The Different Worlds of the Y and the F Part Two: The Run Game

Not all "blocking" is created equal

I’m sure you’ve heard the refrain by now: (insert TE) is a good blocker, or (insert TE) is a bad blocker. Like almost everything related to this position, it’s all relative and not quite that simple. This is the least fixed position in the sport of football, and to understand how guys are used, where they create value, you have to do some serious homework. The blocking roles of a primary (next to the Tackle, in-line, “Y”) and secondary (off-ball, flexed, or next to the Y) TE are enormously different.

Just like the hierarchy of pass-catchers we discussed in Part I, there is a hierarchy of blockers. Offenses and defenses have shells from inside-out, and every shell has a mirror on the other side. In the run game, it’s only slightly different than the pass game. The mirrors of the 2 WRs are the Corners, the mirror of the slot/2nd TE/FB is the “support defender,” and the mirror of the OL and Y are the “box,” the 4 DL and 2 ILB. Defenses will always have 6 bodies minimum who exist first to defend the run. The OL and Y act as a single unit to account for these guys. Starting with them, we have our primary blockers. Because the OL often needs to double-team inside, the Y is left to take a DE. They account for the LBs by climbing off doubles or pulling depending on the run scheme. This is why, geometrically, you’re simply going to need an in-line TE who can handle this to run the football (unless your QB can account for that end in the read game).

Behind them, we have our secondary blocker. This is the FB/3rd WR/2nd TE. Colloquially known as the “F.” He is going to take a 7th guy, colloquially referred to as the “support” defender. In base defense, this is an OLB, but in nickel packages, it’ll be the Nickel or, more often, one of the Safeties. Whether it’s the Nickel or a S will be determined by which side the F is on. If he’s to the “passing strength” where the Nickel is, it’ll be the Nickel, if he’s away like Davis Allen above, it’ll be the S to that side. As a result, the defense will mirror that guy in their package. If they’re worried about the heaviness of that F, they’ll get into base, as they aren’t trying to have a DB in the ring with a big FB or TE. The F will almost never have to block like an OL, so the job is much easier in any case.

Behind him are the 2 WRs, the X and Z, as the tertiary blockers. They’re just tasked with getting in the way of Corners or deep Safeties who aren’t really part of the play. They don’t matter all that much and don’t need to be good at blocking anybody.

These roles can sometimes be exchanged a little bit, with an X taking support or a FB kicking out a DE, but this is the general framework, and never would someone ask a non-Y to truly block a DL type from an in-line stance. That’s why the Y is so singularly important to a run game. If you don’t have one that can make those blocks without sheltering and assistance, there is so little you can do.

Duo-Alert the Post (annotations done here)

Duo and inside zone are the easiest ways to visualize this idea. It’s the broad foundation for how run games decide who blocks who, and applies to some degree regardless of the configuration of the blocking. Sometimes you’ll pull a lineman to a LB, sometimes even pull the Y to a LB, but in the end, it’s those 6 blocking those 6 in some fashion a huge majority of the time. Despite exchanges existing, you cannot have a Y unable to block a DE or EDGE if you want to retain enough versatility to function.

The Y, the 6th OL

Blocking at the Y is one of the hardest jobs in the game of football, and now, one of its scarcest skillsets. At TE, you’re usually between 245-260 pounds while your OL brethren are all pushing or exceeding 300, including the Tackle on the other side who often has the same job as you. The disadvantage is inherent, especially if you’re a usable pass-catcher. Regardless, you have to handle that guy on your own. Because of DE/Edge alignment and the frequent need to double inside on the DTs, it’s just not an option to put an OL on the guy to the Y side very often. Because of the strength disadvantage, your technique needs to be honed to win leverage and overcome that. Let’s run through common run schemes and what the blocking asks will be for the Y.

Duo and Inside Zone

Duo and IZ are slightly different, but from a geometric perspective, they are almost identical. You’ll get double teams inside, with combos being set according to the alignment of IDL, and the Y will be solo on any edge defender that’s either outside of or head-up on him. When that defender is outside, he will execute a “base block.” The idea here is to prop him out and seal the perimeter by creating a new one inside you. There’s no way to wash him down inside because of alignment, so this is what you have to do. It’s a tough block that requires you to establish a bit of an upfield and inside position, not get knocked back into the gap, and influence them out.

If the DE/Edge is head up on you, it gets even harder. You have to move that guy off the point of attack and pin him inside to seal the edge for a bounce. These are simple drive blocks, and are the most naked a TE can be in the blocking game. You have the DE matchup, but you have no double-team help and no favorable angle. It’s just guy vs guy.

If that guy is lined up inside, you have a bit more of an angle, though you still have to block down and move him.

On IZ specifically, you can help the TE out by splitting him and giving him a running kickout to block his end. Split-zone is an incredibly common play in the modern game, especially in college, but it’s not a silver bullet to your TE blocking problems. Especially in the NFL, you can’t just hide the TE by running away from him. You can’t tip the direction of the run like that because defenses will just set their fronts against his alignment. In addition, you’ll never get the luxury of running into the side of the line with the extra body, which is huge.

