Lions' O Line for 2014 - Montreal shows how to build an OL

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WestCoastJoe
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WestCoastJoe wrote:
Blitz wrote:
WestCoastJoe wrote:Great review and preview, Blitz.

Interesting to see the years, the coaches, and the players. And the one constant, like a toothache. In his own world, safe, no play calling responsibility, able to run endless experiments, and yet much power and authority in the organization.

We could get swamped by Calgary. We might even win. Because talented players can figure stuff out, they can communicate, and sometimes they can get it done, with a win, despite counter productive coaching. As noted before, the coaching evens out to a degree, as the season progresses. Pretty hard to grade the players down and rip them when they get the job done, and we win. Did you get your man? Did you make the play? Yes. Sometimes that is all that matters. Not how. But did you get it done?

I cannot call this game. Hardrick at left guard. Who knows? Manny and Andrew are always capable of game breaking plays. As is Logan.

Gonna be interesting ...
You've often talked about offensive line development, quarterback pressure WCJ.

Here is a very interesting statistic that is also very revealing. I just added up all the quarterback sacks from 2005 to present time.

Guess which team has given up the most quarterback sacks from 2005 -2014. The stats include the 2005 season and this season to date.

Well, its our B.C. Lions with 492 sacks given up. So much for the Mad Professor being the best of the best. Just think of all the other teams and some of the bad quarterbacks they had, the high number of changes in offensive coordinators and Head Coaches they endured - think of the bad teams for so long in Hamilton and Winnipeg during that stretch or the tough season in Edmonton and still we are the worst. Here is a closer look:

B.C. .............492 sacks
Hamilton........441 sacks
Saskatchewan..417 sacks
Winnipeg........399 sacks
Montreal........399 sacks
Toronto.........369 sacks
Calgary..........339 sacks
Edmonton.......337 sacks

Obviously playing quarterback for the B.C. Lions or being an offensive coordinator for the B.C. Lions has not been an easy task.
Great post, Blitz.

Twelve years of this regime. Players come and go. Coaches come and go. Just one constant. And those stats tell a story. I think spin could be done. I think excuses could be made. Why bother?

And stats are one thing. How about unblocked defenders shocked to see an open avenue to Glenn? One second to be in his face.

How about a veteran O Lineman last year. Moves out from the line, no one to block, standing there looking around: What to do next? Unacceptable under normal ciccumstances.

How about O Linemen, year after year, so consscious of things to think about, habitually, that they cannot even fire off the line and move the smaller D Line enough for a short yardage plunge. They have forgotten how to fire off. They are more like: left foot here, hand position there, check what my partner is doing, consider the options. The farthest thing from instinctive play.

How about lack of development of national talent in the O Line over the years, especially prior to the drafting of Fabien and Norman? But now Norman seems to coming under heat: not executing. Why is Kirby Fabien not starting at left guard?

It is some kind of Merry Go Round. We have had an amazing number of guys play left tackle by this time. I will be surprised if Steward does not get relegated to backup duty at some not distant point.

How aboutd the boatloads of internationals brought in, after a cross USA search, good college resume, some with NFL experience, passing the scrutiny to get those invites, looking good on film, brought to tryout camps, looking good, brought to TC, looking good, and then ... Gone. To me it is a head shaker.

Twelve years. Much the same issues time after time. There is no vendetta here. This is fans watching their team, putting their life experiences into what they see, and making judgments. JC was criticized a lot, and finally cut loose. Kruck was cut loose without a second thought. Buratto was cut loose. Stubler was cut loose. Lots of coaches get released. So some look at the O Line product on the field for 12 years, with issues time and again, and look for a common denominator.

Best to stay silent? Why? Cruel to make such judgments? Why? Other coaches have their product examined. Benny is taking a lot of heat. Rightfully so, IMO. Our record is 2 and 3. We have not won a playoff game in his time as HC.

Quite often with a new HC, there is a house cleaning of the staff. That would have been tough for Benny. He has worked with some of these guys forever. And it seems a couple of the assistant coaches exist within the protection of Wally's teflon coat.

