How Does Bernard Pierce Fit in the Zone Blocking Scheme?

By the halfway point of the 2013 season, Ravens fans were calling for an end to the zone rushing attack. The running game was going nowhere, and it was clear that the entire offense was suffering as a result.

But this offseason, the team swung the opposite direction: They hired Gary Kubiak as the new offensive coordinator, a coach who adheres strictly to the zone blocking scheme.

Now, because of Ray Rice's suspension, the Ravens will be forced to rely on Bernard Pierce to keep the offense on track for the first two games of the season.  The question remains: can Bernard Pierce carry the load?  I take a look at the necessary characteristics for a zone rushing back and see which ones fit Pierce.

1: Vision

I recently wrote about the required reads for running backs within the zone rushing attack.

Luckily, Bernard Pierce has experience in this aspect from his time at Temple, and this previously acquired knowledge translated to the NFL in 2013. Pierce was consistent at making the correct reads and cutting appropriately.

Unfortunately, the blocking by the tight ends and RT Michael Oher was so atrocious that Pierce was forced to hasten his reads and often ran into the waiting arms of penetrating defenders. It appeared that the blocking issues in front of him forced him to subconsciously hesitate, which disrupted the all-important timing needed to run this scheme efficiently.

Pierce's numbers dropped to a measly 2.9 yards per carry, the result of a running game dominated by discombobulation rather than rapport.

On the bright side, I think last year's numbers are an aberration. Pierce has shown the mental capacity to consistently carry the ball and gain positive yards behind a revitalized offensive line, and he'll benefit from the rigid, rule-based attack for which Kubiak is famous. Pierce is not a particularly agile or decisive athlete when asked to improvise in space, so a revamped and inflexible running game can bring his numbers back to respectability.

2: Cutting Ability

Although Pierce generally makes the correct reads when handling the ball in the zone blocking scheme, he tends to travel too laterally (toward the sideline) at times.  As I've mentioned before, the Kubiak rushing attack is designed with stringent rules about getting north-and-south with the ball as quickly as possible.  Pierce has never shown to be exceptionally deft in his footwork or nimble in his hip dexterity.  The straight-line running style that he has put on tape thus far is sufficient for breaking toward the edges of the defense but cut-backs are also required when teams over-pursue toward the sideline.  This is an area in which he can improve:

This play is a simple Outside Zone toward the two tight end side (right).  Pierce will first read the leverage of his primary read (orange; 1) and cut away from him.

As drawn above, the primary read slants to the C-gap (between tackle and tight end) making Pierce's read simple; he can simply bounce the ball to the outside.

It may seem like nit-picking on my part, but the above image shows the area where Pierce needs to improve the most.  Instead of cutting hard off of his primary read and beginning to gain positive yardage, he bows out his path into more traffic and out of the confines of his blocks.  Imprecise angles were a common occurrence in his 2013 tape.

For clarity, I don't believe that Pierce is incapable of these types of cuts... I just think they need to be emphasized and improved upon if Pierce is going to be the Arian Foster of the Baltimore Ravens. With better coaching and (almost unavoidable) experience in 2014, Pierce has the potential to be a very good, but not great, back in the zone blocking system.

3: Explosion

Explosion is not a characteristic that is exclusive from the previous attributes, but it's one that Pierce can, and should, be able to improve upon. Too often, it appears that Pierce is running at one speed and doesn't exploit the voids he creates in the defense when he makes the correct reads.  Hesitation, which crept in for a number of reasons last year, hindered Pierce's confidence in exploding through a hole and diminished his chances for shrugging off arm tackles (second worst in yards-after-contact per rush attempt in 2013; via PFF).

The above play exemplifies Pierce's propensity to "dance" in the hole rather than selecting a running lane and exploding through it.

Pierce makes his reads nicely and cuts back after both his primary and secondary reads fly to the outside.  Once he reaches the original line of scrimmage, however, there's no need for him to stutter and lose his momentum.  If Pierce stays along his original trajectory at this point, there's a clear running lane to his left.

Instead, Pierce eschews this option in an attempt to make a second cut.  Players can't be consistently proficient in the zone blocking scheme if they're hesitant. There's simply too much time for backside players to pursue down the line of scrimmage and make a tackle.

Conclusion

Pierce struggled last season in the Ravens gallimaufry of a rushing attack. But placing Pierce in a well-coached system with defined expectations and detail-oriented guidance will allow him to thrive. In my opinion, Pierce has a fantastic physical base to work with. All he needs is the wisdom of an accomplished offensive mind to tighten up his weak points.