Daily Norseman
As the Minnesota Vikings get ready for the start of training camp, one thing the Vikings’ offensive coaching staff is likely preparing for is continuing the installation of the offense. That carries added importance this season if the Vikings have a new starting quarterback, particularly in the passing game, but the run game is also likely to get a bit of a makeover with the addition of assistant head coach Frank Smith, who is focusing on the run game.
Kevin O’Connell is an offshoot of the McVay branch of the Shanahan coaching tree while Frank Smith worked under Mike McDaniel in Miami, who is an offshoot of the Kyle Shanahan branch. McDaniel specialized in the run game working under Kyle Shanahan and Frank Smith will bring a lot of those concepts to Minnesota. I won’t go into the Shanahan coaching tree history, which you can get it here, but there is a lot of overlap between various offshoots, even as each of them evolve too.
A core feature of the Shanahan offense is the wide zone run scheme. When you see all the offensive linemen take a drop or bucket step and then all block horizontally in the same direction, that is zone blocking. In wide zone, the running back aims for the butt of the tight end or if there is no tight end on the play side, then the outside leg of the tackle. The back then reads the defensive end and makes his cut after 3-5 steps. If he moves inside, the back bounces the run outside, if he pursues outside, the back bends it back inside, if the hole is open, he bangs through. Below is a classic outside zone play, called on 1st and 10.
This isn’t new for the Vikings or Kevin O’Connell’s scheme. It’s been a staple for years. In fact, it’s not all that different than ‘super power left’ power sweeps we used to run in pee-wee football back in the 1970s.
And if you watch the play, it didn’t fool the Bengals defense. The defensive formation was toward the play side, countering the double tight-end set, the linebackers flow toward the run immediately, there is even a backside defensive back blitzing to try and get to Mason behind the line of scrimmage. The play was successful because it was well blocked and Mason didn’t hesitate, but the play design itself didn’t do much to tilt the outcome in the Vikings’ favor.
Here is a variation of outside zone that the Dolphins ran last season under Frank Smith, the new Vikings de facto run game coordinator:
On 3rd and 3, the Dolphins initially show five-wide with an empty backfield and a shotgun formation- strongly suggesting a pass play. However, De’Von Achane at the bottom of the screen, motions back to the backfield:
Following Achane’s motion to the backfield, the Colts have the linebackers shifted toward the 3-wide receiver side and the...
