FanPost

Power Running in the Coryell Offense




So Im bored as we are now in the doldrums of June. So Im doing a little reading on the Coryell offense. Ive read plenty of articles that say the Coryell offense must have a power running game. Then Ive read other articles that say we (the Vikings) have a power running game. Im having a little trouble digesting this and figuring out what it means. And fill free to chime in on this, especially Arif if he actually sees this and wants to write his next novel.

There are only two parts of our running game that I think of as power. AP and Big Phil Loadholt. They are capable of steamrolling people. Thats power running to me. The rest of the oline seems decidedly not power running to me as I would label the rest of the oline as small to average in size and more of finesse/technique players fit for zone blocking.

Then I read the following quote by Mike Martz which confused the hell out of me because he talks about "power running" but then basically describes it as zone blocking and dancing your way through the line which in my mind are not power running concepts. Here is the quote:

"That's another thing that's critical to the system. Power running. You've got to be able to run the ball when you go to a three-wide receiver set, and you've got to run with power. By that I mean behind zone blocking, which is a big departure from the San Francisco system. Theirs was man-blocking, with a lot of cut-blocks and misdirection. Ours is straight power. Not many people realize this, but if we hadn't have gotten Marshall we were prepared to go with another excellent zone-blocking runner, Robert Holcombe. It takes a certain type, a guy who can run with power, who's good at picking his way through. Stephen Davis is doing that in Washington now, and that's a big reason why their offense is so good...The good thing about zone-block running is that you can keep pounding away. You don't have the negative yardage plays."

So now I am thoroughly confused. If anyone could enlighten me or point me to a good article on this subject I would appreciate it.

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.