Objective
Install one gap-flexible run with simple line rules, a clear running back aiming point and a three-way read, so the offense has a base play that works against any front.
Setup
Area
Half field, working from the 35-yard line going in
Players
5 offensive linemen, QB, running back, tight end; add a scout front of 6–7 defenders
Equipment
1 ball, Hand shields for the scout front, Cones or a hose to mark the line of scrimmage
Duration
15–20 minutes per install period
How it works
- 1
Covered or uncovered
Each lineman checks whether a defender is aligned on him or in his playside gap. Covered means he blocks that man. Uncovered means he takes a flat, playside bucket step and helps his covered playside teammate, with his eyes on the linebacker behind them.
- 2
Combo to the second level
The covered lineman and the uncovered helper hit the down lineman together, hip to hip, displacing him off the ball. Both keep their eyes on the linebacker. Whichever side the linebacker fills, that lineman stays on the down man and the other climbs to the second level, usually within the first two seconds.
- 3
Running back aiming point
From 6–7 yards deep, the back presses toward the outside hip of the playside guard (many staffs say the guard-center gap; set your own landmark). He takes the handoff, stays on that track for two or three steps, and keeps his shoulders square so the linebackers cannot tell where he will cut.
- 4
Bang, bounce or bend
The back reads the first down lineman playside of the center. If that defender is washed out, he bangs straight up the aiming point. If the defender crosses the lineman's face, he bends back behind him. If the edge is soft and everything stacks inside, he bounces one gap outside.
- 5
Backside cutoff
Backside linemen step playside and cut off the defenders in their backside gap, keeping them from chasing down the line. The backside end is often left unblocked on purpose: he is either handled by a tight end or H-back sift block, or he becomes the zone-read key.
Coaching points
The first step is flat and short, around six inches; a lineman who lunges forward loses the combo and opens a gap behind him.
On the double team, the helper's inside hand and the covered player's outside hand land on the same defender, so the down lineman feels one wall, not two separate blocks.
Tell backs to be patient to the line and violent through it: press the aiming point, make one cut, and get vertical.
Linemen climb only when the linebacker declares; leaving the combo early is the most common way inside zone gets stopped for no gain.
Variations
Zone-read tag
From the shotgun, the QB leaves the backside end unblocked and reads him. If the end crashes down the line to chase the back, the QB pulls the ball and runs where the end just left. If the end stays wide, the QB gives.
Split zone
A tight end or H-back comes across the formation behind the line to kick out the backside end. The line blocks inside zone as normal, and the back gets a cutback lane that is protected by a lead blocker.
Build it in Coach Board
Draw the line, back and a scout front on an American football field in Coach Board, then animate the combo blocks moving as a unit before one lineman peels to the linebacker. Duplicate the board for bang, bend and bounce so the back sees the same first two seconds each time and only the cut changes. Slow playback down on the combo so linemen see exactly when to climb.