You've heard the term "wide zone" run scheme thrown around a bunch by now about the Steelers, and you're probably wondering what that means, right?
It's a concept the Steelers need to use more of as they work back to being a team that runs the football and wins games because they do so in a way that controls games. But it's also only part of an arsenal of concepts that Matt Canada will need in his playbook for Mike Tomlin's team to get the most out of the run game, especially Najee Harris.
For a basic understanding of what "wide zone" even means, let's break it down step by step.
First, zone blocking schemes are based on offensive linemen basing their assignments on a given run play by attacking an area, instead of specific defenders. This allows linemen to adjust how they attack a defense based on their various alignments, but it also requires the line as a whole to have the chemistry to adjust in unison based off how a play develops.
As the linemen attack their areas they also are aware which direction the running back might be headed and engage the defenders in their area accordingly. This allows for the running back to pick between multiple possible openings as the play develops.
Second, "wide zone" simply means expanding the run to work towards the offensive tackle, giving the running back the space behind the line and burst through whichever hole opens up the best.
The Browns did this very well with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in 2020, allowing them to use their vision and burst to capitalize on creases created by zone blocking schemes. Watch Chubb's 47-yard touchdown against the Steelers in week 17 and notice how the Browns attack the Steelers' defense.
You can see the Browns' tackle lined up inside of Ola Adeniyi (No. 92), but work to get to Adeniyi's outside shoulder to seal him to the inside, while the tight end seals Sean Davis to the outside. At the same time, the right guard has no lineman overtop of him, allowing him to work the second level and seal off Vince Williams, the closest linebacker to the play.
That leaves just Cam Sutton to take on Chubb in the hole, a matchup that didn't go well:
These concepts aren't foreign to the Steelers, nor are they foreign to their incoming rookies.
But employing those schemes more will be the key. Dejan Kovacevic revealed in last week's Friday Insider how Randy Fichtner was the one who pulled the Steelers away from running the ball at all, let alone using any specific zone blocking scheme. Canada's challenge will be making sure the Steelers' personnel can embrace those schemes in getting the run game going.
Dan Moore Jr. is an offensive tackle who pulled that off plenty of times at Texas A&M, where his offensive line led the way for the Aggies' running backs to lead the SEC in rushing yards per attempt in 2020. Moore's ability play physical at tackle while also moving to get to different positions to wall off defenders in the right spots made him an interesting prospect for Kevin Colbert, and his ability to finish plays excited offensive line coach Adrian Klemm.
Watch how he worked to the second level of Clemson's defense in this 2019 game. Moore had a defensive end lined up overtop of him but once that man crashed inside, he passed him off to the guard next to him and got the linebacker sealed to the outside. That allowed his running back to bust the run inside for a good gain:
That's also where the chemistry has to come into play for a line.
Zone concepts require linemen to communicate just as much as any other formation, but also react to how a defender attacks them. It gives the line multiple contingencies based off those directions, but it can also lead to a confused mess if teammates read and react differently on a play.
In addition to wide zone concepts are inside zone runs, where it's the same idea of how the line blocks, but the running back is just working inside the tackles. Kendrick Green, the guy the Steelers want to be the center of the future, is used to working these as well.
Inside zones often require effective chipping between interior offensive linemen. Chipping is when the linemen start a play by double-teaming a defensive lineman lined up in front of them, but then one of the linemen breaks off the double-team to attack a linebacker or defensive back in the second level.
Watch how Green did that here for Illinois, helping to shove a defensive tackle out of A-gap before sealing off an attacking linebacker away from the run to allow for a solid gain:
Inside zones also sometimes ask for offensive tackles to pull down the line and trap block an edge defender on the opposite side of the line so that the rest of the offensive line can focus on working on these kind of chip blocks.
Moore had plenty of success doing this for Texas A&M, which if he can translate to success in training camp and preseason, could force Chukwuma Okorafor to step up to earn the starting left tackle spot.
But just as important, and sometimes even more so, as the offensive line's work in a zone system is a running back's ability to capitalize on it. That's why Harris was such an important get for the Steelers in the first round.
Zone run concepts require a running back to have vision that adapts to how his line works against defensive fronts as a play develops and act quickly when an opening is created. Power run schemes that aim a running back at a specific hole usually restrict the need for a running back to need elite vision as they're targeting a specific gap.
But zone schemes can allow for more capable backs to pick and choose when and where to attack, especially where cutbacks are an option. That's where Harris was extremely dangerous to defend.
A wide zone blocking scheme could be designed for a running back to bounce outside or bang the run inside, but it's up to the back to choose the plan.
Watch this touchdown run by Harris against Kentucky. You can see Alex Leatherwood (No. 70) work to seal his man to the inside as the left tackle while the tight end chipped that man to the inside to help him and then work to seal an approaching safety to the outside. If you look at the two of them, they created a lane of attack for Harris to get to if he got wide enough.
But Harris noticed how wide Kentucky's defensive line was split and how the only linebacker in between that split ran towards where Leatherwood was working. That linebacker felt the run developing in that direction. But with such wide defensive front, no lineman was over right guard Deonte Brown, and that allowed him to work to the linebacker and seal him off:
Harris saw all of it, and even leaped over his own lineman who got blown up at the line to find the crease opened up by the linebacker's pursuit. The result was a cutback that led to the touchdown.
Canada can open up a lot within the Steelers' offense if Harris can get that feel with the line. Defenders that have to worry about multiple gaps to defend against a run game that features a running back who can turn a crease into a big gain that quickly will sell out more to stop that run and then open up the passing game for easier targets from Ben Roethlisberger.
Watch how quickly Harris turned one of those creases into a huge score against Auburn. You can see him process the play as he patiently approached the line, and effectively have to lanes to attack to his left or right. But he waited to suck up the linebacker closest to those gaps and then cut back for score:
Runs like these also don't require a super dominant offensive line to win all their battles, either.
Plenty of running backs have flourished in recent years despite mediocre line performances like Dalvin Cook, Saquon Barkley and even Todd Gurley in his prime. Harris doing that while the Steelers' offensive line builds their chemistry is certainly something that wouldn't be a surprising 2021 storyline.
But for the Steelers to capitalize on this being a major tool for its offense and open up other opportunities, Canada has to make it a part of the playbook the team calls a lot more often than it did under Fichtner. Klemm has to make sure that the offensive line understands how to work those schemes to maximize chances for Harris to bust loose, and Harris just has to do what he's been doing for years.
Then it will be up to Tomlin and the rest of the team to capitalize on finally having a run game with a defense that's ranked twice in the top five in scoring in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2010-2011. Combine an efficient rushing attack with that kind of defense and a passing attack that limits mistakes and takes advantage defenses selling out to stop Harris would make the Steelers more than formidable in 2021.
