The Washington Redskins have been primarily a zone-stretch running team under Mike Shanahan for the past several seasons. With Jay Gruden now running the show, many have wondered if he will continue running the zone-blocking system. As the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator, Gruden ran more power and man schemes with pulling lineman. However, even with all the issues Washington had last season, they still managed to produce the league’s fifth best rushing game. The old saying is, “don’t fix what isn’t broken.”
“They’ve done some good things here offensively… so they have a system in place that’s very good,” Jay Gruden said at his introductory presser. “They’re an outside zone blocking team that can do inside zone. I like the power plays. I like the gap blocking plays. I don’t think any offense in the NFL anymore is just, ‘We are this.’ I think we have to adhere to what we have offensively, talent-wise. We can do the read option. We can do naked bootlegs. We can run outside zone… I think the whole idea to be a successful offense is to be diverse and be good at a lot of different things and not just one.”
The Washington Redskins will have a “multiple offense” under Gruden, there’s no doubt about that. Meaning, each week you may see the same core principles but things will change based on the opponent. From the numerous Cincinnati sources I’ve talked to, they believe Jay Gruden is a power run guy all the way. But there is a synergy with the power and zone schemes. Will Gruden run zone-stretch plays? Probably not. But I think you will see inside/outside zone, as it mixes nicely with the power scheme.
In Cincinnati, Jay Gruden started using the “Power O” play that was famously used by Redskins’ great John Riggins. The Bengals benefited from an offensive line with good size and power. They were able to take over a couple games using that “Power O” philosophy. To explain exactly what the Power O play is, I found a excellent piece (published in 2009) from the guys at SmartFootball.com , giving a detailed breakdown:
The play itself is very basic:
- The lineman to the side the run is going (playside) essentially “down” block, meaning they take the man to the inside of them. For the guards and center, that includes anyone “heads up” or covering them, but for the playside tackle, he does not want to block the defensive end or other “end man on the line of scrimmage.” These lineman use their leverage to get good angles to crush the defensive lineman, and the fact that they don’t have to block a couple of defenders on the playside frees them to get good double teams and block the backside linebackers. To use Vince Lombardi’s phrase, the idea is to get so much force going that direction that they completely seal off the backside.
- They can do this because they get some help to the playside. First, the fullback (or, more often nowadays, some kind of H-back or other player) is responsible for blocking the otherwise unblocked end man on the line of scrimmage (“EMLOS”). He uses a “kick out” technique, simply meaning he blocks him from the inside to out, in order to create Lombardi’s famous “seal” going the other way.
- The final piece of the puzzle is the backside guard (sometimes nowadays a tackle). He pulls and “leads,” meaning he retreats, looks first for the fullback’s block to cut off of, and then heads into the crease looking to block the first defender that shows up — typically the playside linebacker. He can block him whatever direction is best; it’s the runningback’s job to find the open lane.
- The runner takes a lateral or slight delay step, takes the handoff from the quarterback, and follow’s the pulling guard’s block. As stated above, he wants to cut off that man’s block and get vertical quickly. It is a power play so he has to be willing to hit the hole fast; it’s not as much of a “read the defense” run as are zone runs, though it is a good complement to it.
- If it all works well, the line should have crushed anyone to the inside of the offensive guard, while the fullback has kicked out the end man on the line, and the pulling guard is the runningback’s personal protector. The defender that the guard blocks should never be right, both because the guard has freedom to push him wherever, and the runner’s job is to cut off his block to make him correct — the runner cannot just guess.
The Power O play is great because it’s very flexible. You can run it in numerous formations. Good news for Darryl Young — while a lot of teams are using the fullback a lot less, it’s valuable to have one. Some of the best teams in the NFL continues to use fullbacks, including the World Champion Seattle Seahawks. However, when in one-back, the power scheme can be utilized in spread formations. Spreading the field takes a defender out the box. So by removing a blocker, you add a receiver to move a defender out the box. With that, you also have options. If that extra receiver goes out and the defender stays in the box, you can simply change out of the run play and throw to that receiver.
You could also see the Redskins take advantage of having a Quarterback with world-class speed. Although, I’m sure people would prefer him not to run, that threat keeps the defense honest. You could see “Jet QB power” plays or “Power reads” where the QB has an option to run or pitch.
So by using the power scheme, Gruden could have a plethora of branches coming off that scheme. It’s simple, yet complex. That’s Jay Gruden in a nutshell.
The Redskins will likely try infusing the offensive line with bigger players. The signing of Shawn Lauavo, who is 315 lbs, signals to that. Washington showed interest in the big tackle Donald Penn who is between 330-340 lbs. They also have interest in Matt McGlynn who is a 325 lb guard.
It’ll be interesting to see this offense unfold. In Jay Gruden, I believe the Redskins have a guy who likes to live “outside the box.”
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