The Inside Zone Play

By Barry Goettemoeller
Offensive Coordinator - Canton McKinley H.S.

The modern era of football has brought about new and creative ideas at all levels of the game. Most recently at the high school level, the Inside Zone play has followed suit while the professional and college programs have had great success with it for several years. The Inside Zone series can be a great compliment to your program, if it fits into your offensive philosophy. I feel that in order for the Inside Zone play to have an impact, you should also have the Outside Zone play (Stretch play), in your arsenal.

At Canton McKinley High School, the Isolation and the Toss Sweep have been staples for a long time. While these plays still have a place in our offense, defenses are being designed to stop them with bigger, stronger, and faster than ever personnel. "Read and React" defenses are being replaced by a more aggressive style of play using the athletic ability of Linebackers and Safeties. The Inside Zone play takes advantage of this very philosophy.

In this article I will discuss techniques, rules and coaching points of the Inside Zone play. I will refer to a few basic defensive looks that we see, diagramming what the blocking scheme will look like. And, a few different backfield actions you can use against certain looks, and certain formations.