Sim-Style Part II: Zone Running

[PGaither84]

Index:
Sim-Style Pat I: Gap Control

As Madden 16 fast approaches, I will be writing threads to help players improve their simulation experience in Madden the best they can despite the game's flaws. These threads are not going to be a tutorial on how to take the most advantage of the AI or the game play. I simply want to share with you information from real NFL coaches and teams, and then how to apply that to Madden. I have a variety of NFL playbooks and presentations given by NFL coaches which I will be referencing.

My goal is to try and recreate an NFL offense in Madden rather than trying to help you win a cash tournament.

===========================================

In part one, I talked about defense. We focused on gap control and stopping the run with 8 men in the box. In part two, I would like to move to the offensive side of the ball and talk about the zone run and running against 8 men in the box.

I'd like to start by introducing Alex Gibbs, the "godfather" of zone running. While he didn't invent the zone run scheme, he has certainly perfected it. He is most famous for teaching it to the Denver Broncos in the 1990's and winning two Super Bowl rings with them. He is an old ball coach and a great teacher, but he also uses a lot of foul language. I don't want to get a warning/yellow card from the moderators, so I am warning you now. Also, I cut up a few clips and edited out all the F bombs and strong language that I could. Everything I have to say on this subject is just based on his work. I will also talk about how to apply his teaching in Madden, but all of the credit to the concepts go to him.

To my advantage, many people have written on this subject over the years. I am going to provide links for you as we go. Here is the first: Alex Gibbs, the godfather of the modern zone blocking scheme

Beyond that, in 2004, Coach Gibbs visited the Florida Gators on a collaborative project. He came to teach his concepts to them, and learn their shotgun Read Option system. You can find an article and the YouTube video links here: Alex Gibbs Teaches the Zone Blocking Scheme. As it asks in the article, "Do you have the next six or ten hours free?" The answer is probably, "No." That's okay. I am here to help.I have cut up the first two or so hours of the talk into three significantly shorter videos.

In the first video, he introduces the core philosophy: Zone Clinic Part 1
In the second video, he talks front side blocking: Zone Clinic Part 2
In the third and final video, he talks back side blocking: Zone Clinic Part 3

After discussing the core concepts and coaching points, they go to the film. I have not cut that up, and it is full of foul language, so be warned.

Film Study 1
Film Study 2

Additional information:
Alex Gibbs on the Outside Zone.pdf
2004 Denver Broncos Offense.pdf
====================================

If you have made it this far, I am sure you are interested in how to apply this information to Madden. As of this posting, I am still playing Madden 25 on the Xbox 360. This game has custom playbooks and I take full advantage of this feature.

From the 2004 Denver Broncos Offensive Playbook, we find the following page:

Spoiler

So, what does all that mean?18 means the right. 19 means the left. HO means Hand Off. Strong means to the strong side of the formation, where the TE is aligned. The same logic is applied to all of the subsequent plays. 14/15 are inside zone runs. 34/35 are FB hand off inside zones. 40/41 are draw plays.

(T) means Tiger or Base. Tiger means that a second TE is substituting the FB.

Next, they list the various formations the play is run out of.

18/19 HO Strong is run out of the following formations: I, Near, Solo, Solo Slot, Double Wing, Far Double Wing, Far West Slot and Far West Zoom.

What are all of those formations? I bet you think you know some of them.. but you would be wrong about at least one of them. What we think of as "Near" in Madden is not what they are talking about here. What they are talking about is what we refer to as "Weak I"

Spoiler

So, let us take a closer look at those formations. We all know the I formation and I just explained what they mean by "Near."

Solo
Solo Slot
Double Wing

When you take a closer look at Far Double Wing, Far West Slot and Far West Zoom, you realize they are the same as Double Wing, but with slightly different splits by the receivers and alternate substitution packages. For example the purposes of Madden, they are functionally the same. You just use the right thumb stick when you are choosing plays by formation to select different packages for the same effect.

Spoiler

In the following examples, I will be using the SF 49ers.
15 is Michael Crabtree, 81 is Anquan Boldin, 84 is Brandon Lloyd, 85 is Vernon Davis, 89 is Vance McDonald, 21 is Frank Gore.

For the purposes of Madden, the 2004 Denver Broncos essentially used the I formation, Weak I, Dice Slot, and Big Twins with a variety of package substitutions. As a result, that is what i use in my playbook. You may also notice I have Twin TE Chief, which the Broncos called West Right Slot (and its variations). Madden 25 does not have accurate zone runs from the I formation or Single Back ACE. At least, nothing I am happy running with, so I don't use them. Instead I also use Twin TE Chief and the Pistol.

========================================

Now that we have established the formations, we need to take a closer look at the plays. to do this, I am going to show you my audibles:

Spoiler

I never call my runs in the huddle. Instead I call a pass play, or based on the situation, I might call a play action pass. As I break the huddle and my team approaches the line of scrimmage, I press the audible button every time. Even if I cancel it (fake audible). I look at the defensive alignment and based on the game situation I might audible into the appropriate run.

