[OrlandoPaceIsMyHero]

Hi Clan Ram Institute. I play O-line for a Division 3 college, and I consider myself fairly well-versed when it comes to football, but I still don't understand what people are talking about when they say "zone vs man/power" blocking in the NFL.

In my career I have played in two different systems:
In High School, my team used a system where you would block people based on where they were before the or early in the play... for instance, my assignment as a tackle was often "gap-down-backer" which meant that I was to block the guy to the gap inside of me, and if he wasn't there, the guy "down" to me (which means inside up to one full man over, so as a tackle, anyone all the way to the outside shoulder of the center and in the A gap), and if he wasn't there, then the linebacker. I considered this zone blocking because we didn't explicitly have men assigned to us; rather being assigned areas to block.

In college I was introduced to what I consider true zone blocking. My team runs the plays "zone right" and "zone left" often, where everyone on the line "bucket steps" (a step outside and back a bit, then a crossover), then locates the guy in their path and blocks him. There is no set hole where the running back must go, he gets to read the play on his own instead, and is often encouragted to cut back if the defense is reacting strongly to the playside (the side that the entire o-line is bucket stepping towards). It is very reminiscent of what the seattle seahawks or the denver broncos run.

So which is which? Is there any other scheme that teams commonly employ? How does it work? Is it even possible to assign men before the snap? If so, how doesn't that kind of blocking scheme get obliterated by stunts and blitzes?

Thanks alot,
OPIMH