

It all depends on the read progression of the concept. They came out in Trips Bunch Squeeze to the bottom side of the field for a reason. They were expecting man and trying to run some rub routes to scheme a guy open. The reads are the reads. Again, it looks worse than what it is. If Lamar looks left the window closes immediately because Milano is pushing to #2's hip at the snap.

Drops are based on QB eyes. If Jackson were to have looked Milano's side first the coverage would be a lot tighter backside. It's all about closing down passing lanes.

If you're talking about the Naked Bootleg in the redzone it was actually a designed pass.

Unfortunately, I think he'll be too pricey for us to keep. This board hates him because he doesn't make a ton of splash plays vs the run without an understanding of his role in the run game or how run fits work within our scheme. He's more than just a pass defender and he'll be paid as such.

I see that I've pushed a button with you. I was genuinely interested in having a scheme conversation with you on why you think our run schemes are not very creative. If you don't know it's okay to admit that and we can discuss some of the stuff you saw if you have clips/highlights.

No, Inside Zone, Counter, Power, Duo, ISO, etc. That would paint a better picture for me.