BLITZOLOGY

AFCA Convention

2012-01-13T16:06:00.000-05:00

2012 was another great year at the convention. 10,000 football coaches hit the Riverwalk in San Antonio. One of the speakers was legendary Florida State DC Mickey Andrews. The defensive back coaches were excellent (Chris Ash-Wisconsin, Maurice Linguist-James Madison, and Wesley McGriff-Vandy). Also head coaches Mike London and Paul Winters were very interesting. I encourage any coach who is not a member of the AFCA to join. The convention is a great chance to meet other coaches, talk football, see the latest football products & equipment, and continue to develop in the coaching profession. Next year the convention is in Nashville.

Pass Rush: Thinking about the Big Picture

2011-12-21T20:26:00.024-05:00

Yesterday, I was asked to take a survey regarding learning styles. The survey consisted of a number of questions about how I favored being presented information. Two answer choices were offered in the format of either A or B, which do you prefer? The final results showed graphs comparing multiple pairings of contrasting learning styles and which ones I favored based on my answers to the survey. The results got me thinking about how we teach our team. One set of learning styles from the survey is visual vs. verbal. Our coaches now utilize the whiteboard, power point, printed playbooks, and technique manuals to help players understand material that is being taught. Some players grasp concepts in writing instantly and others do not. We follow up written material with video playbooks, video cutups, and live demonstrations to show players what they must know. Once a player has attempted the techniques they are shown film of the practice or game. Overall the visual portion covers: those who learn on paper, those who learn by watching others, and those who learn by watching themselves. We address verbal learners by making every effort to utilize a descriptive and consistent vocabulary. I believe the most successful coaches spend more time focused on how they are going to verbalize the coaching points of their scheme and technique than they do on the scheme and technique itself. Also coaches ask players to verbalize the concepts. Some players need to hear themselves explain the material to gain mastery of the material. The player’s verbalization also serves as excellent feedback about how the player has interpreted the information. Overall I think visual and verbal learning styles have received a great deal of attention in our teaching model. The next set of learning styles is sequential vs. global. Do you learn better by looking at the steps that end in the final product (sequential) or do you prefer to see the final product and use that context to better understand the steps to arrive at that product (global)? Much of what we teach focuses on the sequential. When looking at the pass rush we focus on stance, alignment, snap reaction, hand strike, and pass rush moves. Furthermore some pass rush moves are sequential like chop, club, and rip. I believe this is an area we must integrate more global teaching. Showing players the big picture of what we are trying to get done in the pass rush will hopefully inspire more creativity in how we rush the passer. A wise man once said, “If you don’t want them to act like robots, don’t coach them like robots.” The third set of learning styles that got my attention was active vs. reflective. Active learning is a huge piece of the football coaching puzzle. Repetition and development of muscle memory are foundational for all positions. However, reflective learning is another area we only partially address. How many situations do we inspire our players to think about football at a technical level in their pre-game preparation? Our staff gives players film study guides by position group. Players take a weekly scouting report and game plan test on Fridays. But how much do they really reflect and how can we foster more thought? I started thinking of ways we can emphasize global and reflective learning in our teaching model for pass rush.

Balance and Balancing
In our baseline teaching the rush is made up of two contain rushers and two interior rush lanes.

The contain rushers are responsible to squeeze the pocket. Contain players should not come under a pass block until they reach the depth of the QB. Interior rushers are responsible to push the interior of the line and control the area behind the center.

Interior rushers should not cross the center nor end up at a contain width in his rush (stay in the interior rush lane).

On a drop back pass the QB is looking to plant his foot on the fifth step and deliver the football to his primary read. Next, he will step forward into the pocket which we call his +1 and look to his next read. He will again step forward on his +2 and look to his final read. Finally, he will look for an opportunity to escape the pocket. In our pass rush philosophy, the throws on the 5th step must be pressured with great snap reaction and takeoff. The +1 and +2 throws are pressured with the combination of the interior push and the contain player’s squeeze. If one of these elements is lacking the QB will be able to step up into the pocket or slide laterally outside the pocket. Rushers must also use their film study to anticipate the QB’s next move. All QB’s have tendencies. Where does he look to escape? How quickly does he look to escape? If he is a runner and abandons his progression before the +1 we must be aware and adjust. If the QB looks to escape early, interior rushers need to be ready to transition to a two-gap technique and disengage from blocks. We must understand when to make that transition. Contain rushers must account for the QB’s change in depth and be ready to come under pass sets when they reach the QB’s depth.

All rushers have an aiming point in relationship to the QB. The contain rusher in the QB’s face should be aiming for the midpoint of the QB’s Chest. He is treating the pass rush like any other tackling opportunity. The interior rusher in the QB’s face is looking to get to the QB’s lead hip. The interior rusher to the QB’s back is aiming for the QB’s lead shoulder. The blind side contain rusher is aiming for QB’s up field shoulder.

If the offense changes the launch point for the QB (scramble, half-roll, sprint out, or boot) the pass rusher’s aiming points remain the same. Get to your aiming point no matter where it goes.

Players must understand when they have a two-way go on a pass blocker.

Here the Tackle has a two-way go on the guard and has the freedom to make an inside pass rush move. The End as a contain player should only come underneath the offensive tackles pass set when he reaches the depth of the QB.

We can rush 4 from our 3-4 package by blitzing the OLB and slanting the DL. Here the LB is the contain rusher and the End on has a two-way go on the guard.

When we execute twists the responsibilities for contain and interior rush will be exchanged.

Here the Nose must understand his responsibility is the opposite interior rush lane. The Left DE has his normal contain while the Right DE has a two way go on the guard and is an interior rusher. The DT must loop to contain. As a contain player he must squeeze the pocket. With the DE going on an inside move it is important for the DT to keep his loop tight as to not create an escape lane for the QB. The Tackle must see his contain responsibility in the same way a DE would. All the rushers must understand their new aiming points on the QB.

Here the Tackle is asked to go from his normal alignment as a 3 technique to the opposite interior rush lane (B gap to A gap to Opposite A gap) and is responsible for balancing the pass rush. We only coach the first step or takeoff. Our philosophy is to attack with the first step and react on the second step. By understanding his final destination it should help the Tackle understand the best footwork and block shed to get where he needs to go. I often hear coaches complain about why a player made a decision and a player’s lack of football IQ. Perhaps by improving our global teaching model the player will understand the desired outcome and will make better decisions and arrive more often at that outcome.

When we bring a blitz the players must understand how that affects their pass rush.

Here the Tackle must be aware of the offensive tackle and fight for contain. The OT will look for work when the DE drops into coverage and will try to seal the DT inside. The long stick DE is the interior rusher on the left side and cannot get washed across the center. The Nose is balancing the pass rush. The Nose also has a two-way go on the guard. If the guard is using and overly aggressive slide technique for example the Nose can work an outside edge pass rush move on the guard.

Understand the Protection Scheme and Our Plan of Attack

Here the tackle knows he has a two-way go on the guard. If the scouting report for our opponent is that the center looks to help with the Nose; the Tackle must be aware of this tendency and the effect on his rush. Because he has a two-way go and a single block the responsibility to push the pocket is almost all his. The Nose meanwhile must understand that if he is being double-teamed he must make sure the center has to keep helping the guard. The worst case scenario is for the center to help initially with the Nose and still be able to help late with the Tackle.

If we are running the NCAA blitz and the scouting report on our opponent is that the pass protection is half-slide. If the slide is away from the pressure the DE on the long stick must know what that means.

The OT is manned on the DE with the rest of the OL in a slide technique. The DE needs to understand that the OT has him man to man. This will allow the DE to heavy his alignment to make beating the OT across his face easier. Also by getting inside more quickly it creates a more clear pass rush lane for the interior blitzer. The DE must also anticipate that as he goes inside he will feel pressure on his back from the OT. The DE must pry up the field and get to his interior rush lane responsibility. The pry will help insure the DE does not end up being pushed across the center and losing rush lane integrity.

Against a slide protection going toward the blitz the DE’s plan must be different.

Here the offense uses a full slide protection which allows the RB to have no pass blocking responsibility once the DE drops into coverage. The DE must understand what full slide means for him. If he simply long sticks and is lateral as he goes to the A gap the guard will pass him to the center. Offenses are coaching the guard that if your get the lateral long stick action from the DE you need to pass him and pick up the inside blitzer in the NCAA blitz. If the DE instead attacks and starts to engage the guard on the long stick before ripping across his face into the A gap the guard is in bind. The full slide scheme says the guard has the B gap. The guard only knows what he knows and initially it feels like the DE is going on a single gap slant to his B gap. The guard would need to block the DE in that situation. As the guard figures out what is happening and passes the long stick DE to the center the interior blitzer is already through the B gap and pressuring the QB.

Scout your Opponent & Develop a Plan

We tell our players that the coaches will deliver the big picture breakdown of the opponent but players must learn about the individual they are going against. We give our guys a full checklist of things to watch on film to know what to expect from the OL they will be lining up against. Where we must improve is helping our players understand the game within the game. Players need to develop for themselves a plan of pass rush attack vs. their opponent. They should use the information they gather from their film checklist to develop their plan. If you are a 3 technique expecting a two-way go, how are you going to capitalize on that advantage? If the OL posts (puts lots of weight on) his inside foot when he sees an inside move, how are you going to attack that tendency? Are you going to jab inside and work his outside edge? What will you counter with if he is able to recover? Does the OL over set to a speed rush? Can you get him to over set and work a counter club move to beat him to the inside? I think we have done a good job indoctrinating our guys about earning the right to rush the passer. Our players believe in the idea of stopping the run on 1st and 2nd downs to get themselves in green light pass rush opportunities. Now if we can help our players to do more reflective learning in creating their own pass rush plan of attack we will be even more successful. I think that reflective learning will help our players be more creative in their pass rush. I am also a believer in visualization and if this model encourages our players to visualize more than I am all for it. Overall, I think a player who believes he has earned the right to rush the passer and helped develop his individual plan of attack will be both motivated and excited. We are going to ask players to verbalize their plan against their opponent and practice that plan in our 1on1 pass rush period.

Work a Move

We teach our players a number of pass rush techniques and help them to develop their best move and a counter. When we grade practice and games one part of a DL’s grade is a technical grade. Technical grades are based on knowing the call, proper alignment, stance, etc. D-linemen receive a technical grade for every play they are on the field. For pass rush opportunities the DL receive a pass rush move grade. The scale is ++, +, 0,-, -- with a double plus being the best and a double minus being the worst. If a player received a 0, he attempted a pass rush move but it wasn’t successful. If the player was graded +, the pass rush move resulted in pressure and if he received a ++ the pass rush resulted in disruption of the pass. While a grade of – means the DL did not attempt a pass rush move. Typically this means a DL ran directly into the OL and blocked himself. A grade of - - is for a critical error. Critical errors in the pass rush are taking the path of least resistance and leaving your rush lane or losing contain and the offense was able to capitalize. Also giving up on a pass rush earns the grade of --. With HUDL we are able to send out DL film with notes so they can look at their pass rush grades from practice and games. I think we can use this film to guide our DL as they develop their pass rush plan.

Finish

We work hard to coach finish to our team. For pass rush finish means: sacks, disrupted passes, and strips. We chart every practice in terms of pass rush production and post the results in the locker room. Players take the competition seriously and want to be the best pass rusher each day. This will also serve as a tool to help guide players in developing their pass rush attack. What worked and what didn’t?

Overall I think by helping players understand the big picture (global learning) and challenging them to think (reflective learning) we will build better pass rushers. I also think these concepts will help us make in game adjustments as well as help players self-correct. If a player isn’t seeing on the field what he expected based on game plan he will be able to communicate that to coaches between series. Also the hope is that the player can evaluate what is happening to him and adjust his pass rush plan during the game. This type of self-correction is only possible if the player fully understands the bigger pass rush picture and has thought about what his other possible plans of action might be.

Concussions

2011-12-18T21:09:00.006-05:00

Concussions have become a hot button issue across all levels of football. When will a comprehensive independent safety study of what is the safest helmet and safest mouthpiece exist? Currently there are multiple companies claiming to have the safest product for preventing concussions but where is the proof? I have heard "testing in very expensive" and "it is difficult to replicate actual football conditions in a lab" as possible explanations for why no study exists. Who is going to pay for it? Will it be accurate? I don't have the answers to those questions. What I do know is there are 631 football playing college teams in the NCAA that could serve as real world data collectors.

120 FBS
120 FCS
152 DII
239 DIII

All of these teams have a full time athletic trainer. It seams fairly low cost for the NCAA to simply ask team trainers to document every concussion on their team and what manufacturer and model of helmet the player was wearing when they sustained the injury. While this data might not be conclusive; it could serve as a guide for purchasing the safest helmet possible. Data could also be easily collected from JUCO, NAIA, and NFL teams.

Links

2011-12-16T23:18:00.000-05:00

More 4-2-5 resources from Coach Hoover available here.

A nice post on hybridization of the OLB/DE in a muliple 3-4 scheme from Compete in All Things is available here. These types of hybrid players are in my opinion the key to defensive evolution moving forward.

Also a short interview I did for Sports Deck Blog is available here.

How the Cowboy killed off the Wildcat

2011-12-14T01:04:00.009-05:00

The original Wildcat package at the University of Arkansas was run from 1 unbalanced formation.

What made the Wildcat so effective early on was the unbalanced formation with the QB flexed out at receiver. With the QB still on the field the defense couldn't tell if the offense was going to run the Wildcat or traditional 22 personnel formations and plays before they broke the huddle. Defenses initially had trouble dealing with the tackle over unbalanced, motion, and treating the QB as a receiver. Jet sweep, power, inside zone, and counter are the plays that made up the basic Wildcat attack. If defenses didn’t adjust to the unbalanced correctly you were out leveraged and the jet sweep got to the perimeter.

