(02-12-2024, 09:32 PM)mikesez Wrote: The system can work in the NFL, if you have the right personell.  SF and Miami both mostly ran ZBS last year.

Zone blocking reminds me of the Steelers running the 3-4 when no other team was.  The advantage for the Steelers was that no other team else was drafting "undersized defensive ends" for their 4-3 defense, giving the 3-4 Steelers the ability to wait until the 3rd and 4th round draft before getting their 3-4 OLBs (that today go in the first.)  

With zone blocking the Denver Broncos, under Alex Gibbs, were able to wait until the later rounds to draft their smaller, but more athletic ZBS OL players, not to mention Zone RBs that also went later.  The issue now is that more team are running the 3-4 and ZBS system, and that fact has evened out the draft system as well as FA value for those types of players.

As mentioned above the ZBS does work, even throughout the playoffs, assuming you have the right talent and more-importantly the year-to-year longevity to get all players on the exact same page.  I would say that the ZBS is much less-forgiving for 'weak links.'

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