Does Khari design the run game, as blocked by the O Line? Does Khari design the pass protection duties of the O Line? Does Khari decide which O Line candidates pass the test, get to start? Does Khari decide if we go with more of man to man, simpler, power blocking system? Does Khari decide if we go with a more complicated, sophisitcated, thought-intensive zone blocking system?

Just IMO ... No vendetta. By all accounts our coach is a great guy. Just looking at the product, with lots of stuff to look at after 12 years.

Can we turn it around once again? Yes. Of course, we have done it numerous times.
(Copied and brought over from the Keys to the Game thread, as it relates to an ongoing issue.)
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

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Blitz wrote:
MexicoLionFan wrote:Just an incredible post Blitz...it may have been your best ever, and that's saying a ton...and as Joe said, with our talent, we could get blown out in this game, or we could win. The Stamps don't have Cornish...they don't even have his backup...we have a tremendous chance (with Mitchell back in) of making CGY a one dimensional team, and creating turnovers with Biggie and Sol...but it comes down to the TWO other parts of our team...Offence and Special Teams...if Jones thinks he can play the same offence he has in the first 4 games in CGY, against Stubler, then we will lose and Glenn will take another vicious beating...but if he goes power formations and gets both Harris and Logan involved, then we have a great chance...but without Schmitt, we are still in trouble with our S Ts...McCallum wasn't good enough last week, in a dome, and now it will be a summer night outside in CGY...yikes...

Let's see what happens, but a loss here could send the Lions into a tailspin...its a big game...thanks to everyone for their excellent comments, and especially to Blitz for making this such a great place to visit and enjoy football! Great job guys!
Thanks MLF...I guessed that we would have led the CFL in giving up the most sacks in the CFL over the past decade or so... but doing the research was a good exercise.

WCJ has made our offensive line play a focus of analysis for a few season now so hats off to him for keeping this aspect of our Leos team front and center. Thanks MLF for your focus on offensive strategy...you must have been a favorite of Frank Hindle. notahomer - you are correct...it is a scary stat.

While I believed that the spread offence was past its nadir and the way to play offence these days is to go multi-formational, using both power and spread sets, the shame of it is that, with our Lions long standing offensive line woes we have to use the spread offence less than anyone.

There is nothing wrong with the spread offence. Toronto won a recent Grey Cup using the spread offence and Cortez is a spread offence disciple..the Riders used the spread offence in winning the Grey Cup last year. Calgary uses a lot of spread sets with a single back in Cornish. The spread eliminated the fullback for a fifth receiver. The full spread offence is an empty backfield and six receivers. Calgary, with Hufngagel as the offensive coordinator in the 90's introduced it and killed defenses with the spread offence. However, defenses are more used to it now and are better at defending it, both with personell and scheme.

Really, MLF and myself should not have to be on Lionbackers screaming for only power formations. Our quarterback should have been able and should presently be able to get a reasonable amount of time to throw the football out of the spread offence but that is not going to happen easily - it never has nor have we been able to run the football out of the spread offence.

Chap took unfair heat the last 3 seasons. His offence was more dynamic than any offence in the CFL. He used a more dynamic running attack, with the most variety of running plays and used the most play action and moved the pocket more than any other CFL offence. It was a real challenge howerver for our offence to overcome our run and pass blocking and when we were successful it mostly came from scheme and talent at the tailback position for our run game and also schemeing the pass game with a lot of formation and motion, along with the abilities of Lulay.

I got into some heat on Lionbackers because I wanted Lulay to get the ball out of his hands faster. Should he have had more time to throw. Yes!! Was he going to? No!! Did he have to make plays with his legs too often? Yes!! Wev'e had some very good quarterbacks here in B.C. over the past decade and more but just imagine how good they could have been with some protection. Just imagine how many more drives would have been successful if we could run effectively in short yardage or down in the red zone. Just imagine how much better our quarterbacks would have looked playing behind Calgary's offensive line. Or vice-versa, just think how much worse Ricky Ray or Anthony Cavillo would have looked with Dorazio setting up the blocking. Cavillo's career would likely have been much shorter and Ray would likely not be playing.