If the defense didn’t have enough bodies in the box or over played the jet sweep the power play would hit off the strong side edge.

When teams over shifted to the unbalanced to stop the sweep and power the counter play allowed the offense to exploit the undermanned weak side of the formation.

Inside zone was a complimentary play that could be run strong or weak and allowed the offense to have 3 double teams inside.

Video of the wildcat from Arkansas is available here. The first rule to playing defense is to get lined up and the Wildcat made that more difficult than traditional formations. By having the "QB" taking the direct snap the offense had a hat for a hat when blocking the core.

A great deal of the Wildcat’s success was tied to the formation, but what was initially the Wildcat’s strength became its Achilles heel. Because the Wildcat was being run with a RB at QB the threat of pass was extremely limited. Also Wildcat teams were lining up a QB at WR which further limited passing options. One solution is to limit the coverage to the QB. There is a low probability he is being thrown the ball so why cover him? The concept often includes bringing a blitzing corner (cowboy).

The concept is basically cover 2 with the corner blitzing instead of playing the flat. The SS should be able to handle the limited pass threat as the RB is unlikely to throw the hole shot on the sideline. The blitzing corner made running the jet sweep difficult and allowed the front to handle the plays in the core with minimal adjustment.
Another corner blitz solution was to bring the corner to the motion.

By blitzing the backside corner the defense is able to attack the running back and help eliminate the power, counter and inside zone plays. Using the backside corner in pressure allows more flexibility in the rest of the defense to adjust to the unbalanced and jet sweep.To take it a step further, you can blitz both corners (double cowboys).

Now there is a blitzer attacking both elements of the wildcat package (sweep and "QB"). The FS can key the H-back and help defend the weak side on counter and inside zone plays while staying front side on sweep and power. The TE is still a pass threat, although an unlikely one. One solution is to utilize the TCU cop concept and man the DE on the TE.

As defenses have evolved the Wildcat was forced to evolve or die. The issue was there wasn’t anywhere for the Wildcat to evolve. The pass game was never going to feature play action and boot, nor is it likely quick game, drop back pass, or screen will make an appearance. The run game was basically maxed out and defensive schemes were cranked up to attack the run. The only solution left was to adjust the formation. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks and the Miami Dolphins other formations have not had the same success as the original. I don't know if the Wildcat is gone for good, but I do know that offenses will have to find a solution to the corner blitz if it is going to make a comeback.

Blitz of the Week #18

2011-12-02T00:41:00.003-05:00

Haven't posted in a while so here goes. This is a weak side overload blitz the Rams used earlier in the season vs. the Cardinals.

This blitz is run from an odd front dime package.

Strong End - Drop to the 3RH
Nose - Loop to strong contain
Weak End - Contain Rush
Mike - Align on LOS over the Guard, Drop to weak side Seam
Will - Align on LOS over the Guard, Blitz inside across Guard's face, balance the pass rush
FS - Time it up, Blitz inside 1/2 of B Gap, stay inside block of RB
Dime - Blitz outside 1/2 of B Gap
Nickel - Strong Seam
Strong Corner - FZ 1/3 from a off alignment
Weak Corner - FZ 1/3 from a press alignment
FS - Pop out to FZ Middle

Video of this blitz is available here on the NFL website. Steve Spagnuolo is always a good source for innovative blitz concepts. However, this blitz happens to be the exact same pressure used last season against the Cardinals. I wrote about it in an overload blitz post from last December. The 2010 version was used on a 3rd & 6 vs. a bunch formation. The 2011 incarnation was used on 3rd & 9 vs. a traditional trips set. The video is almost identical.

Blitz of the Week #17

2011-05-27T19:00:00.002-04:00

This week's Blitz of the week is a Zone Dog that utilizes a Super Stick concept.

Rush - Super Stick to Opposite A (Super Stick is a long stick to opposite A Gap)
Tackle - Work to Contain Rush
Nose - B Gap
End - Contain Rush
Sam - Show blitz in A Gap
SS&WS - Seam
Mike - 3RH
FS - FZ Middle
Corners - FZ 1/3

It can also be run with the Sam hitting the blitz running.

This pressure has the flexability of the front being set Field or Bench, Strong or Weak, To or Away from a TE/Offset Back if the defense is utilitzing a front that is divorced from the coverage. Such as the case with many 4-2-5 defenses like TCU.

The pressure is also good from a Dime personnel grouping.

This zone dog can be found in Dick Lebeau's 2002 Bengals Playbook on page 268.

This blitz creates an interior pass rush opportunity for an athletic defensive end. The OL has trouble seeing a DL who us working from the edge all the way to the interior.

The Super Stick concept can also be utilized in other 5 man pressures.

This zone dog compliments America's Blitz. The pressure is run from a front with 2 3 techniques.
Rush- Super Stick
Tackle- Hard Penetrate B Gap
Nose - Loop Contain
End - Seam Drop (unless "Hook" call by Mike)
Sam - Blitz A Gap
SS - Edge Blitz
Mike - 3RH (Mike "Hook" call vs. Split #2 weak, play Seam)
FS - Seam
WS - FZ Middle
FS - Seam
Corners - FZ 1/3

More Fun with 1 Defensive Lineman

2011-02-27T20:40:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of the post on creating the illusion of pressure here is some fun that can be had by using a 1 DL personnel package.

Now because the defense has Rush LB's on the LOS instead of DL the defense can acutally blitz 2 from the field and still play 4 under 3 deep.

Cool Product

2011-02-27T19:17:00.001-05:00

These loops are great for team laundry and the clothes get cleaner and dryer than with laundry bags. I definately recommend them to any program looking to improve their laundry situation. Check out http://www.laundryloops.com/ for more information.

Coach Hoover

2011-02-27T15:41:00.000-05:00

Another great post from Coach Hoover about Dick Lebeau's Triple Inside Fire Zone (a middle overload blitz concept) is available here. The post also includes video cutups.

Creating the Illusion of Pressure

2011-02-26T20:37:00.024-05:00

Everyone loves the idea of getting something for nothing. Defensive football coaches are no different. The something that coaches want is to pressure, confuse, and disrupt the quarterback. However, not every coach is willing to gamble with a blitz and risk giving up an explosion play every time they want pressure. The resulting challenge is how to get the pressure without the risk.

One solution is to rush 4 but not the 4 down lineman. Dick Lebeau and Dom Capers both utilize 4 man pass rushes with a blitzer as the 4th rusher while dropping a lineman or rush linebacker into coverage. The following diagrams are examples from Lebeau’s 2002 Bengals playbook (pages 270-273).

Video of Capers’ Packers defense running this type of pressure is available here. These pressures increase the degree of difficulty for the offense by forcing the pass protection first to identify the 4 rushers and then get them blocked. Also these pressures can result in the best pass blockers (OL) blocking no one and the worst (RB) picking up the blitzer. This is especially advantageous when the blitzer is one of the defense's better pass rushers.

Most defenses have a bluff concept somewhere in their playbook where the defense fakes a blitz but instead rushes the 4 defensive linemen and plays normal zone coverage. Typically this involves the fake blitzers moving toward the LOS pre-snap and eventually bailing out to their actually responsibilities.

Problems occur when defenders don’t make their bluff look like the real thing and often they don’t. Offenses study film too. They know what blitzes look like and can tell when they are being bluffed. If adequate practice time is allocated defenders can become great at selling the offense. The drawback is the amount of practice time needed to perfect the bluff may not be commensurate with the reward. A simple solution to this problem is to have multiple players showing blitz with some rushing and some bluffing. The real blitzer(s) should be convincing which helps to camouflage the bluff. This concept can be applied to the 4 man pressures utilized by Lebeau.

The goal is to convince the offense they are seeing a 5, 6, or 7 man rush and force them to react to that perceived pressure.

Offenses have many strategies to deal with the blitz. One plan offenses use is to throw 1 step fade to their best/tallest receiver. Because the offense is only taking a 1 step drop (catch & throw from the gun), getting pressure on the QB is almost impossible. The defense is most likely going to win the majority of these match-ups based solely on the low completion percentage of the play. Unfortunately, the offense will win some as well. A great leaper at WR, a bad height match-up (5’9 corner vs. 6’3 WR), pass interference, great throw & catch , or plain old luck can all lead to an explosion play. Teams seem to be getting better and better at completing this pass which means that the days of expecting the defense to win based on the offense’s inability to execute may be at an end. Additionally, as an offense attacks the corners the response is to loosen their coverage and the availability of slants, hitches, and fade-stops increases. By bluffing pressure the defense can get the offense to check into a 1 step fade and throw the ball up vs. a deep 1/3 corner. The Corner can play confidently against the fade because he knows he has help on shorter routes from the underneath droppers.

Another strategy offenses like to use is hot (sight adjust) routes to attack the blitz. The hot routes most commonly involve the interior or slot receivers adjusting their routes to replace where the blitzer came from. The bluff should force a hot route that will run into the underneath droppers.

A third pressure strategy is to align in or motion to tandem and bunch formations. Receivers then run pick routes to rub the man coverage and utilize fast crossers or flat routes as a built in hot concept. The defense is forced to become proficient at combo coverage or be willing to fight through picks. The possibility of a defender being picked creates the potential for an explosion play. Because the coverage is not man to man the pick routes lose their effectiveness and the crossing routes will be running directly into zone dropping defenders.

Offenses may also check to a max protection scheme and leave in an extra back or TE to add to the protection. Most defenses are not thrilled to see a 7 man pass protection when they are blitzing. However, in this situation the offense is allocating 7 blockers for only 4 rushers. While the pass rush may be blocked initially the coverage should be able to force the QB to hold the ball with 7 defenders vs. 3 receivers.

Another protection check is to slide the protection to or away from the pressure. Some offenses check the slide away from the rush when they see the NCAA blitz pre-snap.

The thought process is that the OT will follow the long stick inside and should then be able to pass the DE to the OG and be in position to pick up the inside blitzer. The running back has the blitzer off the edge. Teams that slide away from the protection can be attacked with Nickel Sting 8.

By bluffing the NCAA blitz the defense gets the offense to slide the protection thereby guaranteeing the blitzing Nickel is 1 on 1 with the back.

Other offenses check the protection to slide to the blitz.

The thought process being the slide can handle the blitz and the RB will not have to block anyone and will be free to check release. Teams that choose to slide to the blitz can be attacked with Nickel Tag 8.

Once the offense checks the protection to slide to the blitz the OT has to work through the DE to get out to the Nickel. The Nickel's speed should create problems for the tackle. The RB has to block a DE 1 on 1. By bluffing, the defense can dictate to the offense and create favorable pass rush match-ups.

Offenses that utilize the freeze tempo and check the sideline can be manipulated as well. The camouflage of the real blitzer(s) with the fake blitzer(s) will get the offensive coordinator on the sideline or in the press box to check the play to a blitz beater only to discover that there is no blitz. Check the sideline teams operate under a philosophy that the coach will read the defense and check the offense into an optimal call. Every time the offensive coordinator is wrong from the sideline it erodes his player's confidence in the game plan.

This concept is designed to complement cover zero and fire zone pressure. By coupling blitz and bluff you can create pressure both real and perceived. It is always nice to get something for nothing.

Good Reading

2011-02-18T19:41:00.001-05:00

I have been catching up on my blog reading and there has been some good stuff posted out there lately.

Over on Coach Hoover's Blog there is an excellent series on defending the flexbone option with the 4-3 in posts on position play for Corners, Safeties, OLB's, Mike, DE's, and DT's.

Also Duece (of Coach Huey infamy) has a new blog and continues on the topic of defending the flexbone.
http://footballislifeblog.blogspot.com/

If your are interested in addressing the flexbone from an offensive perspective or just want to spy on the opposition check out http://3backoptionfootball.blogspot.com/

Smart Football wrote about the evolution of fire zone pressure (here) and Brophy discussed further the Caper's Nickle package (here).

Another pressure related post from Brophy focused on new Texas defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and his fire zone package (here). I think this post is fascinating because of the contrast between Diaz's fire zone teaching model and that of other fire zone coaches.

Blitz of the Week #16

2011-02-07T22:21:00.004-05:00

This week's Blitz of the Week was submitted by Blitzology reader Anthony White. Anthony shot me an e-mail with an overview of the blitz and a video clip. The pressure is a strong side overload blitz with Fire Zone coverage behind it that was run by the Baltimore Ravens against the Carolina Panthers earlier this season.

The Ravens bring 4 rushers from the strong side to generate pressure.

Nose - Jab and loop for contain
End - Contain Rush
RILB - Go 1st,Blitz A to A (Balance the Rush)
LILB - Go 2nd to let the RILB clear, Blitz Opposite B Gap (Inside 1/2 of Gap)
Nickel - Blitz B Gap (Outside 1/2 of Gap)
Rush LB - Bail out, 3RH player
Dime & Invert Safety -Seam
Corners - Fire Zone 1/3
Deep Safety - Fire Zone Middle

The video of this blitz is available here. Click OK and the video will start.

Note the outside-in Seam technique of the inverting safety to the blitz (#26) and how he squeezes the inside route by the #2 receiver to the 3RH player (#56).

Excellent find Anthony and thanks for the e-mail.

1 Defensive Lineman Pressure Package

2011-02-02T13:24:00.002-05:00

I have been drawing in the dirt some of the possibilities of using a 1 DL front.

You can bring a field pressure that looks and feels like an overload pressure but is still a 4 man rush with a 4 under 3 deep coverage behind it. The benefit of this pressure is the Nickel should get a free run. The OT may fan to the outside Rush LB but is unlikely to set all the way out to the Nickel.

