Josh McDaniels: "Running game will change" (1 Viewer)

[Raider Nation]

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_14256207

A moment of silence, please, for the Broncos' zone-blocking scheme. Can there be a more fitting farewell tribute?

New coaches have been hired to teach a new way of running the ball at Dove Valley. The zone-blocking, one-cut running scheme, a Broncos staple since 1995, will not be back.

"Our running game and some of the things we're going to do next year will definitely change," Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said Saturday night.

Freshly promoted offensive line coach Clancy Barone and newly hired assistant offensive line coach Bob Wylie and running backs coach Eric Studesville have been brought in to help transition the Broncos to more of a power running style.

"The teams that run the zone play, that's predominantly what they do," McDaniels said. "Because if you're going to be good at that, you're going to have to be good at that all the time. We're not doing that. There will be some zone in there, but we're not going to major in it."

During their Super Bowl title seasons in 1997 and 1998, the Broncos became famous for their zone/cut-blocking style and for offensive linemen who refused to speak to the media.

But a funny thing has happened since then — no zone-blocking system has carried a team to the Super Bowl, much less won it, since the 1998 Broncos.

And so Barone, Wylie and Studesville were hired to help alter the Broncos' running game that will feature second-year tailback Knowshon Moreno and possibly include one or two new offensive linemen.

"We're going to run some power, we're going to run some inside zone," McDaniels said. "There's no way to exactly characterize our type of running scheme. It's just not going to be dedicated to the outside zone play. It will be different. But it will be more what I'm used to, and Clancy's going to do a great job with it."

Incidentally, Bob Wylie is on Sirius NFL Radio all the time. Talk about a no-nonsense, high-energy guy.... WOW.

 

[Banger]

aaahhhh...take the one thing that's worked for a decade behind a line that was thought to have been one been one of the best going into last year and blow it up. That guy's a genius.

Serious question...who's the Bronco's coach in 2011?

 

[Raider Nation]

Serious question...who's the Bronco's coach in 2011?

Tom Cable.

 

[Couch Potato]

McD's motto:

If it ain't broke, change it, bench it, trade it, or what the hell, just get a big ol' sledgehammer and BREAK IT!

 

[PlasmaDogPlasma]

I think some of you are over-reacting. It's not like there aren't plenty of teams that run successfully without using the ZBS. If it doesn't really fit in McDaniels' overall scheme, he needs to change it.

 

[_lurker_]

power-run scheme is better for pass protection. ZBS requires a far more mobile QB than McD's system wants. More and more teams will drop the ZBS as their primary scheme. I believe that Oakland is heading that way too.

 

[Spaz]

I'll be very interested to see how well that line works next year.

 

[UnknownCoach]

They had success with it, they also had the smallest line in the league for most of those years. Those linemen wouldnt have been good in a traditional system. There's been lots of talk about the system, but there isnt any best system in the NFL. Only different types of systems and different types of players. O Linemen often have long careers but they dont play forever. Things had to change sooner or later. They are going to have to add more beef though if they want a successful power running attack.

 

[Bronco Binkley]

As a Bronco fan I am all for this change. If you have watched this team the running game has disapeared over the last 3 years. Watching them consistantly not pick up 3rd downs on 3rd and short and not getting into the endzone when you have 1st and goal has been a serious problem lately. This is a change that needs to happen.

 

[PizzaDeliveryGuy]

aaahhhh...take the one thing that's worked for a decade behind a line that was thought to have been one been one of the best going into last year and blow it up. That guy's a genius.Serious question...who's the Bronco's coach in 2011?

They were 17th in yards per game and only 8 teams scored fewer TDs last year. I know it's fun to pile on but at least try to do a little research first.

 

[Buffaloes]

aaahhhh...take the one thing that's worked for a decade behind a line that was thought to have been one been one of the best going into last year and blow it up. That guy's a genius.Serious question...who's the Bronco's coach in 2011?

The ZBS has a few inherent flaws. It's a great between the 20s running game, but the Broncos issue going back to the early aughts has always been with short yardage situations. They simply don't have the interior size to power for a few yards. The second is a ZBS generally requires a more athletic QB to run bootlegs off ZBS play fakes. The running game was abysmal down the stretch because the interior OL was getting beat at the point of attack. Denver will get bigger in the interior and that should help the running game. at all the people who automatically assume it's a stupid move because McDaniels is doing it. It's something that needs to be done. They have struggled for years inside the red zone because they aren't big enough on the OL. Look at the yards per game vs. points per game during the last few years under Shanahan. They could move the ball fine, but struggled to finish. They tried a half ##### ZBS/power running scheme last year and it didn't work out. As that article states, no predominantly ZBS running team has made the Super Bowl since Denver did over a decade ago.

 

[malice]

As a Bronco fan I am all for this change. If you have watched this team the running game has disapeared over the last 3 years. Watching them consistantly not pick up 3rd downs on 3rd and short and not getting into the endzone when you have 1st and goal has been a serious problem lately. This is a change that needs to happen.

The change will be the Patriots style- rather than run, throw it to Vrabel.

 

[Tanner9919]

as for Moreno, nothing's going to change, you'rs still going to see a lot of the RBBC we saw during the 2009 season.

McD will stick with what he knows best, and that is using a lot of RBs/formations/pre-snap shifts, etc..

the numbers will still be there, plenty of rushing yards to go around,but he's going to be the Sammy Morris of this offense..

you're not going to see 300+ carries from one guy,it's going to be split..