Warrior General Games

Not sure if this is a bug or build issue or what. But it seems to happen fairly often to my players at least. In the below play, watch the FB. At the 35 tick mark, he just stops and starts wiggling instead of continuing to run towards his target man to block. He knows who his blocking assignment is (LOLB). He eventually blocks him later in the play. Why doesn't he just continue to run towards the defender?

I do not think this is a run/lead block awareness issue because obviously he is aware of who to block. It also isn't a footwork/balance/quick/sprint issue. I am only left with either it is a bug or it is a run block tech issue.

EDIT:
Run Block awareness : "The ability to find and react to defenders while run blocking".

Maybe he "found" the defender but he isn't "reacting" to the defender well?

https://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/replay/800873/1252151

Tends to be a balance/footwork issue - but awareness can play into it. As a lead blocker, you need more balance and footwork than you'd assume if you want to block for speedy or elusive HBs.

Mainly for this play though, I think he was unsure if the HB was going to follow him upfield to a block or run outside, and he didn't want to run upfield and then take himself out of the play if the HB bounced outside.

Originally posted by Raid
Tends to be a balance/footwork issue. As a lead blocker, you need more than you'd assume if you want to block for speedy or elusive HBs.



So you think he is trying to get there, but just doesn't have the balance/footwork to make it? It's possible. He has 50 balance...not terrible in rookie. Might need to up his footwork some.

Originally posted by Cybertron
So you think he is trying to get there, but just doesn't have the balance/footwork to make it? It's possible. He has 50 balance...not terrible in rookie. Might need to up his footwork some.

In general that's what causes it, after watching again - for this play in particular I think he may have good reason to hesitate.


Footwork will help your guy get to the blocker though, for sure.

I think footwork and balanced are the most underrated skills. Need to go back and verify my guys will have enough.

In terms of general mobility of a player when in sprint, footwork is king. Stop and go and spinning in a circle are quickness, but being able to change directions at full speed and making large adjustments, aside from ones that stop momentum entirely or cut over 90 degrees which then become quickness again, are largely footwork.


So for extremely hard cuts, quickness plays like ~80% of the role and quickness ~20%, whereas a long sweeping curve or adjusting on a player who has changed his heading, ~80% footwork ~20% quickness.

Outside of balance/footwork, it really does look like he was waiting for the HB to be closer before trying to engage. Wonder if the HB had higher sprint if the FB would not have paused there and instead met the LB pursuing at a more ideal location.

Originally posted by Detroit Leos
Outside of balance/footwork, it really does look like he was waiting for the HB to be closer before trying to engage. Wonder if the HB had higher sprint if the FB would not have paused there and instead met the LB pursuing at a more ideal location.

I still think it might have to do with the LB. I have seen this many times where the blocker hesitates and waits for the defender to move, and then tries to catch him around the corner, instead of running straight towards him to engage. I'll post more plays when I see them. Usually happens at least once per game.

It's almost like he is mirroring the defenders moves.

Originally posted by Cybertron
I still think it might have to do with the LB. I have seen this many times where the blocker hesitates and waits for the defender to move, and then tries to catch him around the corner, instead of running straight towards him to engage. I'll post more plays when I see them. Usually happens at least once per game.

It's almost like he is mirroring the defenders moves.

He kinda is. HB is making a determination whether to go inside/outside.

LB hesitates to cover both ways.

FB hesitates because his point to intercept LB is different for both ways.

Footwork helps him maintain forward movement while being prepared to move in whichever way the play goes.

Maybe I am thinking about this the wrong way. But isn't the FB suppose to follow a path and if a defender gets in that path, block him? He should continue around the WR/CB and lead the HB around the bend. If he sees a defender after he goes around the WR/CB then block him. Why is he even trying to look downfield before he goes around the WR/CB if there is no defender in the immediate vicinity?

Either that or continue to run straight towards the LOLB right before the WR/CB. Maybe it is like you said, and he just can't do it with the footwork/balance. But that seems like stretch because it isn't like he is moving slow...he is stopping. He is running full speed in a somewhat straight line and then all of sudden just stops/hesitates.

FB only follows his path until he finds his designated block, then it's about engaging that guy.

He's stopping because he can't pull off moving forward while being poised to change his intercept point between two spots, so he stops to be poised to make that change - or at least that's normally why he's stopping. He might be stopping here because if he ran upfield he'd take himself out of the play if the HB runs outside.

You can see here how my HB, in at FB, is able to make subtle adjustments going after an FS who is changing his approach pattern based upon a shifting HB:

https://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/replay/794566/1219808

And he's got no awareness, so it's probably not that. I use him for blocking specifically because he doesn't hesitate, even if he's often late to the read and sometimes blocks the wrong guy, and doesn't block him for long, our HBs don't need blocks to be held long, just to be held up. So he does a decent job all game. I use him to spell our FB.

Originally posted by Raid
You can see here how my HB, in at FB, is able to make subtle adjustments going after an FS who is changing his approach pattern based upon a shifting HB:

https://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/replay/794566/1219808

And he's got no awareness, so it's probably not that. I use him for blocking specifically because he doesn't hesitate, even if he's often late to the read and sometimes blocks the wrong guy, and doesn't block him for long, our HBs don't need blocks to be held long, just to be held up. So he does a decent job all game. I use him to spell our FB.

WTF? Does blocking awareness even matter? That HB did a great job of heading up field and blocking the FS.

He finds his defender and gets to him fast...but gets revCaked.

https://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/replay/794566/1219816

He seriously has zero awareness? Why do you need awareness? Look at this block.

https://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/replay/794566/1220786