They practiced zone-blocking and you praise the "pure" blocking scheme (zone or power), but don't you think the overall scheme has to be a mix between the two.
No, I do not think you need a combination of power and zone. In fact, I say determine what you want to be and then perfect what you want to be. This is only my opinion, Bach. Denver and Atlanta have been ripping up the NFL, basically running one-play: the Tackle-Zone (or the 6 & 7 hole zone, to some). Alex Gibbs (OL coach) is the legend that started it all in Denver and then went to Atlanta. He keeps retiring and then coming back...he's like week old Spam, you just keep nibbling...
Looking at our OL I'm thinking power, but looking at Edge and our system I'm thinking zone. Ideally, we would run a zone scheme, but players like Latui, Ross and Milford Brown are terrible fits IMO for the "pure" zone blocking.
Again, well said, but just because you have powerful people in a zone-scheme doesn't make them poor fits for the scheme. The zone-scheme doesn't have to be a finesse-scheme - Denver knocks the crap out of folks. It gets a "soft" label - prompting guys like Warner to say things like, "They just need to get in the way of people," because it doesn't attack a specific hole and because of all the cut-blocks on the backside.
As somebody else posted, isn't the wanted scheme something like what the Chiefs use. They run a semi zone, where they still count on their players to power-block the vital block and then have all other on the line zone block in angles to the play-side.
You know your stuff, Bach. And this is where my assumptions get me in trouble from time-to-time. The Outside-Zone is what you're talking about, the play Priest Holmes and The Edge perfected over the years (and Robert Smith before that). Yes, on the Outside-Zone, there is a down-block on the front-side (or more, based on front), usually by the tight-end, and the UNCOVERED LINEMAN (no defensive lineman lined up over them) pulls around that down-block, attacking the second-level in space. I wouldn't characterize this play as a "power" play because it can hit anywhere down the line-of-scrimmage! You're not attacking a specific hole, per say, you're trying to get the second-level running laterally, allowing the back to find the opening. Many times, on the down-block, the defensive-lineman will play across the face of the tight-end with the second-level running over the top. If the back sees this, he cuts behind the failed down-block and takes it North! This is why you'll see The Edge line-up eight-yards deep in the backfield! It gives him room to run his course, get the second-level running, and then cut it up inside, especially if there's any penetration outside. The Tackle-Zone and the Inside-Zone has no down-blocks, making it, technically, a pure zone concept.
I hope this helps...
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