Wylie, McNally and Alexander Key Coaching Points on the Wide Zone Play

• By Keith Grabowski

Chances are that you will either be running a wide zone yourself or facing it at some point in the future.  It’s a play that teams use from the NFL through high school because of its ability to distort the defense and create running lanes for the back.  The nature of the movement caused by the scheme makes it one of the best runs to execute RPO and Play Action off of as well.

Three offensive line experts, and original members of “The C.O.O.L. Mushroom Society” know this play better than anyone and continue to innovate their coaching points and techniques on the play.

Let’s start with Jim “Mouse” McNally, long time NFL line coach, now NFL consultant teaching the techniques on the front side of the play.

When blocking a defender aligned outside, the first step is critical.  Done right it puts the blocker on the path to reach or distort that defender to open the running lane. The images show varying alignment techniques and the variations in technique required.  

The first shows a wide aligned defender.  It starts with a drop step that allows the blocker to get on an angle that he can reach the defender or if the defender runs to stay outside, the lineman is in a position to use force to distort him out.

As the width of the defender alignment decreases, the drop step will still be deep to set an angle to cover the defender up, but the variation will be in the punch. In this example, McNally demonstrates the step and then a punch to the outside number:

In this next example, the defender is tightly aligned to head up.  The drop step is executed, and then the blocker will rip with his backside arm to get in a position to avoid and climb to level 2 knowing that he has a lineman coming from behind.  If the defender runs to not get reached, he will stay square on him and run him.

McNally explains these techniques and more in this video (click on the image to play):

Taking it a step further, Paul Alexander believes the key to sustaining the block is the backside drag hand.  He learned from Alex Gibbs how the drag hand should be used to grab the inside of the chest plate.  He teaches that in this video and includes a technique he learned from Howard Mudd on how to reach a wide aligned defender:

The wide zone is a team scheme.  Everyone needs to do their job properly because the ball could actually hit behind any of their blocks.  This is certainly true with the backside.  Bob Wylie illustrates on video how Kevin Zeitler helps open a lane with his block as the backside guard by taking the defender past the “read spot of the back.” 

Since the 80’s these coaches have been getting together annually to continue to share ideas and innovate at the C.O.O.L. Clinic. In 2021, the Wide Zone ruled as the topic of interest.  Packers Coach Adam Stenavich, Titans Coach Keith Carter, Notre Dame Coach Jeff Quinn, Oregon Coach Alex Mirabal and Ohio State Coach Greg Studrawa all presented on the wide zone play.   

Here are other resources on the Wide Zone Play:

Allen Rudolph, Ohio University - The WIDE ZONE - MAXIMIZE EXPLOSIVES & MINIMIZE NEGATIVE PLAYS

Jason Houghtaling, Tennessee Titans - Teaching the Wide Zone 

Matt Duffy, Willoughby South HS - Wide, Mid and Tight Zone taught as one play

Mike Chavez - The Outside Zone 

Jeff Fox, Nordonia HS, Outside Zone and the Path of Trust 

Juan Johnson, Hewitt-Trussville HS  - Build Your Offense Around the Outside Zone 

Eric Marty, Reedley College - Outside Zone 

David Walker, retired NFL - The Outside Zone - Executing the play

Loren Endsley, South Dakota St. - Techniques Used for Stretch

The schemes we’ve learned throughout the boom in virtual clinics have definitely increased our football knowledge especially in “what” the scheme is.  Now it’s time to refine and research the “how” and there’s no one better to learn that from  than the originators of the “Mushroom Society.”