Fans/media loves easy labels.
- West Coast "Horizonal" Offense vs Coryell "Vertical" Offense.
- Defense 4-3 vs 3-4.
- Man vs Zone coverage.
- Man vs Zone blocking.
Modern Schemes are more complex than the labels.
Modern Schemes vs Historic Schemes
All modern schemes have incorporated elements of the Bill Walsh offense as well as elements of the Don Coryell offense.
Back then the NFL had been focused on the running game and passing offenses had been simplistic. That's why those 2 schemes got headlines. They were the beginnings of the modern passing focused offenses.
Modern schemes (except the Garrett scheme) are more complex and can't be as easily categorized.
It's easier to explain the evolution on Defense.
It's similar with Defensive schemes. Fans like to latch on to easily defined concepts like 4-3 & 3-4; however, most modern schemes (except Marinelli) use multiple fronts. The Pats use a different front 7 alignment on each down/distance situation. They used 4-3 on 1st downs last season but more 3-4 on 1st downs this season but their 2nd and 3rd down fronts can't really be defined as either.
The Pats use:
3-4
4-3
4-3 with stand-up DEs
1-6
inverted 3-4 (wide 3)
- Similar to 4-3 but with 1 DT.
- The other DT replaced by a LB.
3-3-5 (Nickel version of wide 3-4
Uses the wide 3 man DL (4-3 DEs with 1 DT).
Even within the multiple alignments, the Pats vary the personnel. They might put a 320 pound DT out aligned as a 4-3 DE, etc..
Back to Offense
The running game has evolved also.
In the 1990s the Broncos with Head Coach Mike Shannan and OL coach Alex Gibbs were using the Zone Blocking scheme when basically all other teams were using man blocking.
Now almost all teams use some of both; although the ZBS can vary widely.
The Rams and 49ers are both primarily Zone Blocking offenses; however, the Rams almost always use 1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WRs sets. When they use 2 TEs their 2nd TE is just a big WR (6-3, 239).
The 49ers use a FB more than most other teams (they used a FB more than any team in 2018); however, they use Zone Blocking instead of the tradition man blocking associated with using a FB. Their FB played 68% of the snaps in a game this season and averaged 50% for the season; however, their running game is NOT similar to the nineties Cowboys with Moose at FB.