Is the Inside Zone a 33 Stack Defense Weakness?

Every defense has weaknesses. A good football coach knows the weaknesses of each defensive play call, and how to adjust to stop it. Is the Inside Zone run play a 33 Stack Defense weakness? And if so, how do you adjust?

The answer is not to change your defense. The 33 Stack Defense can defend against the Inside Zone (and Zone Read will be very similar). Just have a plan.

To effectively use the 33 Stack Defense, you need to create fronts to stop your opponent. Its not about running 162 different blitz combinations. You only need a few calls that create the fronts you want.

What makes the Inside Zone play a 33 Stack Defense weakness is the ease with which Offensive Linemen can handle the stacks. They work on this stuff all the time in 2 on 2 pod group blocking drills.

The basics of blocking a 33 Stack Defense are pretty simple for Inside Zone teams. To see how it’s done just check out this video: How to Run Inside Zone Against the 33 Stack Defense

There’s 3 basic strategies for defeating the Inside Zone with your Odd Stack. Two are technique based, and the third is going to be scheme based.

Defeat the Combo Block

Sure, defeating the combo block works in any front. This isn’t some 33 Stack Defense secret. This is more about HOW you defeat that combo.

There’s actually two ways. Neither of them involves sacrificing yourself and falling to the ground. I can’t stand teaching a kid how to properly receive a tail wuppin’.

It’s all in your slant technique. Defensive Line Coaches in a slanting defensive front need to spend a ton of time teaching multiple slant techniques for different situations.

Assuming we’re in a run down, the way to slant on a 33 Stack Defensive Line is to attack the half man. Then focus on defeating the one man, and working your hips into the gap for control.

Defensive Linemen control gaps with their hips. Not the feet. Or the hat. It’s all hip control.

Instead of trying to defeat two defenders on a combo block, you defeat one. The goal of the combo is for one of the blockers to climb to the Linebacker.

If you beat one man, either the other has to stay on the block and the Linebacker is free, or he climbs and you’re left with the one on one match-up that the Defensive Lineman won.

Taking the half-man advantage means to slant to the outside or inside shoulder of a defender. In a spill defense, you want to control the outside shoulder of the blocker in the gap.

Grab the Blockers

I took this technique from Pat Fox in a Glazier Clinic several years ago. I made the mistake of sitting too close, and was chosen to the be the demo guy. Pat Fox ripped my chest hair out.

The technique is pretty simple. Against zone heavy run teams, you attack the half man just like before. But instead of trying to hip into the gap and defeat the man, you clench onto the man so that he cannot climb.

When the defender clenches onto the blocker, with hip control in the gap, he prevents the zone combo from overtaking and climbing. In the stack, that will leave your Linebacker free to attack one gap over.

In Figure 1, the Nose would clench onto the Center. That prevents him from climbing to the Mike, leaving the Mike a free run to A Gap. The Left End will do the same, clenching the back side tackle so that the Will Backer can handle any cutback.

The play side Tackle would still be able to climb to the Sam if the play bounces. Your Right End still has hip control in B gap to help make the play.

This is a good technique if you don’t think your Defensive Linemen are over-matched up front, or if your Linebackers are the better defenders on your defense.

Using Blitzes to Hide Your 33 Stack Defense Weakness

If your defenders beat a block and make a tackle, you win. There’s no scheme to change that. Basic football truth.

But you can do use some tricks to help your defenders keep Inside Zone from being a 33 Stack Defense weakness.

Offensive Linemen are expecting to work the stack in the Inside Zone. It’s a pretty basic combo, and the main reason the play looks like a 33 Stack Defense weakness to Offensive Coordinators.

But the flexibility of the 33 Stack Defense opens up plenty of creative possibilities.

To create chaos and confuse the stack combos, you can use Defensive Line stunts, bring Linebackers across two gaps, or a combination of both.

Figure 2 uses a twist stunt between the Right End and the Nose. The End is the penetrator, attacking hard to the inside shoulder of the Guard so that he cannot quickly come off. He’s trying to attract a double from the Center and Guard. That lets the Nose, the looper, to cleanly attack the B gap.

In Figure 3 we’re running a Smoke Strong X stunt, bringing the Strong Safety inside. He starts the play outside of the field of vision of the Offensive Linemen. You don’t want to show this stunt too early, because the linemen or the Quarterback will alert to his presence and check their line calls.

 

The Inside Zone is a great play, and tough to defend. But well prepared Defensive Coordinators can turn it from a 33 Stack Defense weakness to a strength with the right game plan and good fundamentals up front.