Combination Blocking:
Almost all IZ plays begin with a combination block, where two linemen block one defender. Two on one, as Chip says, this is a power play, not a finesse play.
Going back to our base formation:
And we saw:
Here, the doubled defender is the NT. Kelce gets to the playside of the defender and blocks him - seals him - and Herremans, who was uncovered, comes free to block to his playside (his left) and the two drive the NT. Meanwhile, each of the other linemen go for their numbered targets, all of them going to their playside. Note that Todd ignores the guy coming to the spot he is vacating. Not his problem. It's Lane's problem. Todd, uncovered at the snap, blocks playside. That comes with coaching and trust.
Another one. Remember this?
By now, you should know who blocks whom, but let's break it down.
The TE has the outside guy, the closest man to his playside. If the playside were to the offensive right, he would be uncovered and probably go after an LB. Since the playside is to the left he goes after the #2 defender. Mathis is covered by the 0 defender, so he will block him, period. Kelce is uncovered, so he will block the first man to the playside, meaning that he will double Mathis's guy (72). Herremans is covered, so he will block that guy, the #1 guy to the backside, (96). Johnson is uncovered so he will double on 96. Peters will block the OLB (91).
An observation here. We can deduce that this is a called IZ, and not a read-option. Why? Because if this were a RO, there would be no need for Peters to block the LB and he would sift through to attack the inside LB 59. Anyway, there are the double-team blocks...
But what's this? Neither ILB is blocked at all. Both are running free.
This is the difference between a double-team block and a combination block. A double-team is just that. Block the one guy, both of you, and take him to the ground. A combination block is something else.
FOUR HANDS, FOUR EYES
You may have seen that phrase used here and there. What coaches mean by this is that, in combination blocks, the two linemen both engage with the defender (four hands) but they're looking to the second level (four eyes). Other coaches will tell their linemen to "feel" the man they're blocking as they look past him. Still others will ask at least one of their linemen - usually the "help" blocker - to keep his outside arm free of the defender. This last group asks the helper to control the defender with one arm while the other guy concentrates on him and be ready to release from the defender to the second level. You might call this group the "three hands, four eyes" guys.
The difference between the three approaches is almost nonexistent. The concept is simple: control the defender with two blockers and drive him, then have one blocker release to the second level. The blocker releases when he "feels" that his partner has control of the defender. If help releases from the combo block and his partner does not have control of the defender, the play will get blown up. Until he feels that, he should not release. Further, he does not want to release too soon.
The timing of this release is very important. You want the second-level defender to come to you. The guy you're looking for is smaller and quicker and usually balanced while you're coming off a big collision, so your balance and acceleration are not ideal. On the other hand, you're bigger, so if you hit him, he should move.
Note the difference between a combination block and a simple second-level block where the lineman sifts through the line without engaging a first-line defender. The distinction between these two things is a significant part of the difference between a power blocking system and a zone blocking system.
Back to the play:
You can see Johnson coming of his combo with Herremans and looking for the LB. Similarly, Kelce is coming off his combo with Mathis and looking for the other LB. Herremans has his helmet to the right of 96's helmet, so Johnson feels free to release.
Helmet placement is indicative of the side on which the blocker has control and, while drive blockers look to put their helmet under the defender's chin and between the numbers, zone blockers - because of the angles they take - may not have that luxury. Also, there's the "shoulder-to-shoulder" approach that most coaches teach - much as wrestlers grapple. This is exactly what Herremans is doing with his man. The defender may push by on the side where his helmet leads but he will have a very hard time getting back across the face of the blocker with any effectiveness. In this case, by the time 96 can fight back across Herremans' face, Shady will be gone.
Meanwhile, Kelce and Mathis have pushed 72 well wide of the play so Jason can release. The right arms of both "help" blockers are coming free so both can get the clean release. D linemen will often clutch and grab and try to hook that arm to prevent the release, but not this time. Peters has his man walled off and Shady has already recognized the hole and is making his cut. Both "help" blockers have gotten clean releases and are getting on the LBs. On this play, Shady will go for about eight yards.
Critical points: I hope you can see from this what experience working together means to O linemen. When you double team, who releases and when is by feel. You can't teach but so much of it. Sometimes you never release, just drive to the whistle. Sometimes you just know your partner has the guy blocked and you go early. Sometimes he releases, not you. That depends on how you're doing with the Dl, if he has a game going with another player (and we'll have a whole other segment on that).
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