We've had some very talented and dedicated offensive lineman play for our Leos over the past decade. But our offensive lineman have not progressed under Doraxzio and usually decline the logner they play for him. Angus Reid would have been an all-star every season playing for Hufnagel. Olifoye was the Most Valuable Offensive Lineman in his first season as a starting tackle. The odds of him winning the award again are slim. Matt Norman was better in his rookie debut than he is playing presently, not because he can't block but because our offensive line blitz pickup system makes him look like he often doesn't have it. Valli started at guard in our 2011 Grey Cup season and he played well. His play has regressed.

In the meantime Khari Jones had better start scheming and game planning better. Kevin Glenn may be wishing he was a backup in Ottawa right now than absorbing the punishment he is taking. Lulay would be smart to take his time getting back and wait for some of our offensive line woes to improve at least a little.

The way to beat Calgary is to run the football and make sure its second and short...Stubler will be prepared and wanting to kick our asses and he will if we think we can go spread and beat them. We have a real chance, with Cornish out to finally get our run defense to play better and put Mitchell in second and long more often. But Hufnagel knows how to block for the run and that is not going to be an easy task, even with Cornish out...so we need to penetrate and have our linebackers exploding up into any gaps and not getting blocked 5 yards downfield.
(Copied and brought over from the Keys to the Game thread, as it relates to an ongoing issue.)
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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Hambone
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It seems Dorazio is now the official fan whipping boy meaning whatever goes wrong with the offence will be his fault in they eyes of many. He'll probably take heat when the defence and STs have an off game too. Since he's become a lightning rod for discontent I've become curious about one thing. If he's so incompetent and incapable why is the respect level for him so high in the football community? Why do so many OL he's coached absolutely love the guy and think he's one of, if not the best OL coach they've ever worked under?
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WestCoastJoe
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Hambone wrote:It seems Dorazio is now the official fan whipping boy meaning whatever goes wrong with the offence will be his fault in they eyes of many. He'll probably take heat when the defence and STs have an off game too. Since he's become a lightning rod for discontent I've become curious about one thing. If he's so incompetent and incapable why is the respect level for him so high in the football community? Why do so many OL he's coached absolutely love the guy and think he's one of, if not the best OL coach they've ever worked under?
Official whipping boy? I would suggest that some fans are looking at lots of O Line issues, that have occurred over and over for the last 12 years. Does one just overlook sacks? Lack of development for years and years? How about the need to completely change blocking schemes for the playoff stretch drive last year?

In criticizing Dan Dorazio, it is about the O Line, his bailiwick. His responsibility. His accountability. Not the defence. Not the receivers. Not the QB. O Line pass protection, which has been abysmal. O Line run blocking which has had long dry spells over the years. Short yardage blocking woes. National O Line lack of development for many years. International recruitment and selection foibles. Merry Go Round at positions. On and on.

Nonsense to suggest that Dorazio will take heat for defensive woes or STs.

Re the "respect level" for our coach ... Long time service, good guy, extremely long hours and hard work. How about the sacks? How about the failures on the field? What is said and thought in private by other coaches, and players? What does Noel Thorpe think of our O Line coach when he ramps up the blitzes and stunts? What does Gary Etcheverry think of our O Line coach when he moves guys all over the place, blitzes and stunts coming from all angles? Free for all day. The media are very reluctant to criticize coaches. Credentials and longevity can sometimes give a Teflon shield that hides failings. People overlook stuff, because someone is Dean of O Line coaches in the CFL. Maybe the guy in Calgary is better. Maybe the guy in Montreal is better. Maybe the guy in Regina is better. One could certainly present a case that those guys are better. Maybe our guy makes things too complicated. Maybe our guy experiments with different concepts, and the constant change causes problems. Maybe the desired zone blocking scheme is just too hard to teach in the short practice time we are allowed, especially with young linemen.