This personnel also helps solve a fundamental boundary fire zone problem. In most even front fire zone blitz concepts from the weak side or boundary the contain player to the field is a looping 3 technique defensive tackle. In this pressure the field contain player is a Rush LB aligned where a 9 technique defensive end would be normally. The 3 technique is a stand up Rush LB also and can easily handle a 3RH drop even against a trips formation.

The B Gap overload concept (here from the boundary) that has been featured previously is available from this personnel and with sound field contain.

Links

2011-01-30T13:26:00.000-05:00

Many of the links to playbooks on previous posts are not working because of the overhaul done to the Fast and Furious website. I am working to get all the links fixed.

Film Study Guide for Defensive Backs

2011-01-14T17:50:00.001-05:00

Here is a film study guide for defensive backs from Bill Belichick's 1997 Jets playbook (pages 10&11).

Bill Belichick's Pressure Package Part 1

2011-01-14T17:21:00.003-05:00

Here is a sample blitz from the Belichick arsenal.

This pressure is a 3 under 3 deep fire zone with an interior twist by the nose and a blitzing linebacker.

Both ILB's are walked up on the LOS. The Left ILB drops out into the 3RH. The Right ILB penetrates into the A gap and executes a twist with the Nose. The Rush LB is the weak side Seam player while the Nickel plays the strong side Seam. Video of this blitz is available here.
Note the outside-in Seam technique of the Nickel (#25 at the bottom of the screen).

Blitz of the Week #15

2011-01-13T19:06:00.001-05:00

This blitz was dialed up by Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in their wildcard game vs. the Seahawks. The blitz is a variation of the NCAA blitz but uses a Corner as the widest rusher instead of an outside linebacker.

The DE to the blitz is long sticking to the A gap and the OLB and Corner are coming off the edge. Williams is calling a man free coverage to create an overload. The two inside linebackers have man responsibilities on the running backs. The inside linebackers execute a key rush or rush to cover technique on the backs. The technique is simple, at the snap rush the back. If the back attempts to release into a route cover him. If the back attempts to set up for a screen the key rusher should be behind the releasing offensive linemen making screens to the RB difficult. If the running back picks up the other rushers the key rusher can add to the rush creating an overload.

Here the Saints overload the right side that has 4 blockers by bringing what turns into 5 from a side. With the running backs picking up the blitzers the key rushing linebackers are unblocked.

Video of this blitz can be seen here.

If the backs had split instead the inside linebackers would have still been in the rush and an overload would still be created. Only this time the overload would be a 4 from a side blitz vs. 3 blockers.

AFCA Convention

2011-01-13T18:16:00.001-05:00

I spent the last few days in Dallas at the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) convention. The convention is attended be nearly every college coach from DI, DI-AA, DII, DIII, and NAIA along with many High School coaches. The convention is a tremendous opportunity to network and socialize with other coaches. There are speakers daily on every topic from X's & O's, to philosophy, to ethics in coaching, to fund raising. The convention also features a massive exhibit from vendors for every football related product you might need for your program. If you are a coach and are not a member of the AFCA, I encourage you to join. Be sure the check out the AFCA website by clicking the AFCA logo in the right column. Next year the convention is in San Antonio and in Indianapolis in 2012.

SCIF vs. Seam

2011-01-03T18:24:00.004-05:00

Several people have asked for a definition of a SCIF drop. I want to preface this post by saying there is no universal football terminology. The SCIF drop and technique I am going to define is based on my experience and surely will not cover all definitions. The SCIF drop I am referring to is a Seam-Curl-Flat drop which is utilized in 3 under 3 deep fire zone coverage. The 3 under structure is SCIF/3RH/SCIF. The SCIF (unlike Dick Lebeau's Seam technique) is played by collisioning the #2 receiver inside-out.

If #2 goes vertical:

Cover all Quick Game and Hot Routes by #2 (Hitches & Slants)
Collision #2 and re-route in the Seam
Expand Late to the Curl-Flat

If #2 goes across:

Cover all Quick Game and Hot Routes by #2 (Lookies)
Wall #2 and re-route
Expand late to the Curl-Flat

If #2 goes out:

Top the Route (Get body in window of #1's curl)
Be ready for the throw to the Curl or the Flat

If #2 Blocks:

Drop with depth over #2
Be alert for check release & screen
Head on a swivel for routes coming into the seam
Cannot be out leveraged to the flat
If no threats in the seam & no threats to the flat expand late to the curl

Simply Put the SCIF player's drop is to "Hang & Bang" in the seam, expand late to the curl, and let the throw take you to the flat.

I have seen film of both the SEAM and the SCIF used effectively. Neither is the "right" nor "wrong". Ultimately it all comes down to what can your team execute.

Blitz of the Week #14

2011-01-02T21:12:00.002-05:00

This week's Blitz of the Week is a crossfire concept dialed up by Dom Capers of the Green Bay Packers. The traditional crossfire fire zone blitz is in nearly every playbook and is almost as common as the NCAA blitz.

The blitz is a double A gap pressure with the blitzing linebackers crossing. The DE to the 3 tech is dropping out. Video of the Packers running it can be seen here.

The Packers will also use their modified Nickel personnel group to spice up the crossfire concept.

Because the Packers are utilizing 2 Rush Linebackers at the defensive end positions they can drop them both into coverage. With both Rush LB's dropping the Nickel is free to blitz creating confusion for the pass protection and interior pressure from the crossfire blitz. Video can be seen here.

Fire Zone Coverage Adjustment

2011-01-02T19:42:00.004-05:00

Here is an adjustment to the technique of the 3RH player from Dom Capers' 1997 Carolina Panthers Playbook (page 172).

Green Bay Packers Nickel & Psycho Packages

2010-12-31T16:08:00.008-05:00

More and more teams are now utilizing pass rush personnel groups with only 1 or 2 defensive linemen on the field. Dom Capers' Packers defense has generated a great deal of pressure this season with these types of hybrid personnel groups. The Nickel concept allows the Packers to rush 4 and drop 7 with two edge rushers that have speed and athleticism. Teams like the Packers that base out of a 3-4 concept often want both OLB's (typically the best pass rushers in a 3-4 scheme) rushing the QB and a 4 man rush. This specialized personnel group allows for both OLB's to stay in the game and for a Nickel secondary to be on the field by only utilizing 2 down linemen. The Packers can be seen here rushing 4 in a traditional 4 man pass rush with 2 Rush LB's as the defensive ends. The versatility of this personnel is that you can bring 4 rushers from a blitz look.

In this pressure the Packers show a 5 man rush pre-snap with a LB walked up on the left. However, the right Rush LB drops out. The coverage is a Cover 3 concept with a 4 man rush. Video can be seen here.

This package isn't limited to only 4 man rush pressure. The 5 man rush package can give the defense well designed blitzes coupled with skilled players dropping into coverage.

The Packers use an overload blitz concept with Cover 3 Fire Zone behind it to create a 5 man pass rush. The hybrid personnel allows the Nickel to rush the QB and not have any true defensive linemen drop into coverage. Video can be seen here.

This type of personnel also makes overload blitzes like Dick Lebeau's Triple Inside Fire Zone and Safety Gut Fire Zone (both utilize 2 dropping DE's) more realistic pressure options.

The Packers also have a 1 down lineman (Psycho) package from their odd front. The pressure possibilities from this package are basically endless.

Here the Packers shuffle the Right Rush LB down and have him long stick to the opposite side of the center. The blitz is a variation of the NCAA blitz with all 3 linebackers rushing on the same side. The Nose loops for contain opposite the blitz while the Left Rush LB drops to the 3RH. The coverage is a traditional Cover 3 Fire Zone with a dime personnel secondary. Video can be seen here.

With offenses continuing to put more speed at the skill positions and spread the field I believe defenses will continue to develop answers like the psycho package to match up. More information on this trend is available on Brophy's Blog in a post here. Also more information about Dom Capers and his defense can be seen in his 1997 Carolina Panthers playbook.

Fire Zone Coverage Series

2010-12-31T06:17:00.003-05:00

The final post of the series will cover the techniques of the 3 deep players in a 3 under 3 deep Fire Zone coverage concept. The underneath coverage was featured previously in posts on the Seam and 3RH techniques. The technique of the FZ 1/3 corner is described in Dick Lebeau's 2002 Cincinnati Bengals playbook.

Lebeau gives rules for the corner on page 144

CORNERS - DEEP 1/3 BUT NO 2 TO 1 READ
ENABLES CORNERS TO GET TIGHTER ON #1 RECEIVERS (ALERT STACK OR SLASH RELEASE)
SEAM PLAYERS WILL CARRY SEAMS TO FREE SAFETY
NO CHINA CALLS IN FIRE ZONE

The Corner is playing a very aggressive technique on the #1 receiver's route. The only route the corner is not aggressively playing is when the #1 receiver releases on a shallow crossing route. In that case the Corner will work the Deep 1/3 divider and squeeze to a vertical by the #2 receiver.

The Corners must be alert for reduced splits that might result in the #1 receiver going on a fast crossing route. With the Seam player carrying #2 vertical the Corner is not required to midpoint 2 vertical is his zone as he would in a traditional Cover 3 Deep 1/3. This allows the Corner to play press or bail technique on the #1 receiver and does not require the Corner to make a "China" call vs. smash route concepts. Overall the concept is very simple; the corner plays #1's route aggressively unless it is a shallow crossing route.

The play of the Middle 1/3 or FZ Middle player as Lebeau calls it is very similar to a traditional Cover 3 middle 1/3 safety. The safety will work the middle 1/3 divider (imaginary line that cuts the middle 1/3 in half) and expect the Seam players to carry and deliver vertical routes. The FZ Middle player will midpoint 2 verticals and squeeze to 1 vertical route in the middle 1/3.

The FZ Middle player does have to be aware of the release of the #3 receiver. If the #3 receiver releases out the FZ Middle player must lean to #3 because the Seam player will go with the flat route and the 3RH player will not stretch vertically.

The Fire Zone coverage concept allows for many of the benefits of man free coverage while still utilizing zone coverage concepts.

3 Receiver Hook Drop

2010-12-30T13:46:00.004-05:00

Previous posts discussed the Seam technique in Dick Lebeau's Cover 3 Fire Zone coverage and provided a video clip. This post will continue the fire zone coverage series and will focus on the the 3 Receiver Hook (3RH) drop. The 3 underneath coverage consists of Seam/3 Receiver Hook/Seam. The 3RH can be a dropping defensive lineman, linebacker, or inverting safety. Regardless of who is the 3RH the technique remains the same. The following is Lebeau's explanation of the 3RH from the 2002 Cincinnati Bengals Playbook.

One page 144 Lebeau defines the 3RH drop.

3 RECEIVER HOOK - HOOK PLAYER WORKS TO SIDE OF 3RD RELEASER INTO PATTERN. ZONE OFF THE 3 INSIDE RECEIVERS WITH SEAM PLAYERS. 10 YARD DEPTH RULE.

BE ALERT FOR FAST CROSSERS THREE RECEIVER HOOK WILL DELIVER FAST CROSSERS TO NEXT DEFENDER (YOU MAY TAKE THE CROSSER ALL THE WAY). 3 RECEIVER HOOK PLAYER WILL NEVER STRETCH THE VERTICAL ROUTES.

Based on the rules and diagrams in the playbook here is my analysis of the 3RH drop.

If #3 Blocks:

Drop with Depth (Max of 10 yards) over the #3 receiver. Be aware of the check release.
Be ready for fast crossers and in routes being delivered by the Seams droppers.
Have your head on a swivel and listen for communication from the Seam players.

If #3 goes vertical:

Carry vertical do not stretch with vertical route.
Be alert for fast crosser from #2 and be ready to carry and deliver(Look for reduced splits)

If #3 goes out:

Communicate out cut to Seam player
Expand an find the first inside breaking route.
You may have to carry and deliver a fast crosser from #1 or #2.
Be alert of the slash/flat combo (Look for reduced splits)

If #3 releases across the formation:

Carry and Deliver the crosser to the Seam Player

Off-Season Self Scout

2010-12-29T13:57:00.017-05:00

Here are a few thoughts of things to evaluate a defense during the off-season. Be sure to leave comments if there is something you breakdown/evaluate in the off-season that isn't on the list.

Self Scout Checklist
How often did we call each?

Front
Slant
Twist
Blitz
Coverage
Disguise
Tags & Adjustments

How effective was each call? (Yardage allowed, TD's, TFL's...etc.)

What percentage of our total calls is each?

Do the percentages reflect our philosophy?
Does what we called mirror our practice scripts? Did we run what we practiced?
Does what we called mirror our installation schedule?
Is our investment of practice time commensurate with our usage of each call? (Consider the call's effectiveness as well)
What changes need to be made to the playbook based on what we called during the season?

When did we make our calls?

Down & Distance
Field Zone
Hash
Vs. Offensive Personnel Group
Vs. Formation

What are our tendencies?

Do our tendencies reflect our philosophy?
Were we predictable?

Evaluate all:

Explosion Plays
TFLs
Incomplete Passes
Runs of >3 yards
QB Pressures (Sacked, Hit, Hurried, Knocked Down)
Takeaways
Touchdowns
Plays that resulted in End of Drive (EOD)
Plays that resulted in a 1st down
Missed Tackles (MT)
Missed Assignments (MA)
Mental Errors (ME)

Were there any common causes?
What do we need to emphasize, de-emphasize, or change in our teaching model to account for what we did on the field?

Technique Checklist (List of all techniques utilized by a position group)

What techniques did each position execute well/poorly?

How many times did we practice each technique? (Compare technique checklist with practice plans)
What drills did we do for each technique? (Compare technique checklist with practice plans)
In what ways did what we practice effect our execution of technique? (Positive & Negative)
How can we teach the technique more effectively?

