Directional Blocking: First Time Since 2015

[Fan_in_Kettering]

(11-27-2017, 02:29 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: This is definately the most important thing to take away from this game.

O-lineman like to block aggressively and it showed in this game. This is the way this team should play week in and week out.

Aggressive directional blocking. This will help the entire team more than anything.

Hope to see lots of this against the Steelers. This is encouraging.

But like i said in the Mixon thread. Marv and PA need to be gone after this season no matter what man.

I don't care if we make the Playoffs and win, need to move on.

Directional blocking against a 3-4 is either easier or harder, depending on the quality of the 3-4. A 3-4 with slow linebackers is easy pickings, so to speak, but that is NOT the case with the Steelers. They run the most aggressive 3-4 in the league so it takes some cunning and smarts to directionally block against them. Here’s why:

Mentally place the Cincinnati offensive line plus a tight end on the field. Now mentally place the three Pittsburgh linemen opposite them. It’s a six to three advantage, right? WRONG! The three defensive linemen can line up in any of the gaps or directly opposite an offensive lineman or even half and half. This is where we get “one technique, three technique, etc.” The gaps are larger in a 3-4 defense but that only makes it easier for linebackers to shoot the gaps, the defensive linemen to move laterally, and for the defensive linemen and linebackers to run stunts. Now it’s really six offensive linemen against SEVEN Steelers and you don’t know who is moving where until the ball is snapped.

An offensive line has to directionally block even more aggressively — and faster — against a 3-4 defense because the holes close faster as linebackers shoot those gaps. I’m not a fan of the 3-4 against the pass but against the run it can be very effective indeed. In fact, play action against a 3-4 is easier than against a 4-3 because there will nearly always be room behind the linebackers who are shooting gaps in the defensive line.

Tyler Kroft and Joe Mixon should have career days out of the backfield against the Steelers if the Bengals block correctly. Then when the Steelers start anticipating this and drop two or more linebackers into coverage, then you run Joe and Giovani Bernard right through the A-gap.