Many years ago, I attended a coaching clinic in which Howard Mudd, ex-NFL O Lineman (NFL 1960s All-Decade Team), and NFL O Line coach at that time, was presenting. He loved the blocking sled, and showed us film of him working his charges, torturing they would say. He was a very good presenter, and had much success as an O Line coach. In his career, he coached O Line with 8 different NFL teams. With Dan D's credentials as a CFL coach (always with a Wally Buono team, always within the safety of Wally's loyalty to some coaches), and respect level, I would expect he would be an in-demand speaker at clinics, teaching young coaches, as does Howard Mudd, as does Alex Gibbs. I have not heard if this is so. I am sure he could present well on zone blocking, drills and skills, et cetera. With what I see as failings on the field, I would attribute to an overly complicated approach and system. But Dan D has the knowledge, perhaps just expecting too much from his charges, demanding too much thought-intensive detail, and making too many changes, in schemes, philosophy and personnel.
Mudd was named the offensive line coach for the Philadelphia Eagles after being talked out of retirement on February 2, 2011.[7] In Mudd's first season with the Eagles, they allowed 17 fewer sacks than they had the previous season. -- Wikipedia
In judging an O Line coach, sack totals are relevant. Our totals are abysmal, and have been for years.

I respect your loyalty to Dan Dorazio. Some bloggers here see issues that happen over and over. It is on the tape of games. It is seen in the situations we find ourselves in again and again.

People can see it differently. Some people see failues at the coaching level in this case.

Can our O Line coach, and his players, turn it around, get it going in the right direction? Yes, of course. It has happened before.
...........

A quick Google search brings up a couple of videos:

Dan Dorazio at work.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/BC/ID/2390634243/

Dan Dorazio on draft pick, Dean Valli.

John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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Hambone wrote:It seems Dorazio is now the official fan whipping boy meaning whatever goes wrong with the offence will be his fault in they eyes of many. He'll probably take heat when the defence and STs have an off game too. Since he's become a lightning rod for discontent I've become curious about one thing. If he's so incompetent and incapable why is the respect level for him so high in the football community? Why do so many OL he's coached absolutely love the guy and think he's one of, if not the best OL coach they've ever worked under?
It does seem that Dorazio has become the new Chapdelaine. I've heard that Dorazio is well respected among his peers. I recall an interview with Angus Reid about 2 years ago in which he had very high praise for Dorazio.
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Hambone wrote:It seems Dorazio is now the official fan whipping boy meaning whatever goes wrong with the offence will be his fault in they eyes of many. He'll probably take heat when the defence and STs have an off game too. Since he's become a lightning rod for discontent I've become curious about one thing. If he's so incompetent and incapable why is the respect level for him so high in the football community? Why do so many OL he's coached absolutely love the guy and think he's one of, if not the best OL coach they've ever worked under?
I think Dorazio has gained respect due to his technical knowledge, complex blocking schemes and presumably excellent teaching skills.

However with a bunch of young big hogs complexity, both mentally and with footwork, is not what is needed. What is needed is to clear the mind of over thinking the blocking and just physically overpower the man in front you. When Dorazio realizes this and simplifies things for his O line, that is when I will stop being critical of Dan The Tenured Man.
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I do think it is important that Dorazio's colleagues/players think he's the best OL coach they hare ever had/interacted with. However, there comes a time when the results have to speak for themselves. I had NO IDEA we were 50+ sacks behind (ahead depending on perspective) the next worst team, the TIcats.....
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Hambone wrote:It seems Dorazio is now the official fan whipping boy meaning whatever goes wrong with the offence will be his fault in they eyes of many. He'll probably take heat when the defence and STs have an off game too. Since he's become a lightning rod for discontent I've become curious about one thing. If he's so incompetent and incapable why is the respect level for him so high in the football community? Why do so many OL he's coached absolutely love the guy and think he's one of, if not the best OL coach they've ever worked under?
To be fair, I haven't been on his side since JC came back from the Esks. With that said, would it be far fetched to ask any player what they thought of their coach and expect similar praise? It would be more to the point to ask the likes of those that have failed to reach their expectations under their Lions tenure, and see if they think that Dorazio is the best coach. There are too many cracks in the system for him to be the best there ever was. When the pressure is on to produce, he seems to come up with a miracle, and that may play into the guru aspect that he is perceived as. With similar complaints that use to fall to JC (which KJ should also get, but he is the new guy and we can afford him some time to adjust) still around, and all focused on the OL, at some point doesn't Dorazio have to wear it?
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Hambone wrote:It seems Dorazio is now the official fan whipping boy meaning whatever goes wrong with the offence will be his fault in they eyes of many. He'll probably take heat when the defence and STs have an off game too. Since he's become a lightning rod for discontent I've become curious about one thing. If he's so incompetent and incapable why is the respect level for him so high in the football community? Why do so many OL he's coached absolutely love the guy and think he's one of, if not the best OL coach they've ever worked under?
We have a bingo!!!.....and why is it that when the oline played well this year, no one commended Dorazio on how well prepared they were? The game is fairly simple in that talent, skill, preparedness, game plan, etc play a major part in winning.....but an even BIGGER part comes down to emotion, intensity and desire to impose your will on the opposition....and THAT is what's NOT HAPPENING.

