On the drive to our South Jersey O-Line Clinic, I had the opportunity to stop in Greenwich, CT and spend time with a group of coaches—talking football, sharing ideas, and digging into offensive line play.
We started where most good line conversations do—on the fundamentals. Run game mechanics. Pass protection. Screen execution. The technical details that define success in the trenches. But as the session evolved, the conversation naturally shifted from technique to tactics.
We got into it.
Gap schemes—Power and Counter.
Zone schemes—Inside and Outside.
Man schemes—Iso and Dart.
Different tools. Different answers. Same question always follows:
“Which scheme should we run?”
My answer doesn’t start with a playbook. It starts with personnel…
What do your players do well?
- If you’ve got smaller, quicker linemen who can move and redirect, Gap schemes can give you an edge.
- If your group is bigger, more physical, and built to displace defenders, Man schemes may be your foundation.
- If you’ve got size paired with awareness and communication, Zone schemes can unlock consistency across the front.
There’s no universal “best” scheme—only the best fit for your players.
And the earlier you figure that out, the better your summer—and your season—will be.
That’s where the value of getting in the room (and on the field) with other coaches shows up.
When coaches share ideas, challenge assumptions, and see players move in real time, clarity comes faster. You start to see what fits. What doesn’t. Where to lean in—and where to adjust—before you’ve invested weeks of install time in something that doesn’t match your personnel.
That’s a big part of what we aim to do at every Alercio O-Line Clinic.
When coaches attend with their players, it’s not just about learning drills—it’s about evaluation. You get a live look at your guys: how they move, how they communicate, how they respond to coaching. That perspective is hard to replicate once the summer calendar gets tight and the pressure to install starts to build.
Spring is the window to get this right.
Coaches and players are invited to join us at West Orange High School on Sunday, May 3. We’ll continue to develop both the technical and tactical aspects of Gap, Man, and Zone schemes—while sharing ideas, asking better questions, and preparing for the work ahead.
Because when coaches help coaches—and when preparation starts early—everybody wins.
Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!
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