RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - SEPTEMBER 15: Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings and head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers meet before the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 15, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings beat the 49ers 23-17. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As the Minnesota Vikings get ready for the start of training camp, one thing the Vikings’ offensive coaching staff is likely preparing for is continuing the installation of the offense. That carries added importance this season if the Vikings have a new starting quarterback, particularly in the passing game, but the run game is also likely to get a bit of a makeover with the addition of assistant head coach Frank Smith, who is focusing on the run game.
Kevin O’Connell is an offshoot of the McVay branch of the Shanahan coaching tree while Frank Smith worked under Mike McDaniel in Miami, who is an offshoot of the Kyle Shanahan branch. McDaniel specialized in the run game working under Kyle Shanahan and Frank Smith will bring a lot of those concepts to Minnesota. I won’t go into the Shanahan coaching tree history, which you can get it here , but there is a lot of overlap between various offshoots, even as each of them evolve too.
Wide Zone Mixed with Power
A core feature of the Shanahan offense is the wide zone run scheme. When you see all the offensive linemen take a drop or bucket step and then all block horizontally in the same direction, that is zone blocking. In wide zone, the running back aims for the butt of the tight end or if there is no tight end on the play side, then the outside leg of the tackle. The back then reads the defensive end and makes his cut after 3-5 steps. If he moves inside, the back bounces the run outside, if he pursues outside, the back bends it back inside, if the hole is open, he bangs through. Below is a classic outside zone play, called on 1st and 10.
Vikings wide zone run- just how it's drawn up pic.twitter.com/r7GXn0SQVR
— Warren Ludford (@wludford) July 19, 2026
This isn’t new for the Vikings or Kevin O’Connell’s scheme. It’s been a staple for years. In fact, it’s not all that different than ‘super power left’ power sweeps we used to run in pee-wee football back in the 1970s
And if you watch the play, it didn’t fool the Bengals defense. The defensive formation was toward the play side, countering the double tight-end set, the linebackers flow toward the run immediately, there is even a backside defensive back blitzing to try and get to Mason behind the line of scrimmage. The play was successful because it was well blocked and Mason didn’t hesitate, but the play design itself didn’t do much to tilt the outcome in the Vikings’ favor.
The Frank Smith Factor
Here is a variation of outside zone that the Dolphins ran last season under Frank Smith, the new Vikings de facto run game coordinator:
On 3rd and 3, the Dolphins initially show five-wide with an empty backfield and a shotgun formation- strongly suggesting a pass play. However, De’Von Achane at the bottom of the screen, motions back to the backfield:
Following Achane’s motion to the backfield, the Colts have the linebackers shifted toward the 3-wide receiver side and the safety is cheating that way too on the far hash. The Colts are running a 5-man defensive front and the strong safety is covering the tight end at the bottom of the formation. Here’s how the play unfolded:
Miami Dolphins outside zone run with eye candy pic.twitter.com/z6T6V1x1yo
— Warren Ludford (@wludford) July 26, 2026
The Colts’ secondary was primarily concerned about the 3-wide group right, while based on Achane’s position, it seemed like the front seven were expecting either pass or an inside run. The play side edge defender’s first step was backward- perhaps looking to work down the line in run defense- and was easily taken out by the tight end. That left the playside tackle to take out the strong safety, which was a mismatch. The playside guard had a more difficult block on the 4i defensive tackle but got just enough of him to allow Achane to break an attempt at an arm tackle. The linebacker blitzed- whether that was the play call or because he was expecting an inside run or a pass isn’t clear, but Achane’s position just behind the quarterback is a tell that the play is a run. But the Colts’ defense wasn’t expecting the handoff behind the quarterback for an outside zone run and paid for it by allowing an explosive 26-yard run.
The Vikings run a variety of non-standard outside zone runs and have for years, but the level of deception here is more advanced. It caused the Colts’ defense to cheat a bit away from the play and a split-second hesitation in a key edge defender that provided an advantage for the Dolphins offense.
And beyond outside zone runs, Frank Smith worked with Mike McDaniel installing some outside-the-box run designs that really challenge defense’s ability to read the play. Here is an example the Dolphins ran last season:
First and ten for the Dolphins in the first quarter up 6-3 over the Chargers just past mid-field. The Dolphins are in shotgun and 22 personnel- two running backs and two tight ends- with wide receiver Jaylen Waddle in the backfield to the quarterback’s left. Running back De’Von Achane is at quarterback depth to his right, with the other running back positioned further right in the backfield outside the inline tight end while the other tight end, Darren Waller, is lined up as a receiver at the top of the picture.
The initial formation and personnel package is something most defenses never see all season, if ever. The Chargers’ defense counters with a 4-3 personnel look (with strong safety Derwin James in a linebacker role) with the line strength matching the offensive formation strength. The secondary shows a Cover-2 look. Overall, a base defense look that the Dolphins might anticipate with this personnel package.
Now see how the play unfolded:
An outsid...
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