Zone blocking occupies a unique place in football's schematic history.
Though its origins date back a half-century, it wasn't until John Elway, Terrell Davis, and the Denver Broncos won back-to-back Super Bowls in the 1990s that this 'new' style of run blocking became popular. After they saw two championships and a new runner racking up thousands of yards every year in the second half of the decade, coaches quickly flocked to the Mile High city, hoping to understand how they could implement the scheme themselves.
The beauty in offensive line coach Alex Gibbs' system was its simplicity.