When it was announced offensive line coach Justin Frye would be retained there was an audible sigh of frustration from the fans. The previous coach, Klayton Adams, had been remarkably successful. Frye had come from a series of equally successful line creations, so what went wrong? Why is he still here? IMO the puzzle proved to be quite complex, especially regarding what went wrong.
Adams had introduced a more extensive use of Gap blocking. Most NFL teams at that point were using mostly zone blocking. Gap blocking had become passé. I remember being shocked when I saw so many linemen pulling under Adams. That’s typically the easiest way to identify gap blocking. I was initially disappointed when they acquired Froholdt, until I saw him pull. Traditionally the guard or guard and tackle pulled but Adams added a rare wrinkle. When Frye came in he used more zone but at key points but tried to inject gap plays.
So what went wrong? On the right side Brown was initially tried at right guard with Williams at tackle. Williams was returning from injury and it quickly became apparent he could only go one way: backwards. I’m actually not trying to be funny. He would immediately drop back; trying to cut the rushers angle. He was hopeless drive blocking. The Cards likely took it cautiously with him in camp. He clearly lacked lower body strength to simply go forward and block. In zone blocking you typically just block the target in front of you, principally a lineman or occasionally a linebacker. In gap the right guard, if not pulling, would block by passing laterally through the inside gap to hit the defensive player. This is called blocking down. Williams also seemed to lack lateral mobility, so he apparently couldn’t execute gap blocks. Josh Fryar came in at right tackle he looked surprisingly effective because he at least could execute the blocking scheme.
Isaiah Adams was struggling at left guard so they moved Brown to the left and rushed Hernandez back from injury. Brown had not been great at executing, but he’d played on the left and had Johnson to help him implement the correct block. Sadly Hernandez, like Williams, had not sufficiently built up his lower body strength. Once a great drive blocker; he struggled. His agility also seemed reduced. In the end the right side of the line was, IMO, simply incapable of proficiently blocking the scheme. On the left Brown never looked fluid. The A gap between Froholdt and the guards seemed perpetually open and the defense noted that; scheming to take advantage. They didn’t have to worry about handling gap blocks.
In 2026 much should be changed. At right tackle they added Wilkinson. He has been more effective at zone, looking adequate with some aspects of gap blocking. Historically he has been especially effective at pulling and blocking on the move. As Chopper noted on the board Bisontis has excellent lateral movement and is known to be strong when pulling. I should take a moment to note neither system is pure. I have tried to simplify these schemes somewhat to make clear what went wrong.
On the left side Johnson played in this system. He was effective. Seumalo is a master of both blocking schemes. He should easily adjust and excel. I think that’s likely why he was signed.
Overall I think the Cards retained Frye because they felt the team simply had the wrong linemen to make his system work. He’s been successful at multiple stops. If this works, the revised line should be capable of creating the holes Love needs to be the weapon the Cards badly desire!
Adams had introduced a more extensive use of Gap blocking. Most NFL teams at that point were using mostly zone blocking. Gap blocking had become passé. I remember being shocked when I saw so many linemen pulling under Adams. That’s typically the easiest way to identify gap blocking. I was initially disappointed when they acquired Froholdt, until I saw him pull. Traditionally the guard or guard and tackle pulled but Adams added a rare wrinkle. When Frye came in he used more zone but at key points but tried to inject gap plays.
So what went wrong? On the right side Brown was initially tried at right guard with Williams at tackle. Williams was returning from injury and it quickly became apparent he could only go one way: backwards. I’m actually not trying to be funny. He would immediately drop back; trying to cut the rushers angle. He was hopeless drive blocking. The Cards likely took it cautiously with him in camp. He clearly lacked lower body strength to simply go forward and block. In zone blocking you typically just block the target in front of you, principally a lineman or occasionally a linebacker. In gap the right guard, if not pulling, would block by passing laterally through the inside gap to hit the defensive player. This is called blocking down. Williams also seemed to lack lateral mobility, so he apparently couldn’t execute gap blocks. Josh Fryar came in at right tackle he looked surprisingly effective because he at least could execute the blocking scheme.
Isaiah Adams was struggling at left guard so they moved Brown to the left and rushed Hernandez back from injury. Brown had not been great at executing, but he’d played on the left and had Johnson to help him implement the correct block. Sadly Hernandez, like Williams, had not sufficiently built up his lower body strength. Once a great drive blocker; he struggled. His agility also seemed reduced. In the end the right side of the line was, IMO, simply incapable of proficiently blocking the scheme. On the left Brown never looked fluid. The A gap between Froholdt and the guards seemed perpetually open and the defense noted that; scheming to take advantage. They didn’t have to worry about handling gap blocks.
In 2026 much should be changed. At right tackle they added Wilkinson. He has been more effective at zone, looking adequate with some aspects of gap blocking. Historically he has been especially effective at pulling and blocking on the move. As Chopper noted on the board Bisontis has excellent lateral movement and is known to be strong when pulling. I should take a moment to note neither system is pure. I have tried to simplify these schemes somewhat to make clear what went wrong.
On the left side Johnson played in this system. He was effective. Seumalo is a master of both blocking schemes. He should easily adjust and excel. I think that’s likely why he was signed.
Overall I think the Cards retained Frye because they felt the team simply had the wrong linemen to make his system work. He’s been successful at multiple stops. If this works, the revised line should be capable of creating the holes Love needs to be the weapon the Cards badly desire!