Counter/Power

Like duo and IZ, counter and power are virtually the same from a theoretical perspective and fall into the same bucket, especially for the TE. There are differences, but like the above, they’re pretty academic and insignificant. Defenses usually deal with them the same way as well. The job is the same as duo but without the base block option (usually). If the primary edge is outside of you, you leave it for the kickout and just block down inside to climb to a LB. If he’s head-up like this, you gotta wash him down.

If there’s no defender head-up and the T is available as well, you’ll execute a “trey” combo which has you block down on the double and climb to the 2nd level.

Sometimes the Y can get out of that tough frontside block by adding an “influence” tag, which has him bluff a base block to widen the Edge for the kickout. This can only be done against specific fronts, so it’s not a viable way to hide a guy. If a player can’t make the hard blocks shown above, you can’t run counter to his side.

What happens if you run away from the TE side? In short, as the Y, your life gets so much easier. You may be used as a puller, which only requires you lead and hit a smaller LB with a running start. If you’re not a puller, you’ll just have to sit there and get in the way of the backside DE, which is easy. In theory, you can hide the TE by running away from him, but you can’t tip the direction of the run like that because defenses will just set their fronts against his alignment. In addition, you’ll never get the luxury of running into the side of the line with the extra body, which is huge.

Outside Zone

Outside zone is, in many ways, the easiest core run play for the TE position….except when it isn’t. Generally, you don’t have to move a guy because he’s moving on his own and the RB has the license to react off of you if you fuck up. If a guy is head-up, inside, or just outside of you, you’ll try to reach and pin him inside like this

If they’re gonna be hard outside, a lot of times you’ll need to turn him out. If he’s going to try to get upfield that’s pretty easy, but if he’s gonna try to strike and two-gap you with outside leverage like the Lions DE is to Kittle above, it’s gonna be hard. Reaching him in situations like that, especially when the OT is blocking back on a 3-technique or 4i, is dangerous, as he’ll fold inside and penetrate. Frontside penetration is pretty much the only big kryptonite of outside zone. It becomes a lot like a base block, except on the move

If it’s run away from you, you’ll just cutoff the backside end or leave him unblocked entirely.

The F, the “Move” Blocker.

The job of the F is not as academic from scheme to scheme as the Y. As someone who is not part of the OL, the F’s blocks will be “tagged” which means they can be moved around. One play, your job on outside zone or counter might be totally different than the next play where it is still the call. As you see here though, a lot of your job is to block off-ball defenders.

These blocks are easier physically and have traditionally been assigned to the FB, who is smaller than the TE.

Even if the 2nd guy can’t block DE’s in-line, there’s a lot of benefit to having a 7th bigger body in the core of the formation. It allows so much more in terms of formationing, creativity in scheme, and creates extra gaps inside the D has to honor. Unless your offense is built like Greg Roman’s, or unless that guy is an S-tier receiver like Brock Bowers, Travis Kelce, or Mark Andrews, it won’t be an every-down role, but it’s a great changeup for an offense to have.

Where Lines Blur

Specifically with duo, the on-ball base block will transfer to the F against odd fronts with 3 IDL (2 DE, 1 NT) and 2 OLB at the edges. This is because the DE is usually inside the OT or between the Y and OT, which means that the Y is not going to have to handle him 1v1. As a result, teams playing against fronts like this will often put their better blocker at the F to run duo so they can handle the assignment.

There are big advantages in the run game to having big, physical Y types at both the Y and the F, with the two guys interchanging roles. This allows you limitless versatility, eliminates tells, and creates a true 7 man OL for the D to have to align to. You can’t answer that without getting bodies in the box and modifying the front to deal with the gaps. This is optional though. Having one Y isn’t optional, but you don’t necessarily need a second. You’ll sacrifice in the pass game if neither of these guys can space the field and catch, but this is another of the many luxuries created by a pass-catching Y, and why a hypothetical pairing of George Kittle and Tucker Kraft would be unstoppable for defenses. It’s all relative. If a TE is a bad or non-viable in-line blocker, he’s a bad blocker for his position, but that does not mean he can’t play that secondary role and rotate in. These guys are often useful in the PA game and good at creating some conflict, as many of them are still more useful run blockers than even the blocking slot receivers. The problem is that their limitations relative to a WR in the receiving game and a Y in run-blocking prevent them from having an every-down starting role. Now some aren’t better blockers than a good blocking slot, and those guys are mainly just able to rotate in as obvious-pass Y who is just there to run routes and chip the edge sometimes (Mike Gesicki, Dalton Kincaid). Some few are just too good of receivers to ever leave the field, but many of these guys, Noah Fant, Isaiah Likely, Chig Okonkwo, are useful in a rotational capacity. They *can* block, they just can’t really start.