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Blocking stressed to Tech backs
By KEN SUGIURA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Roddy Jones knows plenty about Zerbin Singleton.
Singleton is, among other things, the valedictorian of the Columbia High School class of 2003 and a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Most pertinent to Jones and his fellow A-backs this spring, though, is that when Singleton played for Navy, “he was a cut-blocking fool,” Tech A-backs coach Jeff Monken said.
On occasion, Monken shows his players clips of Singleton in action.
Said Jones, Singleton “was a little undersized but was real tenacious when he came to blocking, was a real tough guy, and that’s kind of what [Monken] wants us to be.”
After reviewing film from last season, Tech’s coaches made better blocking the top priority for the A-backs this spring.
“We’ve got to block better at every position, but especially there,” coach Paul Johnson said.
On run plays where an A-back is clearing a downfield path for the ball carrier, Tech’s offense calls for the back to put a defender — typically a defensive back or linebacker — on the ground with a cut block.
In such a block, the player goes low against a defender to take out his legs. At the minimum, coaches expect that the offense will average one defender on the ground for every play the offense runs.
“We played a lot of games last year where we didn’t even have close to the number,” Monken said. “We’d have 68 plays and 31 blocks.”
Last season, rather than going low, backs often engaged defenders high, trying to push them backward rather than get them on the ground. As a result, defenders could keep an eye on the ball, shed the block and make the tackle.
Marcus Wright and Embry Peeples did the best job at blocking last season, Monken said. Both are low to the ground and have the speed and aggressiveness to explode into defenders. Wednesday in a live 11-on-11 drill, Wright sent cornerback Jerrard Tarrant flying into the air to free up a running lane.
Said Johnson, “Marcus Wright’s caught my eyes a couple times. He’s lit some folks up.”
Monken acknowledges it isn’t the easiest, or most comfortable, block to master. But it’s an integral aspect of the offense, which is why Monken was drilling the A-backs on it Wednesday.
“As [Monken] told me, we might get 10 touches a game maybe, but if you play 70 snaps a game, the other 60 snaps, you’ve got to affect the game in some way,” Jones said, “so you’ve got to go out and block and you’ve got to block with tenacity and really be vicious about it.”
The Jackets’ relative ineffectiveness at downfield blocking is but one of many reasons that Johnson has said that the offense can vastly improve from last season, when Tech finished fourth in the country in rushing yards and led the ACC in total offense.
Said Monken, “Most of it is just being a little bit nasty and having an attitude about it.”
By KEN SUGIURA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Roddy Jones knows plenty about Zerbin Singleton.
Singleton is, among other things, the valedictorian of the Columbia High School class of 2003 and a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Most pertinent to Jones and his fellow A-backs this spring, though, is that when Singleton played for Navy, “he was a cut-blocking fool,” Tech A-backs coach Jeff Monken said.
On occasion, Monken shows his players clips of Singleton in action.
Said Jones, Singleton “was a little undersized but was real tenacious when he came to blocking, was a real tough guy, and that’s kind of what [Monken] wants us to be.”
After reviewing film from last season, Tech’s coaches made better blocking the top priority for the A-backs this spring.
“We’ve got to block better at every position, but especially there,” coach Paul Johnson said.
On run plays where an A-back is clearing a downfield path for the ball carrier, Tech’s offense calls for the back to put a defender — typically a defensive back or linebacker — on the ground with a cut block.
In such a block, the player goes low against a defender to take out his legs. At the minimum, coaches expect that the offense will average one defender on the ground for every play the offense runs.
“We played a lot of games last year where we didn’t even have close to the number,” Monken said. “We’d have 68 plays and 31 blocks.”
Last season, rather than going low, backs often engaged defenders high, trying to push them backward rather than get them on the ground. As a result, defenders could keep an eye on the ball, shed the block and make the tackle.
Marcus Wright and Embry Peeples did the best job at blocking last season, Monken said. Both are low to the ground and have the speed and aggressiveness to explode into defenders. Wednesday in a live 11-on-11 drill, Wright sent cornerback Jerrard Tarrant flying into the air to free up a running lane.
Said Johnson, “Marcus Wright’s caught my eyes a couple times. He’s lit some folks up.”
Monken acknowledges it isn’t the easiest, or most comfortable, block to master. But it’s an integral aspect of the offense, which is why Monken was drilling the A-backs on it Wednesday.
“As [Monken] told me, we might get 10 touches a game maybe, but if you play 70 snaps a game, the other 60 snaps, you’ve got to affect the game in some way,” Jones said, “so you’ve got to go out and block and you’ve got to block with tenacity and really be vicious about it.”
The Jackets’ relative ineffectiveness at downfield blocking is but one of many reasons that Johnson has said that the offense can vastly improve from last season, when Tech finished fourth in the country in rushing yards and led the ACC in total offense.
Said Monken, “Most of it is just being a little bit nasty and having an attitude about it.”
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