From Valli's brain farts to not recognizing defensive twists/stunts to not being willing to make the required effort......these are not things that ANY Oline coach can force his players to do.

Defenses aren't doing anything new.....it's all been done before.....it comes down to studying game film and having the presence of mind to recognize/trust what you see.....and then execute to the absolute best of your abilities.....and that's not happening.

IMHO, I would like to see the Lions settle on Steward, Fabien, Norman, Player and Olafioye as the starting oline......and let them play together (barring injury) come hell or high water......they will be a lot better in the month of October if this is allowed to happen.
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Shi Zi Mi wrote:
Hambone wrote:It seems Dorazio is now the official fan whipping boy meaning whatever goes wrong with the offence will be his fault in they eyes of many. He'll probably take heat when the defence and STs have an off game too. Since he's become a lightning rod for discontent I've become curious about one thing. If he's so incompetent and incapable why is the respect level for him so high in the football community? Why do so many OL he's coached absolutely love the guy and think he's one of, if not the best OL coach they've ever worked under?
We have a bingo!!!.....and why is it that when the oline played well this year, no one commended Dorazio on how well prepared they were? The game is fairly simple in that talent, skill, preparedness, game plan, etc play a major part in winning.....but an even BIGGER part comes down to emotion, intensity and desire to impose your will on the opposition....and THAT is what's NOT HAPPENING.

From Valli's brain farts to not recognizing defensive twists/stunts to not being willing to make the required effort......these are not things that ANY Oline coach can force his players to do.

Defenses aren't doing anything new.....it's all been done before.....it comes down to studying game film and having the presence of mind to recognize/trust what you see.....and then execute to the absolute best of your abilities.....and that's not happening.

IMHO, I would like to see the Lions settle on Steward, Fabien, Norman, Player and Olafioye as the starting oline......and let them play together (barring injury) come hell or high water......they will be a lot better in the month of October if this is allowed to happen.
:whs: and :whs:
There's a tendency to blame coaches when things go wrong. They're not stupid. They see a lot more than we see as fans. Winning isn't about outsmarting the other team. It's about the 3 E's: effort, execution and experience. The Lions' effort and execution has been lacking in their losses. We knew they went into the season lacking experience at O-line, receiver and DB. The DBs seem to have come together as a unit in their short time together. Experience for receivers and QBs and for the O-line can only come from playing together for an extended period of time. I hope the Lions pick a 5-man starting OL soon and stick to it. The young players all have the physical tools to succeed over time.
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Dan Dorazio has had some fans defend him. Fair enough. He is a good man, and a hard working coach.

Management, the media and the fans have a somewhat easier time judging a player or coach if wins and losses, or a meaningful statistic, can be more directly attributed to that person. A goalie in hockey. A starting pitcher. A Head Coach judged on wins/losses. An OC judged on passing yards, rushing yards. A DC judged on yards given up, sacks, interceptions.

