RB blocking question

In pass protection, the tailback is the last line of defense.  It's helpful for him to have an idea of where a defender might come through.  If he knows that say, the guard and tackle are going to double-team the weakside DE, he probably won't go to that side, and will instead keep an eye out for rushers elsewhere.   He often won't have much time to react before a defender comes crashing in.  If he has no idea what the linemen are planning on doing - or if the TE will stay in and block - he's not as likely to get to the right spot in time. 

Note that pass protection isn't necessarily the only kind of blocking a back may have to do.  When the QB carries the ball, the RB may serve as a lead blocker (this was frequently the case in our offense last year).  The RB has to know where the linemen are going to be on those plays so he can block more effectively and not leave a defender untouched. 

And then there's simply the issue of knowing where your blockers are going to be when you have the ball.  A tailback can find holes more quickly if he knows what to expect from his linemen at the snap.  If he only knows what he is supposed to do (as opposed to what his teammates are doing), he may well run into one of his teammates.  This happens a lot with freshman backs.

If the O-line is in a zone pass block scheme the linemen are blocking a gap and will engage any defender that attempts to penetrate in thier gap.  In this case the running back is assigned a gap also and is responsible for blocking any defender blitzing his gap.

In a man pass block scheme each lineman plus the running back has a man that they are assigned to block.  This obviously changes if defenders run stunts or other defensive rush tactics.

I never played offense (strong safety only) so this is partly a guess. Yes, sometimes the RB only picks up a free player but they have to know which side to expect the player to come from which is a bigger deal than it seems espeically if they're short and can't see over the line. Looking for the blitzer on the left side versus the right could mean the difference in completing the play or calling in the 2nd string QB. 

It also includes knowing if the line is going to shift (zone block left/right or man block), whether the RB is supposed to sit back and wait for an unblocked defender or chip a LB/DE to help out the OT or TE. If the defense max blitzes and more than one player passes by the offensive line the RB needs to know who he's supposed to pick up. I'd assume it also includes when to stop waiting for someone to block and to run into the flat and make yourself another reciever. At my school (we sucked so it might be wrong) the RBs would also check to see if their man (often the OLB or SS) was blitzing. If they were, they'd pick them up or sometimes slip outside as the hot read. If that OLB or SS sat back then they'd run their routes. But it gets confusing when the defenses shift or flip their defense or the offense sends someone in motion. Suddenly "your man" could be on the opposite half of the field on the LOS clearly blitzing and because we ran shotgun 95% of the time the RB couldn't necessarily move and flip to the other side of the QB. 

I don't think any single RB blocking scheme is hard. It's just that there are a million different scenarios where the RB does something different in each one. It just happens that if the RB gets it wrong the QB could be killed. The stakes ae pretty high.

Thanks.  This is why I played TE.  For the most part, I just had to know my passing tree and try to gain the edge when blocking.  We sucked though.

I would suspect we will have a lineman pulling out to protect Denard.  The RB would then be responsible to pick up the man left by the player pulling.  Other situations may involve cases where the D is blitzing or he may even be a lead blocker on a QB power.  There are many different situations where he would be vital to protecting #16.

Generally you try to go with BOB on protection schemes which is big on big. If someone threatens the A gap, everyone should slide down leaving the running back with an OLB or CB blitz. On occasion they have to handle the DE which should be met with a chop block, otherwise they will be run over in most instances. If the defense rushes 4, the RB should then pause and release into a passing route.

In addition to what has been said. Depending upon the scheme the RB will also have to prioritize blitzers pre-snap.  Especially at the pro-level they have to anticipate the uncovered threat almost as quickly as the qb.  It isn't just "take the guy that's free" although that can be the case.  The type of pass will also dictate where the RB has to strive to make contact as well.  They can cut-block if necessary but that doesn't always present itself easilly.  The technique of pass blocking for a back who basically has to re-direct someone with a running start (and is at a size disadvantage) is not a simple thing to master.

Great question.  In a nutshell Borges is looking for guys that can do it all and he will be able to keep them on the field in more situations which takes away reads for the defense.