What did offenses run against us this year?

Personnel Groups
Formations
Runs
Routes & Route Combinations
Protections
Trades, Shifts, and Motions

How can we adjust our spring practice plans to help prepare for what we saw the most or had difficulty with during the last season?

Off-Season scouting report of each team we will face next season

Balancing Pass Rush

2010-12-24T12:55:00.001-05:00

Here is an excerpt from Dick Lebeau's 2002 Bengals playbook with coaching points for pass rush and balancing a fire zone pass rush.

Suggestions

2010-12-23T18:16:00.000-05:00

I am looking for ideas or suggestions of what you would like to see on this site. Either leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail. blitzologyblog@gmail.com

Blitz of the Week #13

2010-12-23T14:09:00.005-05:00

Continuing on the themes of overload blitzing and looping edge pressure here are two blitzes from the Baltimore Ravens. Both pressures are from the Raven's Dime personnel package and both utilize a Cover 2 fire zone concept vs. 2x2 formations and a Cover 3 fire zone concept vs. 3x1 formations.

The pressure overloads the B gap with 2 blitzers. The blitz side DT works to the opposite side of the center (A gap to A gap) to balance the pass rush. The coverage behind the blitz is a soft Cover 2 concept. The Dime will have to run out to get to the #2 receiver strong.

Against trips to the blitz side the coverage adjusts to a 3 under 3 deep concept with the safety to the trips inverting.

Vs. trips opposite the blitz the coverage is again a Cover 3 fire zone and again the trips side safety is inverting. The only difference is a change in responsiblilties by the Dime and dropping DE. This pressure is very similar to the overload blitz used by the Rams in a previous post.

The second pressure has the DE loop for interior pressure. The coverage concept is identical to the first blitz.

Complimenting Edge Pressure

2010-12-23T13:34:00.002-05:00

Whether it is TCU's Smoke concept or the NCAA blitz nearly every team has an edge blitz in their arsenal. One way to compliment the edge blitz is to add a pressure that loops the edge rusher inside.

The center should be occupied with the blitzing linebacker in the A gap and seeing the looping edge blitzer can be difficult. One key to this pressure's success is a great take off from the DL to force the QB to step up into the pocket and to give the edge blitzer a better angle to the QB. The edge blitzer should start as if off the edge then loop inside off of the penetrating DL and ILB.

Film of the Cleveland Browns running a loop edge blitz can be seen here. The Browns blitz is not identical to the diagram but is a good example of the looping edge blitzer technique.

Designing A Pressure Package

2010-12-22T13:46:00.001-05:00

Here are clinic notes from the 2010 Glazier Clinic in Atlanta that were posted online. The section from Brian Baker the DL coach for the Carolina Panthers is a good read. There is a section on Gap Control Defense as well as a Designing a Pressure Package section. A very interesting portion of the pressure package section is the naming system for breaking down opponent protections.

Also be sure to check out the speaker line ups for this years Glazier Clinics and Nike Coach of the Year Clinics.

Making It All Look The Same

2010-12-19T21:10:00.006-05:00

One of the first things I noticed when looking at the TCU pressure package was the simplicity. The terminology and organization made understanding who was blitzing a breeze. The deeper beauty is how blitzes like TCU's Double Smoke concept compliment the alignments of their split field safety zone coverages to create an easy built in disguise.

Smoke tells the defense a safety is blitzing and Double Smoke means 2 safeties are in the pressure. Here the SS and WS are both blitzing off the edge. Both blitzers will give a "Fire" call to tell the DE to go inside. On all smoke calls the blitzing safety will make a "Fire" call because where there is smoke there is fire. Against a 2 back formation the defense is aligned in a 4-4 look which is identical to their alignment if they were in their Cover 2 (Robber) zone coverage concept.

The offense cannot readily tell if the defense is running double smoke or Robber coverage which creates a natural disguise element for the Horned Frogs without any extra effort. The natural disguise isn't limited to 2 back formations, it extends into TCU's alignments vs. spread formations as well.

With a split #2 receiver to the weak side the WS will make a "Switch" call alerting the ILB to blitz instead.When playing zone against the same formation TCU can play their Blue (Quarters) concept with very similar alignments.

Lastly, against trips the pressure adjusts again to compliment a zone trips adjustment (Special).

And the zone compliment (Special).

For more information on TCU be sure to check out the 4-2-5 resource guide. A helpful resource when looking at TCU's defense is the Boise State playbook from 2000. Brent Guy (Boise State Defensive Coordinator in 2000) was on the defensive staff with Gary Patterson at Utah State which is why you see basically identical terminology. Also for more info on the "Special" trips adjustment and the split field safety concept check out Run COD Hit Blog and his articles on TCU's coverage package.

Overload Blitz Concept

2010-12-17T16:55:00.002-05:00

Watching the 2010 St. Louis Rams it is clear the influence Steve Spagnuolo has had on the development of the Rams pressure package. An example of the overload style of pressure the Rams are using can be seen in their game vs. the Arizona Cardinals.

In this pressure the Rams are using a modified Dime Personnel (3 DEs, 1 DT, 1 LB, 2 Safeties, and 4 Corners)

Nose is jabbing to help hold the Center's attention then looping for contain
The 2 DEs aligned to the left are dropping out and walling off hot routes
The Right DE is the Contain Rusher
The LB is rushing the A gap to the blitz and working to the other side of the formation to balance the pass rush
The SS and Right Corner are overloading the the B Gap and creating a 2 on 1 vs. the Back

This pressure can be seen on film here.

Understanding BOB Protection vs. the 3-4 Part 2

2010-12-16T17:22:00.001-05:00

This post is a continuation of a previous post on Understand BOB vs. the 3-4. The focus of this installment is on understanding the protection schemes that use a dual read by the OL in conjunction with a dual read by the back to help account for 7 potential rushers with only 6 blockers. Simple math makes it impossible for the offense to block all 7 rushers with only 6 blockers, therefore a 7 man pressure will still create a hot throw or a sack. The goal of this protection is to account for the most common 3-4 pressure schemes and allow the offense to throw drop back concepts without having to throw hot off of 5 man or 6 man pressures when the offense has enough blockers to account for those pressures. As in all Big on Big schemes the OL has the down linemen.

The OT's would have the DE's and the Center would have the nose with no blitzing linebackers. The guards would look to give help either to the Center or Tackle. Most 3-4 teams however, do not rush 3 and drop 8 on every snap. The guards will read the inside linebacker to their side. If the ILB is NOT blitzing the Guard looks to the outside and it is 2 on 2 (OG & OT for DE & OLB). If neither the ILB nor the OLB are blitzing the Guard is back to helping the Center or Tackle with their DL.

If the inside linebacker IS blitzing the Guard and Tackle are now 2 on 2 for the ILB and DE. The running back is reading straight down the middle keying both ILBs. The running back will look first to the side of the first inside linebacker to show blitz. This allows for the offense to be able to pick up 5 man zone pressures like the NCAA concept.

The same rules when the defense brings 1 ILB and both OLBs.

If both inside line backers show blitz the running back will step to the side he has determined to be most dangerous.

If both sides are danger the RB will protect the QB's blind side and the QB must be ready to throw hot.

Teaching Inside Blitz Technique

2010-12-15T16:57:00.002-05:00

Blitzing by design is intended to allow a defender to be an initiator instead of being a reactor. The defensive player knows before the ball is snapped where he is going and therefore can play "fast". Unfortunately, there are times when a "fast" blitzer runs past a TFL, creates a seam by running up the field or getting kicked out, or loses gap integrity. The challenge becomes how to get fast blitzers who end up in the right places without running the risk of being "over-coached" and losing blitz effectiveness. One teaching model for interior blitzes involves three blitz reactions.
As the blitzers times up his blitz he will react off of the offensive linemen to the inside of the gap he is blitzing.

A B gap blitzer, as in the example, will react off of the guard. An A gap blitzer would key the Center. The blitzer is not just running through the gap he is attacking the outside edge of this blitz key.

There are three things the OL key can do and therefore three reactions by the blitzer.

OL key steps toward the blitzer = Widen
OL key steps away from blitzer = Bend
OL Pass Sets = Pass Rush

When the blitzer's key steps toward him he will Widen. The blitzer must maintain a good hit and shed base throughout the blitz. From that good base he should deliver a shock to the blocker from pad under pad (PUP) leverage and be ready to shed the block while maintaining B gap leverage.

#1 Widen = Shock & Shed with Gap Leverage

When the blitzer's key steps away from the blitzer the reaction is to bend. Bend is a flattening of the course by the blitzer. The change of course helps keep the blitzer away from the adjacent OL, who is the most likely player trying to block him. The bend also helps prevent the blitzer from running up the field, where he is more likely to get kicked out or create a seam. If the OL key is pulling it is the flattest bend (hip pocket of puller) that in most cases takes the bliters directly to the ball.

#2 Bend = Flatten your course

The final reaction is for the blitzer to pass rush if the OL key pass sets.

#3 Pass Rush = Get on a blocker's edge and work a move

A simple drill to teach this block reaction method is have a coach act as the OL key.

The line of blitzers time it up and react (Bend, Widen, Pass Rush) off of the coach. This is a very rapid fire drill that can start a period or practice with energy and tempo. The same teaching model can be applied to slanting DL.

A DT on an inside move is taught to bend, widen, or pass rush based off of his OL key (Center). Whether it is a blitzer or DL the terminology and drill work can remain the same and hopefully get the defense to attack, play fast, and make plays.

More Steelers Cover 2 Fire Zone

2010-12-14T15:26:00.000-05:00

Another video clip of the Steelers in a Cover 2 Fire Zone is available here. The pressure concept is similar to the the pressure from the Blitz of the Week 12. Notice again the Nose (#96) spying on the RB.

Fire Zone Coverage

2010-12-13T19:05:00.005-05:00

The final interception in the Steelers vs. Bengals game is a great example of the Seam technique that was featured in previous post (here). The Seam technique (match of #2 vertical and out) has also been covered extensively on Brophy's Blog in his series on Nick Saban and the Cover 3 match concept (here). The same coverage techniques utilized in Saban's Rip/Liz are used by the Steelers in their Fire Zone Coverage. The Seam player squeezes #2 (outside in) to the 3RH (Hole) dropper or to the MOF Safety. In the film the corner at the bottom of the screen is playing bump technique which is possible because he is not a true deep 1/3 corner (Reading 2-1) but instead a Tight 1/3 corner (Heavy on #1 unless on a shallow crossing route). The video is available here.

Blitz of the Week #12

2010-12-13T18:42:00.002-05:00

The welcome back Blitz of the Week is actually 2 blitzes. Both are 5 man "Dogs" from the Pittsburgh Steelers arsenal. Both also utilize Cover 2 as the coverage concept behind them. The first was used by the Steelers two weeks ago in the big showdown with the Ravens.

The concept is a modified version of the tradional NCAA blitz.

Non-Blitzing Linebackers - Vertical Hook (VH), matching vertical and inside releases
Corners - Soft Squat
Safeties- Deep 1/2

Video of this pressure can be seen here. Based on the eyes of the Nose (#96), I think he has a spy technique on the back releasing on screen.

The 2nd Cover 2 in this post was used by the Steelers against the Bengals this week.

The pressure concept is very similar to #1 but without the long stick.

Left DE (or OLB depending on how you classify him) - Stand up 3 tech, drop Vertical Hook
Tackle - 3 technique, working weak to balance the pass rush
Non-Blitzing Backer - Sugared alignment near LOS over the Nose, drop Vertical Hook
Down Safety - Curl-Flat (acts like a soft squat corner)
Deep Safety and Weak Corner - Deep 1/2
Strong Corner - Soft Squat

Video of this pressure is available here.

The coverage behind both pressures is almost man under 2 deep in nature. In both pressures it appears the DL (#96) that is looping away from the pressure to balance the pass rush also has his eyes on the RB as a weak side spy.

Back in the Saddle

2010-12-13T18:06:00.000-05:00

Guys I'm going to try to start updating the blog again. It has been a hectic season. I apologize to everyone who has e-mailed me over the last few months I will be responding to all the messages in my inbox in the near future.

Sorry Guys

2010-08-11T11:15:00.001-04:00

I appologize for the lack of posting lately. Between staff meetings and players getting ready to report I have been too busy to post. I will be hopefully posting some updates throughout the season. Good luck to all this season.

More 4-2-5

2010-07-14T20:48:00.001-04:00

More links to 4-2-5 resources from the RUNCODHIT blog here.

4-2-5 Resource Guide

2010-06-29T17:10:00.001-04:00

Here are some good resources for coaches interested in 4-2-5 Defense

Stuff from:
TCU here and here
Boise State here and here
Baylor here
Villanova here
Willamette here

If you are looking for a history lesson or you hybrid your 4-2-5 into a 4-4 you should definitely check out the old Virginia Tech stuff here and here.

Attacking BOB with the 3-4 part 1

2010-06-27T16:14:00.003-04:00

This post will focus on attacking BOB protection when the offense has assigned both inside linebackers to the offensive line.

The first and simplest pressure plan vs. this protection is to rush both OLBs. Blitzing both should get the offense to throw hot.

The next strategy to attack this protection is to move 1 or both of the DEs to a 4i (inside shade) alignment on the OT.

Here the LT has the 4i DE 1 on 1. The DE is aligned inside and is on an inside pass rush. This creates a difficult block for the LT. This same pressure can be run as a 4 man rush with the LILB buffing pressure at or near the LOS in the A gap to hold the LG from helping with the 4i DE then bailing to coverage.

Another variation:

The Mike and Bob bluffing pressure holds the guards long enough for the inside pass rush by the DEs. The Nose jabs and loops for contain. After running this pressure once or twice the guards may decide to help with the Ends quickly as they see the inside backers drop. You can compliment this pressure with a bail and go concept which was previously discussed with video here.

