The Cowboys offensive line executed textbook combination blocks in the split zone scheme, with left tackle (#77) Tyron Smith blocking out, left guard (#65) Ronald Leary and center (#72) Travis Frederick combining to block the defensive tackle up to the left outside linebacker, and right guard (#70) Zack Martin combo blocking with right tackle (#68) Doug Free to take care of 3-technique (#97) Geno Atkins and middle linebacker (#58) Rey Maualuga. Tight End (#87) Geoff Swaim blocks across the formation to pick up “EMLOS”, or the end man on the line of scrimmage, (#96) Carlos Dunlap.

However, this leaves one defender unaccounted for: (#55) right outside linebacker Vontaze Burfict. The Cowboys don’t attempt to block him; instead, they influence him out of the play with Jason Witten running a flat route. Witten’s flat route ends up not only influencing Burfict, but the safety (#43) George Iloka as well. This is the difference between a 3 yard run, a 10 yard run, and a 60 yard run. With the zone steps of Dak Prescott and Zeke Elliot influencing the defenders left, the Cowboys offensive line combo blocks at the point of attack, and the split zone and flat action, a huge alley is created. From there, Elliot must identify the alley, make one cut to get between the combo block on Atkins and Swaim’s out block, and run a wind sprint to the end zone:

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You can better see the influence of Witten’s flat route from the broadcast or high angle of the play:

The high angle shows how Witten’s route creates a gaping lane for Elliot to sprint to the end zone, seen fully below:

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One important point to note: Witten’s influence and Elliot’s cut, vision, and speed shouldn’t take away from how well the Cowboys offensive line blocked at the point of attack. Their combination blocks and movement allowed the rest of the scheme to work and gave Zeke Elliot a chance to make a play. With that said, the scheme worked to perfection. From an offensive coordinator’s point of view, there is nothing like “blocking” multiple defenders without ever having to lay a hand on them.

The post Zeke Elliot’s 60-yd Split Zone TD with a Special Influence appeared first on Syed Schemes.

Even with a chip from DeMarco Murray and Tryon Smith (one of the NFL’s best Tackles) in protection, Bruce Irvin is able to get a clean rush to the Quarterback for what appears to be an imminent sack. Here’s where Romo’s pocket presence and awareness come in; Romo feels the pressure without ever truly seeing it. Also, instead of running to the right where Irvin will undoubtedly chase down the much slower Tony Romo, Romo pivots of his left foot and spins back away from Irvin creating space. From there, he circles back and creates a throwing lane for himself. By this time, Terrance Williams is about to finish his Curl route, and Jason Witten is headed toward the sideline in his flat route:

Romo has evaded the sack and has created room for himself on the run; the Dallas Wide Receivers see this and begin their “Scramble Drill.” A Scramble Drill is the routes Wide Receivers go to when their Quarterback is on the move and out of the pocket. Every team has a different plan, but the Cowboys appear to execute a common version, where the Receiver closest to the QB breaks up the field, and the Receiver farthest breaks back or toward the sideline. Here, the Cowboys have spacing issues and actually almost run into each other. The Seattle defenders react to this and close on the ball:

The Seattle flat defender is only a split second late in realizing Terrance Williams has abandoned his Curl route for the scramble drill, and is still in excellent coverage despite being sucked in. Additionally, the Cornerback on the top of the screen also breaks on the Scramble Drill route. This gives Tony Romo a tiny window to complete a cross field throw on the run. See the play unfold below:

Romo makes a pinpoint accurate throw and Terrance Williams makes a highlight reel toe-tapping catch, but the most impressive part of the play may be Romo’s ability to avoid the sack with awareness and footwork to create a throwing lane:

Romo shows a Quarterback doesn’t necessarily have to be fast or incredibly mobile to avoid pressure and sacks; sometimes pocket awareness and footwork are far more important. As for the Scramble Drill, every team practices some version of it for the few passing plays in a game where its needed. Some teams practice it more than others; for example a team like the 49ers or the Steelers (Kaepernick & Roethlisberger) likely practices the scramble drill more than the Patriots or Broncos (Brady & Manning).

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