The San Francisco 49ers are reportedly placing more emphasis on fitness for the offensive line. Could this further foreshadow increased use of zone blocking?
The San Francisco 49ers appear to be mixing in some zone blocking concepts, and further comments about offensive line fitness might be reinforcing that idea. Eric Branch chatted with offensive lineman Marcus Martin last week during minicamp, and the center/guard indicated he has slimmed down to the best shape of his life. We hear plenty of that in any offseason, but it is worth noting Martin specified he had lost ten pounds from last year's playing weight of 330.