Keys to Mastering a Starting Point Play - Ben Steele, TE Coach, Arizona Cardinals

What's the secret sauce to mastering the outside zone philosophy in a successful offensive system? That’s a question I took a deep dive into myself in 2003, and it changed the way I viewed putting together an offensive system.

In this segment from the beginning of his presentation at the 3rd Annual Lauren’s First and Goal Clinic, Ben Steele, the new tight end coach for the Arizona Cardinals, shares the essential thought process behind the outside zone strategy. I call it a strategy instead of a scheme because for those who truly utilize outside zone like some of the originators who made it popular, like the late Alex Gibbs, it’s not just a play, it’s the play that sets up the entire offense and how they think about it.

Coach Steel shares his wealth of experience from playing and coaching in the NFL, discussing how the scheme requires all 11 players to work together and forces the defense to cover the entire field. He also touches on the importance of getting off the line of scrimmage quickly and the individual drills that can be done every day to ensure success in this area.

Can the outside zone be part of your offense and not be the focal point? Sure it can. And the coaching points and insight shared by Coach Steele in this episode will be useful. There are plenty of takeaways from this episode. We will share our Winning Edge Takeaways and DIeas for implementation at the end of his segment.

Show Notes:

• Mastering the Outside Zone Philosophy: Discussing the importance of outside zone philosophy, 11-player cooperation, quick line of scrimmage release, and individual drills.
• Mastering the Outside Zone Run: Quarterback techniques, outside zone runs, and adjusting to looks are discussed.
• Strategic Considerations for Attacking Linebackers: Anticipating linebackers' reactions, setting the edge, and identifying the techniques are key to maximizing the effectiveness of an outside-zone offensive system.

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