| 02 April 2010
That was great and insightful information about Gibbs and what he requires for a ZBS lineman candidate in your last article Steve! It got me thinking about the ZBS and what it means to the Seahawks with Gibbs as the offensive line coach. Gibbs is the grandfather of zone blocking so we should be getting the real deal here in Seattle Addicts not what we've seen alluded to as zone blocking the last two years.
I thought Solari was supposed to be a ZB guru when he was brought in during Holmgren's last year but it looks as if he didn't have the depth of knowledge that Gibbs has and doesn't understand what makes a zone scheme work and that's the right players. Rather than doing what Gibbs is doing, Solari tried to mold linemen who only marginally fit the requirements of zone blocking into a crack unit. What we ended up with was last year's line who even when healthy were out of sync and disjointed at best. I remember many comments on how the ZBS sucks and how we should go back to a straight ahead blocking scheme. With the guys we had, that was probably a fair assessment. I just wonder if Solari knew what was wrong and simply wasn't given the green light to tear up the line and re-build it or if he knew how to teach the system but not how to evaluate and acquire the right players to make the scheme flourish and therefore was floundering along with everyone else connected with that team and it's schemes. Mora used the fact that they hadn't yet mastered the ZBS as an excuse throughout the season but would they ever have gotten it even this year? Read More.......It appears that Gibbs values intelligence and analytical skills as paramount when assessing an interior lineman's aptitude for become an effective ZBS guard or center. Sims and Spencer fall outside that specification as do most of the Seahawk's current linemen except maybe Walter Jones but he's a LT and in a different category. Also, look for the mauler to be gone (or in the Seahawk's case, never acquired) and replaced by smaller, faster, and more athletic players who make good decisions quickly and work well as a part of a team without ego and who rely on the system to get things done rather than individual effort and superstar performance. It almost sounds Ruskelleske.
You're much more likely to hear someone cry out "Foul, he cut him down at the legs" than "What a great block" in the future when the Gibbs ZBS is fully staffed and in full operation. Remember all the articles you used to read about how Denver linemen played dirty and were cut blocking which is illegal? Cut blocking isn't illegal unless you catch the guy at or below the knees which happens once in a while by mistake or ill advised play and the reason some coaches stay away from the technique. It takes a very good athlete who has better foot-speed than his opponent to carry out the cut block with precision and be legal with it almost every time. When properly done it's a thing of beauty if you understand what the goal is. Cut blocking is designed to put a big body on the ground as often as possible and those big guys don't like having to pick themselves up off the turf on almost every play. It wears them down and makes them look bad. It eats at their egos and in the fourth quarter, the defensive front four are worn out from picking themselves off the turf all day while the offensive line is much fresher. That was the way it worked in Denver and the way it's being anticipated to work here in Seattle by Carroll and staff.
If it's true that Solari had the knowledge of how the system worked but not so much the evaluation skills to target the right players or was denied a re-build of the offensive line by Mora and/or Ruskell, he never had a chance with this bunch of linemen currently playing for the Seahawks and probably would have had to luck into a bunch of offensive linemen who could form an effective ZBS line to succeed anyway whereas Gibbs not only knows how to build one from scratch but has the front office's blessing to get rid of whoever he wants and then acquire replacement players he feels fits the system using his own criteria. It looks like that might take two or three years of identifying prospects and then acquiring those guys deemed to fit the system but ultimately well worth it once built and running in maintenance mode. To get a well-oiled machine-like OL like Denver had going for them when Gibbs was there should be one of the strong factors in being an annual contender and it should be easy for a coach like Gibbs to keep it running, maintained, and replenished.
I was stoked about going to a ZBS when Solari arrived and then disillusioned when he couldn't get it working two years later but I'm back to eagerly anticipating seeing the ZBS at it's absolute best as taught by the Zen Master of ZB himself in Gibbs.
Another great point about the ZBS that I can infer out of insightful articles such as Steve's is that except for the LT, who still has the same responsibilities as in any other offensive blocking scheme, a lot of the optimum ZB linemen are probably not highly sought after by other teams high in the draft. If you're going to draft a guard high, you're usually looking at a guy like Iupati who is well above 300lbs and just a monster mauler type of blocker. He's big and aggressive and can pancake his opponent but that's not what makes a great ZBS lineman. A ZBS linemen cut blocks his opponent to get him on the ground not pancake him.
It takes speed, footwork, and athleticism to cut block and a smaller player can do the job just fine. In the draft, you're looking at smaller players who are faster, and also, shorter, which can be very good because that means a lower center of gravity and more leverage which is vitally important if you're smaller and lighter, yet have to take on the same defensive linemen as the bigger mauler type of player and come up with the same result. Leverage is a great equalizer in that situation. It allows a smaller, lighter, and particularly shorter player to stand his ground using superior leverage as well as a player who weighs 20 lbs more but who is built higher off the ground. Those smaller, shorter, lighter players get injured less often too which keeps them playing together for longer periods of time and seasoning an offensive line makes them play better and better as a unit as time goes by.
Now, when I look at drafting a guard high, I have a different perspective and look at Iupati in a bit of a different light. Does he possess high intelligence and good analytical skills that he can bring to bear quickly? Will he defer to another lineman in the interest of team play instead of taking on a key block himself when he has a different assignment (no ego)? Is he athletic enough and does he have the foot-speed to keep up with lighter more agile linemen who work in tandem to make things happen rather than making that one big crushing block or a series of one on one plays to open holes? Iupati might be selected in the first round and certainly will be gone in the second if not. The kind of offensive linemen Gibbs wants will be those who are considered a bit too light, a little too short, and possessing very good footwork and foot-speed but a little outside the ideal measurables for a straight ahead blocking lineman. Those will be 3rd, 4th and 5th round talents because every team looks for those big talented maulers high in the draft and these guys are considered projects for development for most teams who perhaps can be bulked up and help the team down the road.
If Gibbs can readily and consistently identify his kind of players in those middle rounds, it should be easy to keep the Seahawks offensive line stocked with players who continue to fit the scheme well and who will provide continuity through multiple seasons and hopefully multiple titles. Only when we replace another LT should we have to look for a very high round offenisve lineman and those middle rounders will be available to us every year in the draft. From what I understand, Gibbs drafts a linemen or two every year and keeps his line well stocked and backed up. This sounds like my kind of scheme. I have high hopes that Gibbs will be able to install it here in Seattle to become as effective as it was in Denver.
That's what Gibbs is all about and I can certainly buy into the philosophy and sip the kool aid at this juncture. Right now, the Seahawks have to be patient as he builds the offensive line from scratch (or at least from Unger out). Afterwards, it will become a yearly maintenance project to keep it staffed and working at peak efficiency. It may take two or three years to get the offensive line rebuilt with quality ZBS linemen at all positions. After that, it should be a piece of cake.
Do you Addicts still covet the switch to the ZBS and are you willing to put up with a multi-year rebuild to get there. What chance do you think the Seahawks have of matching Denver's success with the ZBS? Do you trust Gibbs to build an effective line using the smaller, lighter, shorter but faster and built lower to the ground philosophy? Isn't that what Ruskell did in some area's?
The draft is just three weeks away. You can start working up to a fever pitch now. I know I am and I can't wait to see what the Seahawks do for the offensive line.
Hasta,
BillT
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