The Mike walks up pre-snap to attract the guard's attention. Post-snap the Mike will start to bail then blitz the A gap. The coverage needs to be adjusted to a 3 under 3 deep because it is now a 5 man pass rush.

Another strategy involves using inside linebackers as outside pass rushers.

This pressure is just like the traditional NCAA blitz but with the two inside linebackers blitzing instead. The end is long sticking to the A gap. To pick it up the center must pass the Nose to the Guard and pick up the long stick. The guard must pass off the long stick to the center. The Tackle must pass off the long stick and pick up the edge blitzer. That is a high degree of difficulty for a single blitz. If the offense is able to pick up this pressure you can increase the degree of difficulty by adding a twist by the Nose and away side DE.

The jab and loop by the Nose helps keep the center from getting involved blitz side and creates a 2 on 1 vs. the guard (long stick and inside blitzer). Meanwhile the away side guard and tackle must handle a twist in man protection which always requires good technique and communication. Either of these pressures can be run with a 3 under 3 deep or a 4 under 2 deep coverage behind it.

More strategies for attacking BOB protection are on the way in the forthcoming posts.

Good Reading

2010-06-26T18:32:00.001-04:00

Two posts on the RUNCODHIT blog about Defending Bunch Formations and more info on the TCU coverage package vs. 3x1 sets.

A post from Brophy's blog about offensive game planning philosophy from Brian Billick. Always good to glean something about how the other side is thinking. I believe defensive breakdown and game plan for offensive openers (game, 2nd half, and of drives) is an under used planning opportunity for defenses.

And a book I just finished reading Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. The book explores why people succeed and is a fascinating easy read.

TE and Dual Read OL in Pass Protection

2010-06-26T15:01:00.001-04:00

I have received comments and e-mails pointing out the fact that I have not discussed the role of a TE or Dual read offensive linemen in pass protection schemes. I chose to focus on the basic version of protections in order to address the schemes coaches are most likely to see. As time goes by there will be posts on ways to deal with and attack the dual read of OL. Also the usage of TE in both zone and man scheme blocking as well as slam release schemes will be covered in the future at some point. First and foremost, I want to complete the series on 3-4 vs. BOB protection.

Blitz of the Week #11

2010-06-26T14:24:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. I have been busy working camps. This week's Blitz of the Week is an X blitz by both inside linebackers in a 3-4 with fire zone coverage.

The timing and spacing of the Inside Linebackers and the Nose are the critical coaching points to this pressure.

Ends - Contain Rush
Nose - Weak Wide A Gap (Get to the inside Leg of the Guard)
Mike - Walk up on LOS pre-snap (outside leg of the Guard, depth at the heels of the DL). Post snap dance (chop feet at LOS) with the guard then come tight of the Bob's butt once he clears. Blitz the midline
Bob - Time is up and blitz the Opposite Wide A (Get to inside leg of the Guard). Hit the blitz at speed when the ball is snapped
Sam & Will - Seam
FS - 3RH
SS - Middle 1/3
Corners - Outside 1/3

This blitz is most effective vs. offenses with wider splits.

vs. 1/2 slide

If the slide is going to the blitz the Center is in a bind as the Nose goes away the blitzing Bob shows up in the A gap area the Center is responsible for in the slide. This is where the Bob must work to the widest part of the A gap to pull the Center out wider. The Mike should attract the attention of the Guard with his alignment and the dance. If the Bob is timed up on his blitz, the Mike should have a clean run on the midline. If the slide is going opposite the blitz the Center is stretched with the Nose and the Mike should have the same open rush on the midline.

vs. BOB this blitz can be effective vs. all three types of BOB mentioned in the previous post. If the 2 inside linebackers are the responsibility of the OL the Center and Guard must handle a difficult twist by the blitzers. If the OL is responsible for 1 inside and 1 outside the protection is just like the 1/2 slide example. Lastly, if the OL has both the outside linebackers the blitz will force a hot throw.

This blitz can be used successfully vs. zone read as well. If the blitz is opposite the alignment of the back the center must block the blitzing Bob linebacker in the inside zone scheme. The blitz of the Bob linebacker and the block of the Center should push the Bob into the initial path of the back which should cause the RB to cutback. If the Mike has done his job he should be coming over the top at the same time the RB is cutting back and be unblocked to make the tackle.

This blitz can also easily be converted to a 4 under 2 deep pressure.

Understanding BOB vs. the 3-4

2010-06-12T00:12:00.060-04:00

In the earlier post on understanding BOB protection (here) the focus was on 4 man (even) front defenses. Now the focus will shift to 3 man (odd) front defenses. As previously discussed the offensive line in a BOB protection vs. an even front must declare a "Mike" and account for the 4 down linemen and the "Mike" in protection. Similarly, versus an odd front defense the offensive line must account for the 3 down linemen and 2 linebackers. Which 2 LBs the offensive line is responsible for depends on the offensive philosophy. The 2 linebackers can be the 2 inside, 1 inside & 1 outside, or both outside.

In this example the offensive line is responsible for the two inside linebackers. This creates a 3 for 3 scenario for the Guards and Center vs. ILBs and the Nose. The backs are responsible for the outside linebackers.

Here the LG, C, and RG have the two ILBs and the Nose.

If the offense went to a one back formation the single back would have a dual read on both outside linebackers.

The second BOB scheme the offense can use vs. the 3-4 is to have the offensive line responsible for 1 inside linebacker and 1 outside linebacker.

In this scenario the offense has a 4 for 4 match up vs. the defense (LT, LG, C & RT for Left DE, NOSE, LOLB, & LILB). This protection scheme shares many similarities to 1/2 slide protection. The RT is manned up and the 2 backs have the RILB and ROLB. If the formation is single back the one back would have a dual read on the ILB to Outside linebacker.

The third protection option for BOB teams is to assign the offensive line both outside linebackers.

The OGs and OTs are working together for the DEs and OLBs, the Center has the Nose and the backs are on the ILBs. If it were a single back formation the one back would have a dual read on the two inside linebackers. For more information on this version of BOB be sure to check out posts on Brophy's Blog here and here.

The first step to attacking BOB with the 3-4 is determining which 2 linebackers the OL are responsible for and which ones the backs are responsible for. The up coming post will focus on each of the three versions of BOB and strategies for attacking them.

Blitz of the Week #10

2010-06-01T14:36:00.001-04:00

The 10th installment of Blitz of Week comes from Coach Saban's 2001 LSU playbook. Over Python (page 156) is a 7 or 8 man pressure adjusted based on the backfield set.

The front is set with the 3 technique and Sam to the TE.

Vs. an I backfield.

Call End - Heavy 9 technique, Bull*
Tackle - B gap
Nose - A gap
Away End - Bull
Sam - Key Blitz** the TB or near back
Mike - Man FB in an I backfield
Will - Key Blitz TB/Near back
SS - Key Blitz TB/ Near back
FS - Man TE
Corners - Man receivers

*Bull (page 133) - "(2 Gap) Power the Tackle Alert for Screen"

** Key (page 135) - "Peel on Back"

This blitz overloads the offense. The three blitzers share man responsibilities on the TB.

The TB is accounted for if releases strong (SS), middle (Sam), or weak (Will).

Over Python adjusts if the backfield is not the I.

Vs. Near I the check is "Plus"

The Plus check tells the SS, Mike, and Will to handle the key blitzes. The Sam has the offset FB. The away End is no longer Bull technique he is now Lion technique. Lion (page 139) = "Alert for flare back".

Vs. I Far and Split backs the check is Reno.

The Reno check gives both Ends the Bull technique. The Mike and Will key blitz the offset (near) back while the SS and Sam key blitz the TB. The same principle is applied to split backs.

Vs. 1 back sets the check is Cop

In the Cop check the Away End is a Jam technique. Jam (page 131) = Inside move to the B gap. The Sam and Will are outside while the Mike blitzes the call side A gap. All three are key blitzing the single back. The safeties adjust to the extra receiver.

The key blitz concept can be incorporated to any style of defense. The key concept allows for max pressure as well as being able to handle routes/screens by the RB. Also the Bull technique Ends can make getting the OT out to block for receiver screens more difficult.

Playbook

2010-05-28T14:11:00.004-04:00

An excellent 4-2-5 playbook that doesn't get nearly the same attention as the TCU or Boise State playbooks is from Villanova in 2004. Joe Trainer, the current Rhode Island head coach, was the Nova defensive coordinator. The '04 Wildcats were 7th in Div. I-AA is scoring defense (16.2 ppg).
The playbook also contains position manuals for DL, LB, and DB at the end. The secondary manual is excellent. If you are a split field safety 4-2-5 team it is a must read.

2004 Villanova Defensive Playbook

Attacking BOB protection Part 3

2010-05-27T14:52:00.002-04:00

The next strategy for attacking BOB protection involves sending defensive linemen up the field then under the pass set of an offensive lineman.

In this example of the NCAA blitz the Mike has been declared the "Mike". The TB is able to pick up the Sam. The pressure falls on the LG and LT to handle the exchange of the End and the blitzing "Mike". Unfortunately, offenses are getting better at handling the long stick concept. Here is a variation that can be very effective vs. BOB and serve as a nice compliment to the NCAA blitz.

Here the Mike is walked up into the B gap showing the pressure or timing it up to hit it running. This forces the LG to pay attention. The End jabs up field to hold the attention of the LT then loops to the A gap. Jabbing also helps the timing. The timing of the twist makes the jobs of both the LG and LT very difficult. The LT must react back inside to a blitzer who is already gone and the LG must come off a blitzer he is already engaged on to pick up an End he may or may not see. The same up and under concept can be applied if the Sam has been declared "Mike".

Here the Sam has been declared "Mike" by the offense. The LG is in a bind. What needs to happen is the LT to pick up the Sam, the LG on the up & under DE, the Center on the up & under DT, and the RG on the Nose. This is problematic for the LG because he has to continue to block the DT on a regular pass rush move where he would rip under this pass set because this is a man scheme. But here the LG must compute the fact that because the "Mike" is blitzing that he has to pass the DT to the Center. This pressure forces the Center, LG, and LT to all react properly in a fast moving situation. If an offense is prepared to pick this up they have committed a great deal of practice time and therefore haven't spent as much time on something else.

Another application of the up & under concept can be seen here.

In this example the TB is responsible for the Sam. Once the Center is engaged with the Mike it is hard to see a looping DL. The LG is stuck is chase mode against the DT.

Attacking Big on Big Protection Part 2

2010-05-26T15:27:00.002-04:00

After establishing who the offense is declaring "Mike" in their BOB protection scheme the next step is capitalizing on that information. The simplest solution is to force the hot throw by bringing both players the running back has in the dual read. If the offense doesn't throw hot there will be an unblocked blitzer in the QB's face.

In this example the easy solution is to bring both the Sam & Will because the back has both.

The RB can pick up one and the other will be unblocked. A nice compliment to this pressure is to bring the Sam & Will inside in the B gaps instead.

The pressure from the Sam & Will should arrive more quickly through the B gaps. In order for both of these blitzes to be successful plays, the safeties must be ready to take away the hot routes to the slot receivers and all the DB's must anticipate the ball to come out early. Both of these pressures are also ideally suited to be bluffed.

The Sam & Will can easily bluff the edge or B gap blitz and still execute their drop in split safety read 2 concept on both halves of the formation with the Mike taking the 3 drop.

Building on the concepts of bringing both the Sam & Will and bluffing pressure the next strategy is based on where the back is looking first.

The Sam bluffs outside pressure to attract the attention of the RB then executes his drop. The Will blitzes inside and should get quick pressure. If the Sam is a decent salesman and the back commits to him at all the block on the blitzing Will is difficult. If the back does pick up the Will there is still a high probability that the timing of the QB has been disrupted.

Attacking Big on Big Protection Part 1

2010-05-25T18:33:00.000-04:00

The previous post (available here) discusses understanding what is BOB protection? The next challenge is how to attack this protection scheme? The first step in attacking BOB is to establish who the offense is declaring "Mike". We use film study to answer these questions.

Where are the uncovered offensive linemen stepping/looking?
Does anyone on the offensive line or the QB point out a linebacker pre-snap?
Where is the back stepping/looking?

We build our game plan around who we think the offense will declare "Mike". Due to the fact offensive coordinators also game plan, we must have a plan for the offense declaring a different linebacker as "Mike" during the game. We ask our players on the field to listen to who is being called "Mike" and to report that information to the coaches between series. We prepare a primary blitz plan for what we expect based on film. For example we expect the defensive position of Mike to be declared the "Mike" we will plan accordingly. We will also have a section of the call sheet labeled SAM as "MIKE" and WILL as "MIKE" to be ready in the event the offense is adjusting their protection.

Understanding BOB protection

2010-05-24T18:28:00.001-04:00

Big on Big (BOB) protection is a man based protection scheme. The general concept is the bigs on offense (offensive line) will block the bigs on defense (defensive line) man to man. Most defenses don't utilize 5 defensive linemen therefore the offense has more bigs on the field than the defense. BOB protection teams will assign a linebacker as the extra big meaning the OL is responsible for the 4 down linemen and 1 linebacker (Mike). Who the offensive line declares the "Mike" depends upon the scheme.

In this example there are 7 blockers for 7 potential rushers. The running backs are manned on the outside linebackers (Sam & Will) if either of them blitz the running back will pick them up. The offensive line is manned on the 4 down linemen and the linebacker declared the "Mike". If the "Mike" doesn't blitz the uncovered offensive lineman will give help to an adjacent covered lineman. If the "Mike" does blitz the offensive line will adjust to pick up the "Mike" depending on which gap he blitzes.

