Why aren't more teams copying the Broncos?

Doomsdayblitz

Doomsdayblitz

Cogan
Messages
2,368
Reaction score
797
Ask just about any NFL coach what the two main keys to winning football are, and they will say running the ball, and stopping the run. With that said, I am shocked that Bill Parcells, as well as many other coaches, aren't moving towards a more Denver Broncos' style of running the football.

I mean, Bill wants to run the ball in the worst way, and Denver runs it better than anyone-no matter who is toting the rock.
Yet, we still see BP & others drafting & hiring 330 lb. offensive linemen, and are using the same blocking schemes they've used since the AFL-NFL merger.

I'm not advocating change, or complaining about our blocking, I'm just curious that there seems to be that one team in the NFL, who, year after year, owns a 1,500 yd. runner, not matter the name on his back. While some teams, like the Browns, haven't had a runner hit the thousand yd. mark since the Bears won the Super Bowl.

If running the football is paramount in winning it all, why don't more teams have 280 pound linemen who can pull, draw, and move quicker than most other team's linemen?

Just food for thought.
 
I don't think the Bronco blocking scheme -- with a focus on cut blocks that tend to cause injuries -- is something many coaches want to teach. Also, there are regular rumblings that the league is going to restrict the use of cut blocks -- the league does that and there goes your entire scheme.
 
The Broncos running game always seems to run out of gas come January- the theory is that the smaller O linemen are worn down by that time of the year.
 
Denver tried to get FLO as a free agent a couple of years ago, so they don't necessarily want a bunch of 280 pound Olinemen either.
 
Zone blocking is unnatural compared to man-to-man. O-Linemen grow up and learn man-to-man in high school then onto college. When they get to the pros, there's quite a bit of a learning curve since zone blocking is completely foreign to them and they've already built themselves to be man-to-man blockers.

Plus, zone blocking seems a bit weaker against the pass rush because the O-Linemen are a bit undersized.

Good blocking can come through either scheme. The same could be said for bad blocking. The Eagles, Bucs, and Texans all utilize zone blocking schemes right now. Doesn't mean that it's going to automatically work for them.

Rich....
 
Cogan said:
Ask just about any NFL coach what the two main keys to winning football are, and they will say running the ball, and stopping the run.
Click to expand...

Don't ask Andy Reid or Dennis Green. Heh.
 
I think the key to stopping the Denver rushing attack is to not over pursue. The defensive front has to maintain discipline and protect against the cut back where most of the big runs come from. What I see a lot of times is the backside pursuit over runs the play and allows the cut back lanes to developed.
 
As a former OL with two bad knees, I'm glad our team doesn't use cut blocks like Shannahan's teams.
 
Denver's OLs are not the end all, be all to offensive lines or running the football. Because they use the techniques they do, there lines are often small/under sized. They can be exploited by a physical front four. Even dictated to. There are down sides to everything.
 
Atlanta must be using the same techniques now since thay have Alex Gibbs down there who was the architect of the scheme in Denver for years.

Matt Lehr is starting in Atlanta at LG I believe and I don't know their stats but I believe they have a pretty dynamite running game no doubt helped by Mr Vick but then perhaps hindered too by the weak passing game.
 
what has Denver won lately to make anyone want to copy them?

answer--nothing...they havent won a playoff game since Elway retired after the 1998 season

David
 
Yakuza Rich said:
Zone blocking is unnatural compared to man-to-man. O-Linemen grow up and learn man-to-man in high school then onto college. When they get to the pros, there's quite a bit of a learning curve since zone blocking is completely foreign to them and they've already built themselves to be man-to-man blockers.

Plus, zone blocking seems a bit weaker against the pass rush because the O-Linemen are a bit undersized.

Good blocking can come through either scheme. The same could be said for bad blocking. The Eagles, Bucs, and Texans all utilize zone blocking schemes right now. Doesn't mean that it's going to automatically work for them.

Rich....
Click to expand...

I was taught zone blocking starting in 7th grade. Lot's of colleges use zone blocking (including Texas). Zone blocking isn't as easy to learn as man on man as it requires a "feel" to it. It does take time to run it properly and it helps to have the same teammates year after year.

I'd imagine in the NFL some coaches, if their olinemen don't have experience in zone blocking, might not want to implement it and wait for guys to gain the needed experience. Their coaching jobs may not survive the learning curve.
 
That scheme has to be constantly taught and re-taught. Only a few OL coaches understand the scheme and how to coach it. It's also a "finesse" approach which relies upon spreading the defense wide. I equate big runs in that kind of a system to short passes, because they don't punish the defense as much as a standard run would.

Bottom line is unless you have horses like Terrell Davis and John Elway, that style won't get you deep into the playoffs.
 
ravidubey said:
That scheme has to be constantly taught and re-taught. Only a few OL coaches understand the scheme and how to coach it. It's also a "finesse" approach which relies upon spreading the defense wide. I equate big runs in that kind of a system to short passes, because they don't punish the defense as much as a standard run would.

Bottom line is unless you have horses like Terrell Davis and John Elway, that style won't get you deep into the playoffs.
Click to expand...
I came across this a while ago, it'll be interesting to see if this guy continues his research.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/print/2484/
 
Zone blocking also works best with quick, smaller backs - or at least very quick backs.
Pounders need not apply.
I would want to see if the production remains steady for the entire season or does it drop off as the smaller O linemen get worn down.
 
We tried the Zone Blocking thing back in 2002. We had Larry Allen doing ballarina steps. Coslet enforced his will and didn't play to the strengths of this team. Fired Hudson Houck and employed some clown to teach elephants to tap dance.
 
dbair1967 said:
what has Denver won lately to make anyone want to copy them?

answer--nothing...they havent won a playoff game since Elway retired after the 1998 season

David
Click to expand...

no, but their running schme seem to make mediocore backs look good, and good backs look great. and great backs look phenomenal
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

... and 100 more.
Total: 8,128 (members: 200, guests: 7,928)

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
464,054
Messages
13,786,182
Members
23,771
Latest member
LandryHat
Back
Top