[QUOTE=DJ's left nut;16481177]So I'll gladly listen to anyone that wants to correct me on this one, but it sure looks to me like the Chiefs STILL prefer an outside zone running system and for the life of me I cannot figure out why.
There's an article in the Athletic that really sums up my confusing in a lot of ways. It's about the Lions dedication to a power gap scheme. Here's a little blurb that kinda makes my point for me:
https://theathletic.com/3613162/2022...e-ben-johnson/
For whatever reason, the article won't load for me but I'll try to answer as best I can.
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WHY IS THIS NOT OUR RUNNING GAME!?!?! Teams have been doing that Fangio shit to us for 2+ years now. They're living in light boxes and when we run the ball we're leading with our chins and running this damn outside zone crap that A) Doesn't take advantage of our power blockers as well and B) Lets the defense do what it wants to do, which is use speed and move laterally to race us to the sidelines and seal off big gains. It can essentially run Nickel formations and still manage that.
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This is why we (and most teams) run inside zone against nickel. There have been a few teams that are OZ junkies (49ers/GB/Colts with Manning that would just say "**** it, you're not dropping that extra human into the box" that would run it out of trips (with 3W or 2W/1TE on the trips side). However, that has largely gone away with the cutback rules.
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Maybe they're doing more gap running than I realize or maybe I'm just too damn stupid to see the bigger picture of what they're trying to accomplish.
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Chiefs (like most WCO based teams) throw power/gap concepts in as gameplanned concepts and will either lean on them/throw them away based on how they're doing. The E/P offenses of the past used power/gap concepts as their base but even the remnants of it have shifted to probably a 65/35 of OZ/Gap.
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But man - I will never understand why we haven't made teams 'pick your poison' more. When we run, it should absolutely be a gap scheme designed to just maul guys rather than this outside zone crap that just does them a massive favor while not taking advantage of our OL's greatest strengths.
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For as much as he gets shit on (and rightfully so) McDaniels was great at blending these philosophies together (especially in no-huddle). There are numerous times where after NE would have a big passing completion where they would either A) Double up on OZ zone and have 3rd and short or B) OZ, then power and then power again.
Haley was a little bit against the grain during his time in Pitt as he would make IZ/Power their base runs (in contrast to Arians who was an IZ/OZ then power as a change up) then throw counter in as his change up (and DeCastro would maul people)