In each of these three situations the offensive linemen blocking the "Mike" is different but the man concept is the same, one blocker for one rusher. If the defense is in an 8 man front the offense must assign a dual read player (typically a back) to account for the defensive numbers advantage.

In this example the defense has 8 players (4 DL + 4 LB) in the box while the offense only has 7 potential blockers (5 OL + 2 RB). Here the RILB has been declared "Mike" and is the responsibility of the OL while the ROLB is manned by the FB. The TB has the dual read on the LILB and LOLB. If one blitzes the TB blocks him. If they both blitz the TB will block the inside blitzer and the QB must throw hot. This same concept is applied in BOB protection from single back formations.

Here the offense is protection with 6 blockers against 7 potential rushers. The running back is responsible for the dual read. Offenses will vary on who they declare the "Mike" and which 2 linebackers are the dual read responsibility of the RB.

Here the offense has declared the OLB (Sam) as the "Mike" in their protection. The OL has the 4 DL and the "Mike" while the TB has the dual read on the other 2 linebackers. If the defense is in a 3 man line the offensive line will have 2 linebackers they are responsible for in addition to the 3 down linemen. I will focus on BOB protection against odd front (3 man line) defenses in a later post. This will be the first in a series discussing strategies for attacking BOB protection.

Blitz of the Week #9

2010-05-24T14:10:00.004-04:00

This week's Blitz of the Week is a 4 under 2 deep blitz designed to both get pressure and help defend the quick and screen games that are very popular amongst spread teams.

This blitz is from the field vs. a 2x2 formation.

Field End - Long Stick to A gap
Nose - Bench A gap
Bench End - C gap & Contain Rush
Field OLB - Edge Blitz
Field ILB - Blitz gap between Long stick and edge blitz
Bench ILB - Hook-Curl drop off of #2 receiver. Widen alignment to be able to execute drop.
Bench OLB - C-F drop. Align outside #2 receiver. Drop is underneath & inside the #1 receiver.
Field Corner - Hard corner. Flat defender
Field Safety - Invert to the field Hook-Curl. Collision and Carry #2 in the seam.
Bench Safety - Cheat pre-snap to middle of the field. At the snap open a cross over run to the field Deep 1/2. Get to your divider.
Bench Corner - Align 1x7 outside leverage on #1. Pre-snap move to 2x 8-10 inside leverage of #1 and be pedaling at the snap. Play the deep 1/2 and be ready to midpoint #1 and #2. You have underneath help on both from the ILB & OLB.

This blitz looks like 3 under 3 deep fire zone with the field safety inverting and the bench safety rolling to the MOF. The field hard corner makes it more difficult to throw screens to the field. All of the quick throws have a defender near them making them more difficult to complete.

VS. trips there are 4 different options.

The first option is to keep the blitz intact and adjust with the bench ILB.

The bench ILB must cheat to get to the field 3 drop. The bench ILB should be arriving in time to separate the #3 receiver from the ball on a hot throw.

The 2nd option is to check the blitz bench and invert the bench safety to the Curl-Flat.

This option allows for more easily executed coverage responsibilities to the field.

The 3rd option is a back side adjustment.

Playing hard corner to both sides is another adjustment to trips. While you lose the illusion from the inverting safety there is an advantage against teams that want to throw single receiver isolation routes opposite 3x1 formations.

The 4th and final option is to check the coverage back to a traditional 3 under 3 deep.

I believe every defense should explore adding at least one 4 under 2 deep blitz to their arsenal to compliment their 3 under 3 deep and man pressure. I believe being able to have hard corners and cover 2 concept with pressure keeps offenses even more off balance. A QB who doesn't know what coverage he is seeing while being pressured is more likely to be sacked or intercepted (the best kind of QB). I also believe this creates a more difficult pre-snap read for offensive coordinators who want to use freeze tempo and check the side line. If that OC sees an invert safety and blitz he now has to wonder is this a cover 3 or cover 2 blitz and is more likely to be frustrated (the best kind of OC).

Blitz of the Week #8

2010-05-10T16:36:00.003-04:00

This week's Blitz of Week is from Dick Lebeau's 2002 Cincinnati Bengal's playbook available here.

The front is set "Open" or opposite the TE. The 3 technique DT is opposite the TE and the defense is in an Under or Eagle alignment.

Open DE - Loop to A gap. Go 2nd.
DT - B gap penetration. Must get a great take off
Nose - A gap
Closed End - C gap vs. Run, Contain vs. Pass
Will - Adjust alignment pre-snap. Edge Blitz
Mike - 3RH
FS -Seam
Sam -Seam
SS - Fire Zone Middle
Corners - Fire Zone 1/3

This blitz allows for weak side pressure and can create problems for the OL to exchange the twist by the DE and DT. Against a BOB scheme if the Will LB has been declared the "Mike" by the offense the pressure falls on the Center to give initial help on the Nose and come off late on the Open DE that is looping to the A gap.

If the Mike LB or Sam LB was declared the "Mike" by offense the pressure is on the open OT and open OG to exchange the twist with the OT taking the hard charging DT and the OG taking the inside looping DE. The edge blitzer must be ignored by the OT and left for the RB to pick up.

In both situations the offense has to be disciplined to pick up the pressure which requires practice time.

This pressure is also effective vs. draw.

The looping DE is normally accounted for by the hi-wall block of the OT. In this example of lead draw the Center needs to come off the Nose and block the looper. The DE is difficult for the Center to see and therefore difficult to block.

A special thanks to Coach Hoover who sent this blitz my way. Be sure to check out Coach Hoover's site here for a wealth of football knowledge.

Tips for Blitz Timing

2010-05-02T14:36:00.001-04:00

This post is an excerpt from the 2000 Indianapolis Colts' Playbook. This material can be found on page 17 in the Tips for Blitz Timing, Stemming & Disguising section.

QB QUIRKS
Some QB's have little trigger mannerisms they do before the snap which can be helpful.

TE LOCATION
TE off and to what receiver?
Is he looking for the heel of the QB?

MOTION
Motion is a great timer. Motion usually extends to certain points by who is in motion.

RB/TE = Usually in Box/D gap area
WR = Usually extended outside the core or can tell by when they slow down. Flip (#1 off the LOS, #2 on in a twins formation) us sometimes a tip for Z-in (Crack) motion.

CADENCE
Get a feel for opponent's cadence. Usually when they use a Color # / Color # in their cadence, they say it twice (once to each side) and then make the "Hut-Hut" calls. We can time off of this.
Get a feel for quick counts / first sounds by the offense's body language and any changes in normal routine.

Man Coverage vs. Tandem & Bunch Formations

2010-05-01T12:42:00.003-04:00

We are beginning to see more formations with reduced splits. Here is one solution to dealing with reduced splits by the offense when in man coverage.

We refer to any twins set with a reduced split as Tandem even if the receivers are stacked.

Communicate that they are playing a combo man coverage on the Tandem
Align bracketing (1 inside leverage & 1 outside leverage) the Tandem
Coordinate their levels (depth) to prevent collisions
Both are reading the receiver aligned off the LOS (in this example #1)

If #1 goes under immediately the inside of the combo (SS) will take it and the outside (Corner) will squeeze to #2.

Vs. a whip route (in then back out) the DB's will stay. Once the receiver goes inside the man responsibilities are set to avoid confusion.

If #1 goes out the Corner will take it and the SS will squeeze to #2

Vs. #1 vertical the SS and Corner will pedal and maintain their bracket position. The SS must be ready for any inside breaking routes and the Corner must be ready for any outside breaking routes.

This same teaching model is then applied to covering a Bunch (3 receivers with reduced splits).

Vs. Bunch the Middle player vs. the Bunch (SS) plays press man and has #2 all the way. The press is used to disrupt the release of the bunch and help the DBs coordinate their levels. The FS and C will bracket the bunch and play the #1 and #3 receivers like Tandem. However, both receiver are off the LOS therefore both the FS and Corner will read the inside receiver's release.

Blitz of the Week #7

2010-04-24T12:30:00.000-04:00

This week's Blitz of the Week is a stunt I have seen used effectively in the 3-3 (or 3-5) defense. This stunt is primarily a run game call used vs. 21 personnel formations.

The stunt is designed to overload the TE side and limit runs to the 3 man surface.

The whole line is slanting to the TE with the Mike blitzing into the TE side B gap. This is only a 4 man rush so the defense can still play Cover 3 (4 under/3 Deep), Quarters, or Robber. The coverage could also be a fire zone or man free if the defense wanted to bring the overhang player to the TE also.

The effectiveness of this pressure is the ability to get defense players to the point of attack.

Against power to the TE the slant of the DL and the blitz of the Mike helps eliminate the double teams by the offense.

The Center has a decision to make. Either give help on the Nose or block back on the back side A gap. If the Center gets too involved with the Nose into the front side A gap there is a seam to press for the Will LB. If the Center blocks back the Nose has a better chance of getting penetration and controlling the play side A gap vs. a single block by the guard.
The RT has a DL head up on him but if he spends any time on the DE the Mike should have a clean run through. This creates a single block for the play side DE.
The LT vs. DE is a difficult cutoff block against a head up slanting DL. Most 3-3 teams use fast DL making this block even more difficult. If the back side slanting DE is creating havoc it is even more incentive for the center to block back and eliminate the double team on the Nose.

Eliminating double teams allows the defense to stay gap sound. The second effect is that the puller from the backside that is rolling for the Sam linebacker has no place to roll and must take his path wide. Many offensive linemen struggle to pull and get width. Many offensive linemen can get out there but struggle to stay/get square once they are there and execute a block.

Because the front side blockers are occupied the Sam and Rob are both able to play off the edge.

Coaching Advice

2010-04-21T21:38:00.002-04:00

Here are 3 pieces of coaching advice that have had a major impact on my coaching career.

#1 The dirtiest words in coaching are We talked about it. Players don't learn from talking they learn from well designed simple drills and repetition.

#2 What you see on film was either taught or allowed. If you don't like what you see find a way to change it.

#3 Players don't screw up because they want to be failures. The vast majority of failure on the field is failure of understanding. The understanding of alignment, technique, or scheme all must be taught in a meaningful way that can be applied not in theory (on a whiteboard) but in a real life situations (game). There is always another (possibly a more effective) way to coach a technique.

These are 3 principles I have picked up from coaches I have worked for that have impacted my coaching style. If you have a principle about coaching to share be sure to leave a comment. We are in spring ball now and the posts will pick up again as we get to the summer and I have a little more time.

Seam Drop

2010-04-18T15:11:00.008-04:00

The "Seam" drop I am referring to is technique of the player who is dropping over the #2 receiver in a 3 under 3 deep fire zone coverage. I have also heard this drop called Scif, Bronco, and Deuce. Regardless of the name, the execution of this technique has a direct correlation to the effectiveness of a team's fire zone pressure package.
The following is a breakdown of the Seam drop that is explained in Dick Lebeau's playbook from the 2002 Cincinnati Bengals. To begin Lebeau defines Seam on page 20 of the .pdf in the Secondary Coverage Terms section of the playbook as "Outside in technique on #2. Must carry vertically or to the flat. (Fire Zone Term)". Later Lebeau gives 3 coaching points for the seam drop in the Fire Zone Coverage Rules section of the playbook on page 144 of the .pdf.

"SEAM TECHNIQUE"

COLLISION FROM OUTSIDE - IN
CARRY ANY SEAM ROUTE UPFIELD UNTIL RECEIVER ATTEMPTS TO CROSS YOUR FACE FROM INSIDE OUT (Exception: Slash Release)
ALWAYS COME OFF ON #3 RECEIVER CROSSING YOUR FACE TO FLAT

Fire Zone coverage shares many similarities with man free. The Seam player is outside in and expecting help on shorter inside routes from the 3 Receiver Hook and deep middle help from the middle 1/3 safety. Because the Seam player is carrying #2 vertical it allows the corner to play the #1 receiver tighter.

CORNERS - DEEP 1/3 BUT NO 2 TO 1 READ
           ENABLES CORNERS TO GET TIGHTER ON #1 RECEIVER (Alert Stack or Slash Release)
           SEAM PLAYERS WILL CARRY SEAMS TO FREE SAFETY
           NO CHINA CALLS IN FIRE ZONES

Based on the rules and diagrams in the playbook here is my analysis of the seam technique.

If #2 releases immediately inside, the Seam(SM) player will carry and deliver the crosser to the next color (3RH or opposite SM player). The Seam player must be aware of the level of the next threat represented in the diagram above as the vertical dashed line. The SM cannot cross that level to avoid being out leveraged by #3. If #3 is staying in to block, the next threat to the SM is coming on a crossing route from the other side of the formation.

The same concept is utilized for the Slash release.

A slash release occurs when #1 and #2 are in a close proximity split alignment and the #1 receiver releases immediately underneath. The SM player will treat the fast crosser (#1) just like #2 on a fast crosser. The SM will carry and deliver with understanding of the level of #3. The corner will squeeze to the #2 receiver's vertical route on the slash release. The corner and seam player are reminded in multiple places in the playbook to be alert for the slash release based on the formation or crack motion by the #1 receiver.

The Slash/Flat combo is handled by the SM player carrying the #1 receiver inside before reacting to #3 to the flat. The #1 receiver on the quick crosser will be taken by the 3RH dropper who is looking for something coming back in when #3 goes out.

If #2 is vertical the SM will carry the vertical until a receiver attempts to cross his face from the inside out. The #2 receiver could attempt to cross the SM players face on an out cut in which case the SM will be in good body position to defend that out cut. If the #3 receiver is going to the flat the SM must come off #2's vertical and cover the #3 receiver to the flat. If the #3 is aligned in a trips formation the SM player needs to be alert to a higher probability of being out leveraged by #3 and be prepared to come off #2 vertical. It is unlikely that a crosser from the other side of the formation will be able to get across quickly enough to out leverage the SM player but it is possible and the SM player would need to come off on the crosser.