======================================

Time to recap:

NO NEGATIVES!
-No counters, traps, sweeps, pitches or any of that. Not in this offense.

BIG PLAYS
-You are always pressing and threatening the outside edge. If the defense takes it away, you cut it up inside and take what you can get. Once they let you outside, you can hit it for big chunks. Sometimes the "cut back" can get big chunks too.

COUNT
-When you get to the line, start with the center and work your way to the edge. Count how many defenders are there to stop the run and go to where you are even or have the advantage. Never run to where you don't have enough helmets.

READ
- Star with the first down lineman working outside-in. You are reading his helmet. Ideally, you want your edge blocker to get his head outside the defender's head and seal the edge to spring you fora big run. Even if he doesn't, that's okay. You immediately work to the two man and do the same thing as you press the hole. Finally, you work two-to-three, the backside two man and look for a possible true cut back.

ONE CUT
-You only get one cut, and ideally you won't cut at all. Make your read and go. Even if you are wrong, don't dance. Get up field. NO NEGATIVES.

===========================

It all comes down to practice. Go into the lab and run the strong and weak zones against a variety of defenses. Get used to the reads. Stick with it.

Man blocking runs concern themselves with hole numbers, trap action, down blocks, pulling guards and so forth. The Outside zone is really 8 runs in one core play. If you get the edge, you take it. If you don't, you put your foot in the dirt and press the hole. If that isn't there, you cut back side. Those are three in one, then you do the same strong and weak side, making 6, and the QB keeper makes 8. Also, according to coach Gibbs, the QB is not what most of think. To him, that is a play action pass. he keeps the ball on the fake, rolls backside and make a decision to throw or take off. The most famous example was in Super Bowl 32 to start the secodn quarter. The Migraine Play.

So, while some people here at Operation Sports like to cry foul, "That is cheese, you just keep using the same runs over and over again!" the reality is... that is how the Denver Broncos rode a wave to back-to-back Super Bowl titles and how the Seattle Seahawks were a dumb play call away from doing the same thing.

From these core formations, I can write another topic about the passing game, but that will come in a future installment.

==================

Questions? Comments? Please feel free to leave them in the replies.

[CR3AMnCR1MS0N]

You might not get any deep replies for a little while. Lots and lots of what I am sure is great info. Thanks again!

[PSUEagle]

You've made two really good topics that deserve serious discussion.

Outside and Inside Zone are both in the 12 personnel ("Tiger" in WCO parlance) formations, at least the "main" ones (Ace, Ace Twins, Ace Pair, Pair Twins, Ace Close).

Where the developers have failed is having multiple versions of the same play. Some have different footwork and tempo from the back (check out the "HB Smash" runs you see in sets like SB Slot and SB Bunch compared to "Zone Weak" in the Ace sets) when they should all be consistent. Or "Slant 18" being in the same set as "Stretch" or "Outside Zone" they should have only one and stick with it to eliminate waste and duplication.

The other areas that need improvement are additional tags off runs. You're starting to see it manifest in some formations such as Bunch with the "Split Zone" concept where a TE/FB goes opposite the run and blocks the backside DE. The problem is this should be available in every formation that has either a wing TE (Pair, Bunch, Wing Trips, etc) or a FB (I, Strong, Weak) with either the wing or FB executing that assignment.

Same thing applies to the Zone Windback (HB Misdirection in Madden) as well as some of the tags you get in two back (Force, Split, Box, etc). BTW, it's worth noting that as long as true defensive fronts don't exist in the game certain tags/concepts (18/19 Release where the TE automatically climbs to the force defender vs a 7 Tech DE with the FB blocking the next backer inside of him) aren't really practical.

Right now in Madden for whatever reason plays aren't consistent across formations, and that's one thing APF2K8 did really well IMO: you basically had every play available from every formation (when possible) so that you could run a true concept based system, with multiple formations serving as mere window dressing (as it is in the NFL). In Madden critical concepts in both the run and pass games are missing from a lot of sets, which limits what you can do (maybe intentionally?).

In NCAA/Madden 90% of my run game over the years has basically been IZ and OZ, with Lead Draw as my other main run. Despite my frustrations with the series, those plays are blocked much more consistently than Gap schemes (Power and Counter). The Gibbs/Shanahan/Kubiak running game is near and dear to my heart: easily my favorite in football (and I got to coach in a system that ran a lot of those concepts a few years ago).

In the future I'm going to make a topic addressing these inconsistencies and how to streamline them across the game. One of my main frustrations in this series is how custom playbooks function: there is a lot of duplication and redundancy that would be really simple to fix and get things moving in a better direction, IMO.

[Datninja619]

Nice Read. Also another tip, is to not hold the turbo as soon as you get the hand off. You want the blocks to develop first, then once you see the lane, hit it.

It's harder to make the one cut immediately while holding turbo due to momentum .

[KwiLL23]

So no counter plays or anything else, even in something like the Carolina Panthers playbook? Great write up by the way.