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[Heatmiser]

Steelers also signed last FB the chargers cut when he lost out to Gabe won’t you be my Nabors

Chargers and Steelers have exchanged their 4 core ST player from last year now


TG

[Boltjolt]

Re: Pittsburgh picking up FB Zander Horvath off of waivers. Too bad; an inherent risk of waiving and I differ in that it’s not inconsequential, no matter how good looking at it that way makes one feel, aka ‘Meh .. no big deal’. But consider the pages of offensive plays we had schemed, implemented and spent precious time practicing and honing, now tossed in the trash can (I’m old-school from the pencil-and-paper and blackboard days). Now our O.C. will have to modify and draw up new plays, or modify current ones, and try to implement new personnel, then it has to be practiced, so in my view, it’s a loss.

Note from ChargerBooster: I love a good snot-busting fullback led run. And the feints can be that much more effective if it is ‘sold’ to the defense’. Oh well, onward!

He didn't have A FB in Dallas, so he has plays. He was drawing new ones WITH Zander. And Perhaps they use Smartt in the ones he had with Zander.

What's the difference if Zander is on the PS and NOT running those plays in games as opposed to being gone?
No big deal imo. Not like Zander was Moose Johnson out there.

[ghost]

Re: Pittsburgh picking up FB Zander Horvath off of waivers. Too bad; an inherent risk of waiving and I differ in that it’s not inconsequential, no matter how good looking at it that way makes one feel, aka ‘Meh .. no big deal’. But consider the pages of offensive plays we had schemed, implemented and spent precious time practicing and honing, now tossed in the trash can (I’m old-school from the pencil-and-paper and blackboard days). Now our O.C. will have to modify and draw up new plays, or modify current ones, and try to implement new personnel, then it has to be practiced, so in my view, it’s a loss.

Note from ChargerBooster: I love a good snot-busting fullback led run. And the feints can be that much more effective if it is ‘sold’ to the defense’. Oh well, onward!

We cannot run our new zone run scheme with a FB. If you look at the Swoop block, that is TE that executes that block. Keeping around a fullback that can't execute a swoop block as efficiently as a TE is a lose/lose proposition. I've watched nearly every Cowboys offensive snap of the last four years, there's so much going on, and in Top 5 ranks, embracing this new concept is better than refusing to let go of a vanishing concept.

Zone blocking.png

[YAC]

I was curious to see how much Zander actually played last season on offense. So I sampled some games

Week...Zander offensive snap count
1.........15
4...........8
7...........3
10.........5
14........13
16.........5

He had a role, but certainly wasn't a staple. And Moore thinks differently about FB. Assuming we have a good replacement for Zander in ST I have zero heartburn about Horvath's departure.

Where I do have heartburn: We don't have versatile tight ends that can catch and block.

[Boltnut]

We cannot run our new zone run scheme with a FB. If you look at the Swoop block, that is TE that executes that block. Keeping around a fullback that can't execute a swoop block as efficiently as a TE is a lose/lose proposition. I've watched nearly every Cowboys offensive snap of the last four years, there's so much going on, and in Top 5 ranks, embracing this new concept is better than refusing to let go of a vanishing concept.

Zone blocking.png

Yes, the idea is to create "greater surface area" along the offensive line... to create more gaps.
Moore is trying to spread defenses out... and through zone blocking, seal off a whole side of the defense. While the defense is trying to fight through the trash, TE's are pulling behind the OL and getting good matchups. Many times, you're getting numbers mismatches.

Other times, through formation shifts or motion, you're dragging defenders out of the box (as they follow their assignments... or shift to strong/weakside) and your OL gets good matchups or a RB has one less defender to beat. We saw this happen with Kelley's 75-yard run. I can only imagine what this will look like with Austin v. a defender in space...

The blocking schemes are 100% different than Lombardi's. This should be a real fun season!

[jamrock]

Steelers also signed last FB the chargers cut when he lost out to Gabe won’t you be my Nabors

Chargers and Steelers have exchanged their 4 core ST player from last year now


TG

They also signed Derek Watt and Fehoko. Have no idea whether both are still on the team

[Boltjolt]

They also signed Derek Watt and Fehoko. Have no idea whether both are still on the team

Nope

[gzubeck]

Yes, the idea is to create "greater surface area" along the offensive line... to create more gaps.
Moore is trying to spread defenses out... and through zone blocking, seal off a whole side of the defense. While the defense is trying to fight through the trash, TE's are pulling behind the OL and getting good matchups. Many times, you're getting numbers mismatches.

Other times, through formation shifts or motion, you're dragging defenders out of the box (as they follow their assignments... or shift to strong/weakside) and your OL gets good matchups or a RB has one less defender to beat. We saw this happen with Kelley's 75-yard run. I can only imagine what this will look like with Austin v. a defender in space...

The blocking schemes are 100% different than Lombardi's. This should be a real fun season!

I don't really understand all the lingo for blocking schemes but from a purely visual test the cogs seem to be working at a much higher level than last year. Last year it felt like almost every play when running we were hitting a wall.

[Fouts2herbert]

I thought Popper said the Charges wanted to add him back to their PS, my understanding is they did but he went to a blue collar throwback FB-based team. We play modern football.

I wish him the best, hopefully he'll get an opportunity there, but with heyward on the team, it's hard to say when or if he'll get a shot...even Pittsburg won't be carrying 2 FBs on their 53 man roster...

[ghost]

I don't really understand all the lingo for blocking schemes but from a purely visual test the cogs seem to be working at a much higher level than last year. Last year it felt like almost every play when running we were hitting a wall.

Because nobody on TV ever explains it. Ever. Brett Kollman even explains that fact here.

[SuperCharged]

Well at least someone wants him. I wasn't to happy letting him go but oh well.

[ghost]

Because nobody on TV ever explains it. Ever. Brett Kollman even explains that fact here.

The zone run is different than the gap scheme, as there is no preconceived gap prior to the snap, like a guard counter, which is designed to put a gap where the coach chooses. Instead, what happens is the gap choices become apparent in the steps after following the insert blocker or the swoop blocker - into the gap - created by scoop blocks (double teams) on the interior defensive lineman.

Now, the insert blocker and the blocking WR need to hit their seal blocks at the next level on the LBers. The key is to watch the horizontal pre-snap motion of the TE, (Stone Smartt) he is the swoop blocker or widget block and his route will determine which is playside, which is backside. The rest is now offensive playside blocks and backside blocks on this large surface area that creates a wall and draws in off-the-ball defenders, increasing the chance for open field runs for Moore's offense.

The 49er RB, Raheem Mostert, read 4 gaps in 5 steps.

Zone blocking.png