If #2 is out the SM player stays over the top of the route and runs through the window of #1's route before driving on #2 to the flat. The SM player has #2 on the wheel because the corner is playing aggressively on #1.

The SM player is responsible to drive on any 3 step or hot throw to the #2 receiver.

Blitz of the Week #6

2010-04-14T19:58:00.001-04:00

This week's Blitz of the Week is a variation of the NCAA blitz.

The Mike and Sam switch rolls from their normal NCAA blitz responsibilities. The Mike goes 1st and is off the edge. The Sam is 2nd and is blitzing the gap between the long sticking end and the edge blitzer. The Sam is a spill player.

This blitz can be difficult to pick up because protectors often have difficulty seeing a player that is aligned outside coming on an inside rush.

The same pressure from a 3-4 look can create confusion for the BOB pass pro utilized by AirRaid teams discussed in the post Air Raid Strip Down on Brophy's Blog. The RB has both ILB's and is thinking he will need to block the Mike that is blitzing outside. The OT is thinking he is blocking the edge rush when the DE goes inside. The edge rusher happens to be the responsibility of the RB. The OT and RB either must exchange responsibilities or the OT must react to the inside blitzer and block the Sam. While the offense has enough protectors to block this pressure the change up in responsibility forces the offense to rep this blitz and make the right decision to get it picked up in game.

Similar confusion can be created against this protection from the 3-3 stack.

The Baltimore Ravens can be seen here executing this type of blitz in 2008 from a 3-4 with man coverage behind it.

A good video of the Ravens running the traditional NCAA blitz is available here.

Why Blitz?

2010-04-09T14:07:00.003-04:00

I have been reading and re-reading the posts on Brophy's Blog about his visit to LaTech in particular the post about stripping down the Air Raid offense available here. One of the major points taken away from this post is how Tony Franklin and other Air Raid coaches are limiting defenses by limiting their offense. The offense doesn't feature 2 back sets, TE's, unbalanced formations, or even a great deal of motion. The primary reason is the more you do offensively the more looks you could end up seeing from defenses. The limits they place on their offense means that you can really simplify the fronts your offensive line has to be prepared to block and what coverages your QB and receivers must prepare against. Another highly successful offensive coach that limits defenses is Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech. Triple option teams thrive on defenses that have responsibility breakdowns and work to create those breakdowns. As a result defenses are forced to limit their game plan to insure that breakdowns from excessive defensive scheme don't occur. Compound that with the fact most defenses that face GT only see the offense once a year and you have a recipe for defensive limitation.

I believe that this same philosophy of limitation can be applied to defensive coaching. If a defense can effectively blitz it limits what an offense can run. Blitzing makes defensive players the initiators and the offensive players are forced to become reactors. This is a major role reversal from the normal situation players find themselves in. Normally a defender is taught when the offensive player does X I do Y (think guard reads). However when a blitz is called the defender knows where he is going before the center snaps the ball. Offensive plays that try to manipulate defensive reactions like draw, misdirection, and play action passes can therefore be severely limited by the blitz.

Against drop back pass, specifically 5 step, the defense can limit the deep throws by pressuring. It is difficult for an offense to get a receiver down the field to run a deep curl/comeback, dig, or other intermediate breaking route against well executed pressure. Often the pressure forces a hot throw. This means that by pressuring or bluffing pressure the defense can dictate where the ball is thrown. If the defense knows that pressure will induce a hot throw it allows pressure coverage periods in practice to be more focused and efficient. It also takes a great deal of practice time for an offense to become efficient at completing hot routes. Every period and rep of practice time that an offense spends on hot routes is time they cannot commit to practicing the rest of their offense. This means the offense can try to call plays they haven't spent much time practicing or mark them off the call sheet. Either way I believe this is a defensive victory in the planning and practice phase. Limiting the 5 step passing game to quick throws makes defending the 3 step game easier as well. Defensive players can anticipate early throws and the practice time for pressure coverage against 5 and 3 step can be streamlined.

By limiting what the offense runs the defense can make better use of practice time and get better at stopping their opponent's base plays. It is difficult to succeed on defense if your opponent has every play in their arsenal available. Blitzing is one way a defense can limit the offense and improve practice efficiency.

Hoosier's vs. 22 Personnel

2010-04-08T12:38:00.000-04:00

This is a pressure concept Indiana was using last year vs. Wisconsin when the Badgers were in 22 personnel. Unfortunately I don't have any playbook material to link to for the Hoosiers.

The Sam and SS are overloading to the Strong Side. The Sam spilled everything and did a great job of getting underneath all kickout blocks. The FS was easily able to get to the the strong side TE because of the small offensive line splits the Badger's were using.

Blitz of the Week #5

2010-04-04T14:45:00.007-04:00

This week's Blitz of the Week is from our playbook and is a simple 5 man choiced pressure concept from a 4-3 with 3 under 3 deep, 4 under 2 deep, or man free coverage behind it. This concept comes from a 2 high safety shell. The front is set to the field. The first blitz in the concept is Closed Backer which is a blitz to the TE.

The blitz is either the Sam or the Will based on the alignment of the TE. In this example the TE is aligned to the field so the field LB (Sam) is the blitzer.

Ends - Align head up vs. TE, outside shade vs. OT, Ends are outside contain unless a backer gives you a "Fire" call telling you to go inside
Tackle and Nose - align head up, inside move to A gap
Sam - Make "Fire" call to End, Edge blitz
Mike - 3RH drop
Will - Seam
Safeties - Closed = TE side Safety inverts to seam, Safety opposite TE Middle 1/3
Corners - FZ 1/3

The same call will be a different blitz if the TE is aligned into the boundary.

The Will is now the Closed Backer and needs to give a "Fire" call to the End and Edge blitz. The Sam knows IF he is not blitzing he is a seam dropper. The Mike is always the 3 RH and the Safeties know "Closed" is a TE side invert.

We have multiple tags to get the blitz where we want it.

Closed - To the TE
Open - Opposite the TE, open side
Wide - Wide side (Field)
Short - Short side (Boundary)
Strong - To the Pass Strength
Weak - Opposite the Pass Strength
Heavy - To the Running Back
Lite - Opposite the Running Back

Heavy and Lite have been good vs. shotgun spread teams.

The Sam is the Lite Backer (opposite the RB) and is the blitzer. He will still make the "Fire" call to tell the End to go inside.

We also tag the blitz to change where the blitz is hitting.

The Will is the Weak Backer because he is aligned opposite the pass strenghth. If the formation was into the boundary the Sam would be the Weak Backer for this blitz. The "X" tag tells the Will to go inside. The Will gives the End an "Echo" call telling him to stay outside instead of the normal "Fire" call.

The "Leech" tag tells the blitzing backer to show the blitz and come flat down the LOS off the edge. The blitzing backer will give a "Leech" call to the End instead of the "Fire" or "Echo" call. Leech tells the End to latch on to the OT and then contain. More information on the Leech technique is available in a previous post here.

We will also utilize a 4 under 2 deep concept to cover down behind this pressure package.

The blitz concept is exactly the same as before except now the coverage is Duo which is both corners in the flats, both safeties in Deep 1/2 and both non-blitzing LB's in the Hook-Curl drops. Vs. a 3x1 to the field we will either check to FZ or check the coverage to Trio.

Trio keeps the field side hard corner in place.

Field Corner - Flat
SS - Invert to Hook-Curl
Mike - 3RH
Will -Weak Curl-Flat, may give "Fire" call to End to secure weak side B gap
FS - Cheat to Field, Deep 1/2 to field
Boundary Corner - Tight 1/2

If the blitz is coming from opposite the trips the FS needs to invert.

The safety to the blitz always inverts and in this case the FS will take the weak Curl-Flat drop opposite the trips. To the field the Cover 2 concept is still intact.

Many teams are working under the assuption that a blitzer + an inverting safety = 3 under 3 deep. One way teams have tried to capitalize against our pressure package is to attack the flats when they see a blitzer + invert. Duo(w/ Trio check) is one way to make teams pay for that assumption.

Pressure Plan

2010-04-03T13:58:00.003-04:00

PRESSURE CHECK LIST

SELF SCOUT

What is our best pressure coverage?
What pressures do we execute well?
Who are our best blitzers?
What our blitzers’ strengths and weaknesses?

VS. THE RUN/PLAY ACTION PASS

What run play(s) do we need to stop to win the game?
How do we want to attack those running plays?

Overload the point of Attack
Isolate a Blocker
Affect the Rhythm or Timing of a Play. Speed up a slow developing play like play action pass, counter, or draw
Attack or eliminate by penetration the pulling or trapping lanes
Attack or eliminate combo blocks in zone blocking schemes
Exchange responsibilities vs. option or zone read to confuse the QB
Exchange gaps vs. man blocking schemes (Iso)
Occupy every Gap

Will our run blitzes be effective vs. their play action protection?

VS. THE PASS

What is their pass protection?

For drop back passes is it 1/2 slide, Full Slide, BOB,...?

Do they have different 3 and 5 step protections?
Is it a 5, 6, 7, or Max protection scheme?
Does anyone have a Dual Read? (Center, Guard, RB)
If it is a slide protection where are they sliding?
Where does their back(s) go? And what do they do? (Block, Free/Check Release)
Do they leave a TE in the protection?
Does the protection change?

By weekly game plan
By Offensive Personnel Group
By Formation
By check or adjustment at LOS
By Defensive Personnel Group/Front

For Sprint and Half Roll?
For Play Action Passes?

Where are the breakdowns in pass protection?

Who is the weakest link their pass protection?
What pressure schemes have they struggled to pick up?
Create column in game breakdown and mark every time the QB was hit, hurried, or knocked down. Evaluate those plays and determine the breakdown in protection.

How do we want to attack their pass protection(s)?

Overload the Protection (3 on 2)
Isolate a specific protector (2 on 1 or a mismatch)
Create a missed assignment by exchanging rush lanes
Create a missed assignment by disguising pressure
Create a free rusher by a technique error in passing off or picking up a stunt or by setting to a dropping defender and allowing a rusher to come free

VS. THE QB

When the QB is pressured does he look to run or throw?

If the QB throws, does he step up or get out of the pocket?

Where/what route is he looking to throw?

If the QB runs, where does he escape? (Escape Chart)

What combination of pass rush and coverage gave the QB the most trouble?

What is the QB completion percentage vs.:

a 3 man rush?
a 4 man rush?
a 5 man rush with zone coverage?
a 5 man rush with man coverage?
a 6+ man rush?

What coverage takes away the routes the QB wants to throw when pressured?

Where is the QB throwing the ball when pressured? (Pressured Throws Chart)

VS. THE RECEIVERS

Are we going to match up in man coverage with their receivers?

Corners vs. Outside Receivers
Safeties vs. Slot Receivers & Tight Ends
Linebackers vs. Backs

Where will we need to give help in man free?
Will we need to sub personnel to get the man match-ups we want? (Nickel)
Do their receivers mind being hit? (Reroutes in the Seams & Press)
Which receiver(s) and routes do they favor in hot/pressure situations?

VS. ADJUSTMENTS TO PRESSURE

Snap Count

Quick Count
Hard Count
Varied Count

Tempo

No Huddle
Hurry Up
Freeze

Screen
Hot Routes
Check, Change, or Max Protection
Option

Sooner Pressure Part 3

2010-04-01T13:11:00.000-04:00

This post will cover the Sooner's Crossfire blitz. Crossfire can be run from the Eagle front (Under) or from Field (front set to the field). The front is also a G with the Nose aligned in a 2i on the guard.

Crossfire is an interior X blitz by the Mike and Will.

Call Side End - C gap vs. Run, Contain vs. Pass
Nose - Align in 2i, Rip across the guard's face to the B gap
Tackle - B gap vs. Run, Contain vs. Pass
Away End - C gap vs. Run, Seam Drop
Sam - Seam Drop
Mike - Blitz opposite A gap, Go 1st
Will - Blitz opposite A gap, Go 2nd, let Mike clear
FS - Enter the box and replace LB. 3RH Drop
SS - Deep Middle 1/3
Corners - Deep 1/3

When the front is Eagle the Sam is aligned to the TE. Versus a twins formation with the backside closed the Sooners will utilize a corners over to prevent the end from dropping off of a split #2 receiver.

The Corner who comes over is the seam dropper to the twins side and the End takes the 3RH drop.

Against a 2x2 formation the Safeties will make the adjustments.

The SS will take the seam drop and the end will take the 3 drop.

The Sooners will also run Cover 5 (4 under 2 deep) with Crossfire.

The Corners play the flats and the Safeties are Deep 1/2 while the Sam and End drop the Hook-Curl.

Vs. Twins the Corner will come over.

The corner that comes over will take the Hook-Curl drop and the End will drop to the hole. With a Crossfire 5 call the Sooners will check the coverage back to 3 vs. all One back sets.

Sooner Zone Pressure #2

2010-03-27T15:09:00.005-04:00

Two more blitzes from the Oklahoma arsenal are Field Slam Dogs (Opposite) 3 and Field Stone Dogs (Opposite) 3. Both blitzes can be found in the 2002 Sooner playbook here and build on the concept Field Rip Dogs (Opposite) 3 which was covered in the previous post.

Both blitzes are run from the Field front with the 3 technique aligned into the boundary.

The coverage is identical to the 4 under 3 deep coverage used to cover down behind Rip Dogs. The blitz is an overload to the field with the Sam and Mike on an interior X stunt with the Mike going first.

Vs. a Te to the field the Sam executes the blitz from an under alignment.

