NFL Coach Question

[Talen]

Well, since this is the Water Cooler here's a real non-fencing question!

Do any of you NFL fans know which coach originated the Zone Blitz?

It's an extra credit question for a quiz on Thursday. I can't find it on the net and I don't have access to any other resources before then.

[KShan5[PrFC]]

All I know is that it was started in the 90s. sorry

[Almightynoitall]

Easy... Bengal's coach Dick LeBeau

[KShan5[PrFC]]

Wait...the Bengals did something good??? They are the first team to initate the zone blitz, but still failed??

[whtouche]

What's a zone blitz

[Talen]

Thanks Almightynoitall.

As to the Bengals doing something good, I remember Sam Wyche and Boomer with the Hurry-Up offense back in the 80s. Every generation needs a whipping boy, it's just the Bengals turn this time.

[Talen]

The Zone Blitz is a defense technique that makes it hard for the quarterback to read the defense prior to the snap. I don't know the details since I last played football in the late 70s.

Any die-hard fans have more details?

[darius]

The Bungles are currently 2nd in their division, and have been very competitive in most of their losses. And that's with a decided lack of talent -- their one bonafide superstar, RB Corey Dillon, has been more injured than not this season.

But there are plenty of good coaches on bad teams: Hermann Edwards (Jets) and Dom Capers (Texans) are the two that come to mind.

(I'd say something about Jon Gruden and the Bucs, but the way my main man Manning manhandled them on Monday night, that would just be salt in the wound...)

darius

[KShan5[PrFC]]

well a zone is pretty much where you dont play man-to-man, you play a certain area of the field. ANd a blitz is when one person rushes the quarterback in an attempt for the sack. now put two and two together. it is a bit more complex than that, but it is the basic idea.

[Almightynoitall]

Originally posted by whtouche
What's a zone blitz

A zone blitz is where the linebackers and corners all play in a cover 2/man up pattern (corners) with zones over the middle... then either the MLB, OLB or FS (or some combination of the three) line up right behind the D-Line. One or two blitz, and the remainder falls back to cover their designated zone.

The best thing about this is that it's unreadable. You're showing blitz... but there's no way for certain from which backer and where the gaps are between zones, and whether or not your recievers will be able to make it open. The only real problem is an outside run or a blitz to the wrong side if a hole opens up for the halfback or QB to run it through.