Coach ,

The 49ers were big movers in the NFL Power Rankings this week moving up four slots to the number one position.

One analyst said the Niners looked like they had 13 playing on defense. The offense has seen it’s changes over the last three seasons at the quarterback position, but as I heard at the QB Collective which Chris Foerster, OL Coach for the Niners attending, “The running game is the quarterbacks best friend.”

Regarded as many as one of the top OL coaches in the League, especially in terms of understanding how to out together a cohesive run game, Coach Foerster has been a part of dominant ground attacks throughout his career.

I felt his presentation at the 2023 C.O.O.L. Clinic was very insightful on how everything fits together in a run game in terms of a base run, complementary runs, and the techniques that make all of them appear the same. It makes it tough for a defense to diagnose.

For Coach Foerster and the 49ers, everything is built off of a single scheme - the outside zone. The scheme is a common thread in the Mike Shanahan coaching tree. Coach Foerster worked with Mike Shanahan at Washington and a group of young coaches working in what is now referred to as the “Redskins Lab.”  

Those young coaches at the time were Niner’s Head Coach Kyle Shanahan, Rams HC Sean McVay, Packers HC Matt LaFleur, and Dolphins HC Mke McDaniel. Coach Foerster was a mentor to each of these coaches teaching them the fine points of putting together an effective run game.

While I shared this earlier this summer, I believe it is worth revisiting…

At the 2023 C.O.O.L. Clinic, Coach FOerster started with sharing how that scheme works for them and then explained how it is the basis for everything else. He explains it in this video:

Video: Outside Zone

In using principles that allow for the teaching of “same as,” he gets their players very skilled in their ability to execute a play because they get so many reps at their technique and assignments. That coupled with the defenders feeling the technique of outside zone is the same on other plays does what the late Homer Smith explained as taking away their verification of what play it is.

As an example, Coach Foerster showed how the teaching of outside zone carries over to other schemes like the power and counter gap schemes. Because they want everything to cause a reaction to the outside zone in order for the other schemes to be complementary, they do not use the tradition techniques in all regards.

Coach Foerster illustrates their version of Power in this video:

Video: Power

On Power for example, some teams teach getting that deuce block vertically displaced. For Coach Foerster and the Niners, they want everything to get on the same angle as their outside zone, so they teach it differently. You can see it in thise drill video.

Video: Deuce Block

Here’s a highlight from last night’s clinic where Coach Foerster shows the oustide zone, then shows how their power works, and finally shares a creative version of their counter play. The creativity in their offense is generated by having a thought process that begins with the outside zone.

Video: Chris Foerster COOL Clinic Highlights

If you have watched even a little of the Forty-Niners then you know how creative they are.The creativity is the product of having look-alike as the main feature of there schemes with it all starting with the outside zone.

With a revitalized and healthy Christian McCaffery toting the rock (he had the #2 performance in week 1 with 152 yards on 22 carries, 6.9 avg., and a TD), the run game will also be a best friend to what looks to be a dominant defense in 2023.

Enjoy this week’s games!

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski

Other clinic presentations from the 49ers staff:

Austin Mangin - ST Assistant Coach - 49ers Special Teams

Jordan Hogan - Offensive Assistant - Simple Drills for WR Indy