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 Clipping rule alters blocking strategies
Posted: Wednesday March 24, 1999 10:12 AM
The new blocking rule which got second billing to instant replay at the league owners meetings last week is a big concern to a number of offensive coaches and a reason to rethink defensive schemes for defensive coaches. There is no more clipping between the tackles unless your head is in front of the defender. Two offensive line coaches told me they will never get the backside of running plays blocked now. When a defensive tackle is lined up on the inside eye of an offensive guard and slants inside to the same side the run is going, they won't be able to cut him off, and the stacked linebacker is impossible to get. Another line coach said the league wants a passing league anyway, and this is another step toward it. And still another coach felt the scrambling QB and the draw play may become a mainstay of the running game. Defensive coaches preparing for power zone run attacks can now expect backside pursuit to be a bigger factor. Offensive line coaches are already looking at different blocking schemes and possibly tighter line splits. NFL Draft notesSome individual workouts have moved players up in the past week. West Virginia tailback Amos Zereoue ran the 40 in 4.35 seconds and posted a 41-inch vertical, a 10-foot-4 broad jump and 25 reps on the bench press. One running backs coach felt the workout gave Zereoue a good hold on being the third-best running back in the draft. Michigan State's Sedrick Irvin's time of 4.7 seconds in the 40 did not help his cause. Jerry Azumah out of I-AA New Hampshire clocked an incredible 3.85 in the 20-yard short shuttle and there is some talk this running back could be looked at as a cornerback. His quickness and ability to turn are good reasons to consider it. Ohio State is well-known in the NFL as a fast track for 40 times, and times in Columbus are discussed cautiously. Still, receiver David Boston's 4.3 and linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer's 4.5 are impressive. And finally a kid creating some noise out in the midwest among some scouts and coaches is Sean Bennett, a fullback out of Northwestern. Bennett was not invited to the combine, but in a private workout recently the 6-foot-2, 230-pound former center fielder ran 4.45 in the 40 and 3.91 in the short shuttle. He's moved from being a free agent to a draftable player in some people's eyes and is considered a candidate at fullback, running back, h-back -- one coach would like to see him at strong safety. A college scouting director told me, "Bennett's numbers are the best of all the fullbacks, and he ran better than half the running backs." Strange formulaAnd finally the league issue of "compensatory picks." The NFL has a formula that places a value on players lost in free agency. The league looks at performance and salary of the previous year to decide what the player is worth. Many players are deemed worthless. The former clubs are awarded a draft pick for certain players that sign with new clubs. The problem for me has always been if the home club decided to move on without the player and didn't actively try to retain the players' services with competitive negotiations, then why would they be entitled to extra draft picks? Usually good teams who should be picking late in each round get extra picks and get a chance to replenish their talent pool. The draft system was set up to help the teams that have done poorly the year before with higher draft picks. Take Green Bay for example: They decide not to re-sign Edgar Bennett, Doug Evans and Eugene Robinson, and they lose Craig Hentrich to Tennessee. The Packers stated the only player they really wanted back from the group was the punter, Hentrich, yet they were awarded the 96th pick for Edgar Bennett, 133rd pick for Doug Evans, the 135th pick for Craig Hentrich, and the 205th pick for Eugene Robinson. I'd like to see the compensatory picks dropped.
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