Yeah, I think you're right.

Specifically, Jackson is a hesitant runner. In the zone scheme, you can't hesitate. You need to be decisive. I saw that with Starks. Whether that continues this year remains to be seen. But I do believe that the RBs share or even hold most of the responsibility for the struggles in the running game. That might be why Johnson hasn't stood out or perhaps he's just not playing as well either. Not to mention that GB hasn't attempted to run the ball as much either.

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I think Starks hitting the hole hard, after nearly two years of no contact, is something that will maintain. And will improve with someone like Quinn leading the way.

If a player is ever going to be hesitant after nearly two years of no contact, I would believe its going to show in their first few attempts.

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Ummm last time I heard the Texans were running mostly zone blocking and I believe I saw them do it when they run over the Colts D in the first couple of weeks. Yeah I'm not buying into zone blocking doesn't let him hit crap at all... why? I've seen Hall, Kuhn and Johnson hit people...

There are different types of zone, there is inside zone, outside zone, slide zone (which is the one people are talking about) and the power zone. I'm not a master or reading them all bu i believe the Packers run a bit of everything including power blocking at times (also call man blocking)...

I think zone blocking does slow him down... but not because he can't hit... because in power blocking only the RB has to read the blocking in front of him... in zone blocking the RB and FB have to read the blocking in front which some power FBs had a lot of trouble with when they're used to playing mostly power blocking and that was the down fall of FB William Henderson (that and age) and it does slow Johnson up.... and that's why zone teams like the Broncos (under their old head coach) where known to take big powerful RBs and make them FBs (like Kuhn who was a star RB in college) because they were used to making those reads...



That's not Johnson only problem.. he is basically a one trick pony... that one trick is run blocking between the tackles. He's very good at it... but he has trouble blocking or staying with a guy in open area or open field. He not that good at catching the ball, not blocking to the outside, not pass blocking, not STs...

A bit reason he has staying with guys in open are, field, or even outside the tackles is partly because he's hips are seriously tight hips, stiff hips, unflexible hips or what ever you want to call it he has it. He also isn't used to the foot work of pass blocking or going side to side if the guy tries to side step his block.

There was an article about Johnson first day of training camp or something... FBs were doing this drill where they had to do footwork though a rope ladder and had a metal thing above them forcing them to lower there hips while they did it or hit their helmets on the metal and Johnson couldn't lower his hips and kept hitting the metal over and over... he couldn't do footwork and get low...

Now both of those are fixable over the long term IF he wants to fix it and figure out and does it. One you could warm up and then do hip stretches, two you could join Clay Matthews and Ryan Grant doing their MMA training stuff where on youtube some where it showed Matthews doing drills to that both loosened up his side to side hips muscle and then later one to work his lowering his body hip muscle with jay glazer? somebody... as for the footwork, rope latter over and over and practice with someone that knows what they're looking for and can tell you if you are doing it right...



I think Johnson has the heart for football... I'm not sure he has the heart of knowledge for preparing himself to his best for football like all the little things like working out staying flexible. I mean I think I've read he likes the weight room stuff but that's not his problem... he's problem his limited body movement which is fixable.

If Korey Hall could stay healthy and had power in his hits he'd be a great FB. He's not gonna run anyone over because of his lack of power but tell him to target a LB/DB and force them to turn their shoulders away from the play basically knocking them out of play as the RB runs by and he gets the job done almost every time. He struggle between the tackles with his lack of power but get him past the tackle (inside or out) just has to be past them and he's good. He can also catch, run routes, play STs. He sucks I mean sucks at blocking Jard Allen though with they ask him to try every so often... he doesn't have the power to block DL. And he can't stay healthy it seems. Hall is a zone FB... but he needs to get more power in his hits.

Also since I talked about Johnson and Hall why not Kuhn?

Kuhn is summed up well by the phase, Jack of all trades, King of none... Kuhn can everything MM ask from FBs, run, catch, pass block, inside power blocks, outside block... all... but he hasn't master any of them quite yet. MM loves Kuhn in the red zone because he's versatile and gives MM so many options, and options make it harder for the defense to read.

wow... that's a lot longer than I meant it to be...

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Wow--great post, beast. I remember Quinn struggling with that flexibility drill in training camp. That was during his rookie year. I didn't hear anything about it this year.

Fullback is a more complicated job than I realized. Maybe Vonta Leach is looking good in Houston because he is blocking for one of the best RBs in the league.

I think these last four games and (hopefully) the playoffs are very important for Quinn. He can stake his claim to a roster spot for next year, or he can be the odd man out. But I'm doubtful right now because I think they kept him because of his potential, and I'm not seeing any progression from last year to this year. I thought he was going to get cut this year, but he made a late push in training camp that probably saved his job.

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Where did I say they don't hit people?

We are talking much the same thing, in this scheme, as I once was taught, you stick your nose in and stone them.. but don't drive (man block) him out of the hole.. you turn (isolate) him so the running back can read or cut. And also, that Quasi Zone scheme I referred to is just that.. a blend of zone and man principles.. and why do they run that.. because they refuse to chop.

You are asking a guy that is a straight line blocker now adjust to sticking his nose in, isolating them and not getting on him and pushing him out of the hole. His flexibility mave be the cause for it, but last year I think one of the reasons he didn't see the field a ton is that he was blasting people out and that is not what they want in most cases. This year he is doing more what the coaches want, not clogging the lanes by pushing them out of the way and now fans are wondering where the big hits are.

Can he become a FB in this system.. possibly, but his natural game, watching him from LSU up, is more a drive system where he can just stick his nose in and push the defender out of the hole.. like taking a square peg, trying to round the edges to stuff it through a circular hole.. and I think it is "holding" him back some.. hence the ill fit.

I will get back to the Texans running game later.. gotta run.

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I think all of the positions are more complicated than they sound. It's not very often they talk about all the small things that go into making a good player but there are tons and tons of little things... and really that's where Driver has become better... all the little things....

After a Bengals/Saints preseason scrimmage Chad Ochocinco (Chad Johnson) asked the Saints CBs (Mike McKenzie was one of them then) how could he get better. They told him he was giving up a ton of tells... they knew when he was the first read or going deep because he would always tighten up his gloves right before that play and when he was more the decoy on the play he wouldn't mess with his gloves. And they were down a whole list of tells he was giving away... I only remember the gloves. The little things seriously do matter if guys are close to evenly matched.

Blocking for a good RB doesn't hurt but I think he did get better after he was cut by the Packers. My guess is getting cut gave him a wake up call like it did for Harris, Williams, Peprah, Wells, (was KGB cut early on?) and some others how they all got better after being cut the first time... they kept growing and getting better.



First off I haven't been following the Texans at all... just saw the highlights from the Colts game and they used to be a zone running team and I thought they were talking about zone read during the highlights against the Colts.

There are a lot of different zones. I was taught a Zone/Man hybrid system where it was zone idea of double teaming the point of attack area DL to get them moving and then the guy on the outside comes inside and the inside guy release to get a LB. We also did chip block (well I didn't do much of it... but we were taught it and suppose to use it if needed it... I didn't like it and didn't need it much...)

But my point is you can have zone/drive system and the Packers have run it. They also have run what you are talking about as well. I know less about it but I know what you are talking about and I've seen those as well.

Usually when he was doing his blasting it opened up a hole. When you get into tight spaces like short yardage like 3rd and 1 or 2 or the red zone you have to do more man blocking purely from to compact to run zone well. And Johnson was usually in when they ran man blocking.

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