But an O Line coach? Can be hard to judge. Is the O Line coach responsible for pass protection, or is it the OC? Is it the QB? Is it lack of talent, intelligence, effort, or will in the O Linemen?

If we had never mounted a rushing attack, that would look bad on the OL coach. If we had never mounted a passing attack, that would look bad on the OL coach. But at times we have had these things. At other times they are missing.

For me, and for some others, these things bear scrutiny, and allow some judgment:

* Number of sacks over the years (Yes, it can be explained away)

* Lack of push in short yardage (Yes, it can be explained away)

* Injured QBs (Yes, it can be explained away)

* Lack of development of national OL talent over the years, even now, although our young guys still show promise (Yes, it can be explained away)

* Revolving door of internationals at left tackle, prior to Hunter Steward, a national (Yes, it can be explained away)

* Focus on mind-numbing details demanded of the OL, knee position, foot position, hand positions (Yes, it can be explained away and justified)

* Changing philosophy in the O Line, technical, physical, back and forth

* Determination to use a very complicated zone blocking system, which at many, many times, fails to provide good blocking

* Confusion in assignments (Yes, it can be explained away)

* Missed assignments (Yes, it can be explained away)

* Failure to provide solid pass protecion (Yes, it can be explained away)

* Failure to prepare for stunts, blitzes and defenders changing positions (Yes, it can be explained away)

Everything can be explained away. But at some point, pretty much everybody makes some judgments. This player is not good enough. So and so needs to be released. Such and such a coach is outstanding. So on this forum there are fans that see Dan Dorazio differently.
................

Dan Dorazio has his loyal fans

Dan Dorazio has the loyalty of Wally Buono

Dan Dorazio has some fans that see failures that can be attributed to his coaching
...............

Twelve years is a long time, with lots of games, lots of film. Some fans are going to find fault. Some fans are going to remain loyal.

And there we are ... We will see how we do today. Could be good. Could be a disaster.

As noted previously, we have turned things around before. We may just do so once again. In time to make the playoffs? Oooh ... dunno about that.

And, if our pass protection is solid, if our run blocking is successful, I expect we will see recognition on this forum for the good work of Dan Dorazio.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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Last season, near the end of the season the Lions dropped the complex zone blocking scheme and had noticeable success with a simpler more physical system. So I find it inexcusable that the Lions would revert back to the more complex less successful system. I blame Doriazio for this but since he seems to be the Tenured Man he won't be fired, so it is up to the HC to demand changes or take the blame himself.
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I'm neither defending nor criticizing Dorazio. I don't know enough about blocking schemes to have an informed opinion. I think most of us acknowledged at the outset that the Lions have an extremely young and inexperienced offensive line, but the young nationals in particular have a great upside over time. There will be many growing pains. Coaches and fans need to show patience. A one-game losing streak is not the time to give up on the process.
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I'm another fan that can't clearly discern the kind of blocking scheme being used on a particular play. So I have a couple of questions that some of you might be able to answer. First, are the Lions using zone -blocking on a regular basis so far this season? Second, was the change in blocking scheme that paid dividends in the latter part of last season one from zone- to man-blocking? Third, do we know for a fact that Dan Dorazio's blocking schemes are, in fact, more complicated than those taught by other O-line coaches, or is this just some kind of received wisdom?

I guess I'm one fan who doesn't blame Dorazio for all the O-line failures. At some point, the players have to take ownership of their poor play. If what we're seeing is a lack of effort and commitment, then perhaps some of this can be attributed to the coaching staff--but not necessarily the position coach, more likely the HC and the culture he has established--but most, in my opinion, goes back to the players themselves. The idea that the O-linemen can't execute because they've been taught a too-complex blocking scheme, although always possible, I guess, seems somewhat tenuous to me. In addition, the notion that our O-line is highly-talented (and thus their failures must be someone else's fault) seems to me to be very debatable. Olafioye is a talent, no question. But I haven't been bowled over by Matt Norman's play, and Valli is, in my opinion, completely inadequate and nowhere near up to CFL standards. Fabien, Steward, and Player seem as though they might develop into something, but none of these guys seems, at least at this point, to me to have all-star potential. So maybe Dorazio is doing his best with what he has, and it's time for the players themselves to summon up some pride and effort, stay longer at practice, work harder, and get the job done.
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SP, this is a pretty deep subject. I do not presume to speak for anyone else. But here are my thoughts on it. This is how it is in my mind, as opposed to answering your questions. What to look for in zone blocking ...

