Joel Rodriguez, Run Game Coord/O-Line Coach, Akron
This video was originally posted on Glazier Connect.
It is a segment of a content video from Glazier Drive: O-Line Wide/Mid Zone Technique, Drills, & Coaching Points
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SUMMARY: PLAYSIDE TACKLE FOOTWORK ON WIDE ZONE
This coaching clip breaks down how the playside tackle handles the defender aligned on his outside shoulder (the “green” situation) in the wide zone scheme. The tackle is almost always involved in the block the tailback is reading, since the read spot sits right at his feet. The core teaching is to choose footwork based on how tight or wide the defender is, keep the aiming point constant, and never allow the defense to set the edge.
GREEN RULE AND THE READ SPOT
The playside tackle’s outside foot is the read spot. “Green” means a defender is on his playside shoulder or in his playside gap. In that case the tackle uses either a slide drive or a scoot, depending on the defender’s alignment and width.
SLIDE DRIVE FOOTWORK
- Use when the defender is tight, close enough that the tackle could nearly touch him from his stance, or when the tackle expects the defender to work behind him.
- First step is a two to three inch lateral step with the playside foot.
- Second step is a downhill attack step with the backside foot, getting hips, nose, and toes square.
SCOOT FOOTWORK
- Use when the defender is aligned wider off the tackle’s body.
- A two-step lateral shuffle leads into a slide drive, with a vertical fourth step into contact.
AIMING POINT
In both techniques the aiming point is the screws of the defender’s facemask. A tight defender means the tackle barely has to move to find the screws. A wider defender means the tackle’s footwork has to widen to reach them. The non-negotiable goal is that the defense never sets the edge on the tackle.
FINISHING THE BLOCK
After contact, the same fundamentals from inside zone apply: race the feet, surge the hips, and step on the toes. The difference is that the track is slightly wider. The objective is to walk the defender off the read spot.
FILM EXAMPLES
- Lions (NFL), wide zone right: The right tackle slide drives on a tight end. When the defender runs away, the tackle still blocks him on track and keeps him from reaching the edge.
- UAB game film, wide zone left: The left tackle sees a very tight end, takes a small slide drive step, gets on the screws, surges his hips, and walks the defender off the read spot.
- Right tackle, tight end who hooks himself: The tackle slide drives, stays square, and delivers the defender inside to the guard. He avoids overstepping or crossing over, which prevents opening a big B-gap for the guard to get picked off. He then climbs to the linebacker and widens him off the read spot.
- Right tackle vs. a twist game: The tackle slide drives and delivers the defender so the guard can take over and the tackle can come off to the linebacker. The tackle stays on the end and the guard makes it work. The speaker notes no alert call was made for the twist, and this is simply how they teach it.
- Left tackle, tight end: Slide drive on the screws and walk him off the read spot.
KEY COACHING TAKEAWAYS
- Match footwork to defender width: slide drive when tight, scoot when wide.
- Keep small, controlled steps and stay square. Do not overstep or cross over.
- Aim for the screws of the facemask every time.
- Win the block by moving the defender off the read spot and never letting him set the edge.
- Deliver the defender cleanly to the guard when the situation calls for it, then climb to the second level.