I posted on this last year, I believe. The elements of zone blocking have been around for a long time. Vince Lombardi used what they called "Do Dad" blocking. Double team and then slide off to the second level of defence.

So one element to look for is a double team at the point of attack. Centre and guard. And then one slides off.

Another element is one I was first exposed to back in the early 1980s at a coaching clinic at the Hotel Vancouver. One speaker was the HC at UNLV. Small linemen. He made an excellent presentation on what he called "angle blocking." Just like it sounds. Brute force is a battle for giants. With double teams and angle blocking the size is not as much of an issue.

Alex Gibbs raised it to a much higher, more complicated level with the Broncos. We know the kind of linemen Gibbs wanted. Smaller, more agile, very bright. They have to think a lot, read and react.

I just took a quick look at our first play vs Calgary. A run by Harris for over 9 yards. Hard to see on the tape, but it looks like a double team at the point of attack = zone blocking. Beautiful play. I don't expect Dorazio to abandon the concept. But I would advise to keep it simple and consistent, not change philosophy as was announced 2 or 3 years ago and then go back and forth. Technical to physical, back and forth. If we focus on our size and strength, as compared to agility and reads we will win the LOS. We did vs Calgary. Our guys knew what they were doing. It looks like we do both: some MTM, along with some zone in the run game. If all 5 OL are "covered," it looks like MTM, although the plan may have been zone.

When we changed? Which direction? I don't keep track of that. I've observed countless practices over the years. I've seen how detailed Dan D can get. It would drive me crazy. IMO the key to our success running the ball at the end of 2013, was in simplifying the reads and assignments, possibly even the techniques of the OL. More focus on power from our huge guys. Less focus on tricky footwork and hand techniques. More MTM. Blow the defenders off the LOS. I don't recall at this time, but I expect we still ran some zone blocking on run plays. Logan helped of course. Harris was liberated and validated.

There are other concepts involved. Rules blocking. If, then ... If then ... Area blocking vs MTM.

I would suggest to just watch for double teams on run plays. And then one moves to level 2 in the secondary.

Also watch for the entire OL to slant hard to one side. The DL moves with them, trying for penetration, and to stretch out the play to the sideline. We ran this with Joe Smith with great success, and that was the first I recall of our O Line all slanting hard to one side. I don't want to watch more film of the Calgary game, but I recall seeing the OL slant hard to the side on some run plays.

How does a D Lineman or LB know a zone run is coming? Starts with a double team. Or the entire O Line slants hard. DL blocked from an angle. The OL wants sideways movement creating space, holes and cutback opportunities. IMO ...

One more element. Inside zone. Outside zone. By different names also, such as Stretch Play for outside zone. No set hole. Runner reads and reacts. Different OL techniques are taught for the two. The runner aims a bit more outside on the Stretch Play. When defences react too hard running wide, offences look to cutback.

Pass blocking is a different animal. One could say 4 DL and 5 OL is zone blocking. Or one could say 5 DL on 5 OL is MTM. Zone blocking in its evolution and terminology and schemes refers to run blocking. IMO ...

For me, I have no problem with zone blocking per se. I am happier when Dorazio keeps the variables to a minimum. Some double teams. Some angle blocking. Some area blocking. But keep the decisions, and techniques, simple for the players.

My view is this. It is a finesse system. Not a power system. It wants to get the D moving and then get trapped. It wants to spread the D out. It wants to setup cutbacks. It works well, if the players buy in, if it is well taught, as can be seen by all the teams moving to this system, or have already done so. Hard to teach. Many moving parts and variables.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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