Slam Dogs requires the same "Eddie" coverage check vs. a removed number #2 receiver to the boundary that Rip Dogs utilized.

Slam Dogs can be turned into a 3 under 3 deep pressure with the addition of an "Opposite" tag.

The second blitz is Field Stone Dogs (Opposite) 3 which is a similar interior X blitz concept to Slam Dogs. The SS exchanges responsibilities with the Sam and becomes the 2nd blitzer. The Sam replaces the SS in the field side Seam/Flat Drop.

Stone Dogs still requires the "Eddie" check and like Rip and Slam can be tagged with and "Opposite" call.

The Sooners also integrate these same blitzes into their man coverage blitz package.

The Sam is rushing and must peel off with any running back releasing to his side. The Will linebacker has man coverage responsibility for any back releasing weak.

Bob Stoops' Zone Pressure Package

2010-03-26T19:59:00.003-04:00

The following post will be the first in a series that breakdown the zone pressures utilized by the Oklahoma Sooner defense. This information is from the 2002 Sooner defensive playbook which can be found here. One element of the Stoops zone blitz package that differs from many others is that his pressures are either 4 under 3 deep overload blitzes which are very effective pass pressures or 3 under 3 deep traditional zone pressures which are favored against the run. The first set of these blitzes is Field Rip Dogs 3 which is a 4 under 3 deep pressure and Field Rip Dogs Opposite 3 which is 3 under 3 deep.

The front is set Field with the Nose in a shade to the field and the DT in a 3 into the boundary.

Field DE - Inside movement to B gap
Nose - A gap vs. run, Hook drop vs. Pass
Tackle - B gap vs. run, Contain vs. Pass
Boundary DE - C gap vs. run, Flat drop vs. Pass
Sam - Edge Blitz
Mike - Blitz
Will - #2 drop
SS - Seam/Flat drop
FS - Middle 1/3
Corners - 1/3

This pressure overloads the field side and drops 4 underneath into coverage allowing for both pressure and coverage.

Vs. no TE

The only coverage check occurs when there is a split #2 receiver in the boundary.

The Eddie check puts the Will LB dropping off the split #2 receiver and the End in the Hook drop.

The Sooners compliment Rip Dogs with Rip Dogs Opposite. The Opposite tag tells the Nose to go to the Opposite A gap instead of dropping.

The Opposite tag turns Rip Dogs into the traditional NCAA blitz. The only coverage adjustment is again the Eddie call vs. a removed #2 receiver into the boundary which exchanges the responsibilities of the dropping End and the Will linebacker.

Blitz of the Week #4

2010-03-25T21:05:00.002-04:00

This week's Blitz of the Week comes from the 2003 Buffalo Bills Playbook which can be found here in the 4-3 section. This week's blitz is Swim Tilt Fire Zone. The pressure is run from a front featuring both defensive tackles in head up 2 techniques.

The blitz features the Sam & Mike overload blitzing the strong side A & B Gaps.

Strong DE - C gap vs. Run, Contain vs. Pass
Strong DT - Opposite A gap
Weak DT - B gap vs. Run, 3RH drop vs. Pass
Weak DE - C gap vs. Run, Contain vs. Pass
Sam - Blitz B gap
Mike - Blitz A, must clear for DT
SS & Will - Seams
FS - Middle 1/3
Corners - Fire Zone 1/3

This type of pressure can be very effective by creating a difficult exchange for the Guard and Center as they attempt to pass off the twisting DT and blitzing Mike linebacker.

More Nick Saban Packaged Zone Pressure

2010-03-23T17:59:00.005-04:00

In last week's Blitz of the Week #3 post the focus was on Nick Saban's packaged zone pressure concept Field Alaska/Crash Zone which can be seen here. Another packaged zone blitz that is featured in the 2001 LSU playbook is Field Alaska/Atlanta Zone. The first half of the blitz is Alaska.

Alaska is the Mike and Will on an X blitz in the field A & B gaps.

Field DE - C gap vs. Run, Contain vs. Pass
Field DT - Opposite A
Bench DT - B gap vs. Run, Contain vs. Pass
Bench DE - C gap vs. Run, Seam vs. Pass
Mike - Blitz A gap, Go 1st
Will - Blitz Opposite B gap, Go 2nd
FS - 3RH
SS - Middle 1/3
Corners - Fire Zone 1/3

If the 3 man surface is to the field the blitz is Field Alaska Zone. If the 2 man surface is to the field the blitz is Field Atlanta Zone.

Atlanta is the same blitz as Alaska vs. runs to the field and passes. The difference between the two only occurs on run flow to the boundary where the Will LB will read out of the blitz and play a normal shuffle scrape technique. On the read out in the Atlanta blitz diagramed above the 3RH dropper (SS) will be able to handle any cutback to the field B gap that is being vacated by the read out Will linebacker. Having the read out allows the defense to improve their numbers against TE run in the zone blitz package. With the TE into the boundary(Atlanta) the defense gets the read out Will LB back involved and with the TE aligned to the field(Alaska) the defense gets a blitz to the TE.

TCU's Thunder Concept

2010-03-18T20:08:00.002-04:00

TCU is known for converting big athletic linebackers and even running backs to defensive linemen. The Horned Frog's defense under Gary Patterson has featured multiple slants, twists, and blitzes that capitalize on the athleticism of their front 4. The Thunder concept TCU employs is just another way for them to utilize their athletic defensive linemen. The blitz that will be the focus of this post is Bullets Thunder Zero Cop which can be found in the TCU Playbook. The front is set Tite with the 3 technique to the TE.

The Bullets blitz sends both inside linebackers straight ahead into their gap responsibilities (A for the Sam, B for the Mac). TCU also tags the blitz multiple ways to send the ILB's to different gaps.

The next aspect of the call is Thunder which tells the Safety (SS or WS) to the TE to blitz outside. The final part of the call is Zero Cop. Cover Zero is straight man coverage with no safety help and Cop is a tag that tells the DE to the coverage to man the TE. This is where the Horned Frogs utilizing athletic DL allows them to be creative.

The corners are responsible for the #1 receivers while the 2 safeties have the backs. The right DE is man on the TE.

vs. a Twins set

The Corners are responsible for the split receivers, the safeties have the backs, and the right DE has the TE.

Against a team that flexes their TE or a no TE set the SS has to make a "Switch" call to the DE and play man coverage on a split receiver.

The "Switch" call by the SS puts the DE back in the pass rush. The corners and safeties keep their coverage responsibilities.

Against one back formations with or without a TE the safeties make the adjustments to cover the extra receivers.

This blitz concept allows TCU to rush 6, bring simultaneously pressure to the TE side and inside, load the box with 2 safeties manned on running backs, and utilize the athleticism of their defensive ends.

Poll Results

2010-03-17T17:59:00.000-04:00

I am very pleased to have 10 people who took the time to vote on the poll. It is nice to know that 10 people have read the blog. If anybody has an suggestions or there is anything you would like to see on here send me an e-mail or leave a comment and I will do my best.

Blitz of the Week #3

2010-03-16T17:38:00.008-04:00

This week's Blitz of the Week comes from Nick Saban's 2001 LSU Defensive Playbook. The concept is from their Field front with the 3 technique set into the boundary. Field Alaska/Crash Zone is actually 2 fire zone blitzes packaged together and checked at the LOS. The first blitz is Field Alaska Zone.

Alaska is the Mike and Will on an X blitz in the field A & B gaps.

Field DE - C gap vs. Run, Contain vs. Pass
Field DT - Opposite A
Bench DT - B gap vs. Run, Contain vs. Pass
Bench DE - C gap vs. Run, Seam vs. Pass
Mike - Blitz A gap, Go 1st
Will - Blitz Opposite B gap, Go 2nd
FS - 3RH
SS - Middle 1/3
Corners - Fire Zone 1/3

The second half of the blitz is Field Crash Zone

Crash is the Corner blitzing from the boundary.

Field DE - C gap vs. Run, Contain vs. Pass
Field DT - A gap
Bench DT - Inside Move to A gap
Bench DE - Inside Move
Sam - Seam
Mike - 3RH
Will - Seam
Boundary Corner - Edge Blitz
Field Corner/FS - Fire Zone 1/3
SS Middle 1/3

The blitz is checked based on the offensive line surface to the field. If there is a 3 man surface (Guard, Tackle, TE) to the Field the blitz is Alaska if there is a 2 man surface (Guard, Tackle) to the Field the blitz is Crash.

Attacking 1/2 Slide Protection Part 3

2010-03-14T22:02:00.002-04:00

The next strategy for attacking 1/2 slide is have linebackers or safeties show pressure on the LOS. The extra people on the LOS forces the offensive line to think and can create pass rush opportunities.

In this simple example the Nose is in a G alignment on the Guard. If the slide is going to the defensive right the LT and LG are covered and therefore man scheme. The Center will start the slide. Good offensive linemen will help adjacent linemen when there is no threat to their gap. In this case the Center's A gap is directly threatened by the walked up LB. This threat prevents the Center from giving any initial help to the LG. The Nose now has a 1 on 1 inside rush lane from inside leverage vs. the LG.

In this example blitz both ILB's are walked up in their gaps. The slide is going to the defensive left. The RG is covered by the G front Nose therefore the RT and RG are man. The Center is starting the slide and is occupied thinking about the LILB who is in his A gap. The RB sees both the RILB and the SS walked up and is thinking he needs to get width to pick up whichever one of his dual read blitzes. The RB isn't focused on the Safety who is walking into the box presumable to play the 3RH drop in a fire zone coverage. Once the RB has gotten width and checked both his dual reads (ILB & SS) it will be difficult for him to redirect inside and block in the A gap. The Center has a chance to pick up the FS if he is athletic enough to redirect after sliding. If the Center or other offensive linemen start quickly let dropping LB's go to help elsewhere there is always a counter punch.

If OL are too aggressive to leave a dropping LB you can always fake that the LB is dropping and blitz him late. Here is video of a New York Giants blitz from their Superbowl victory over the Patriots. They ran these concepts consistently under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. This video is against Big on Big pass protection but is an excellent example of ways to create confusion for pass pro with LB's at or near the LOS.

Death on Wings

2010-03-14T20:34:00.005-04:00

Attacking 1/2 slide protection Part 2

2010-03-09T17:55:00.000-05:00

Previously I have posted on understanding 1/2 slide protection which can be seen here as well as utilizing the placement of a 3 technique to manipulate where the offense slides here. In this post I want to focus on utilizing a bull rushing defensive linemen and blitz to attack the slide side. Here is an example of 1/2 slide vs. a 5 man edge blitz.

In this example the sliding OL can pick up the blitz without problem on paper. The success of the blitz is completely dependent upon one of the rushers beating their opponent 1 on 1. And if the design of the blitz was to isolate a specific blocker this is a good blitz. Unfortunately in some games the 1 on 1 match ups favor the offense. That is were a bull rush defensive lineman can be helpful.

The difference in this pressure and the first example is the RT cannot Fan to the edge blitzer because the DE is bull rushing him and not going inside to the RG's B gap. The edge blitzer should start near the LOS to get a flat angle of attack. The RG could potentially pick the blitz up if he is athletic enough to pass off the DT, check the DE, and kick set back to the full speed edge blitzer. I have found the majority of offensive linemen we face are unable to do this. This blitz is featured in the TCU Playbook as Lion.

Another bull rush strategy utilizes an interior DT.

In this variation the Nose aligns in a G and is the man responsibility of the LG who should chase on the hard inside move. The DT aligns in a heavy 3 technique just wider than a head up 2 and bull rushes the RG then loops weak. The front side ILB (the OLB could be used instead) will have a run through as the RG is occupied with the DT. The looper should get late pressure if the QB steps up away from the blitz otherwise the blitz should be in his face.

Both pressures are do not give the QB a hot throw read while still getting quick pressure as well as allowing the defense to bring only 5 and use 6 in coverage.

Blitz of the Week #2

2010-03-08T19:37:00.003-05:00

This blitz is from the Dick Lebeau's 2002 Cincinnati Bengals Playbook.

The blitz is run from the strong side of the formation.

Strong DE - inside move to A gap
Nose - Opposite A gap
DT - B gap vs. the run, contain vs. pass
Weak DE - C gap vs. run, Curl-Flat drop vs. Pass
Sam - Underneath the 1st blocker
SS - walk down and blitz outside, spill vs. run, contain vs. pass
M & B - Vertical Hook
FS - Hold disguise, Strong side Deep 1/2
Strong Corner - Soft Squat
Weak Corner - 1/2 Inside Man #1

This is a 4 underneath 2 deep zone pressure concept with the weak side Deep 1/2 player playing a more agressive technique to the single receiver side.

vs. Twins

The coverage 2 Z is a cover 2 concept vs. 2 back sets and is checked to cover "Z" vs. a split #2 weak. Cover "Z" is a 3 under 3 deep fire zone coverage.

vs. Split #2 weak

The playbook does not diagram the adjustment to a 3 x 1 formation strong but does say the Vertical Hook dropping inside linebackers have the trips adjustment.

Attacking 1/2 Slide Protection Part 1

2010-03-04T21:29:00.002-05:00

When attacking 1/2 slide protection often the first step is to determine where is the offensive line sliding? The placement of a 3 technique often has a large impact on where the offense chooses to slide. If an offense chooses to slide away from a 3 technique the following problem is created.

The slide is going to the defensive left. The first uncovered offensive lineman will start the slide going from defensive right to left. With the RT, RG, and C covered the first uncovered is the LG. That means the C, RG, & RT are all man scheme. In the picture IF the C slides the Nose is unblocked in the weakside A gap and IF he blocks his man responsiblity(NOSE) the LILB is unblocked blitzing the A gap. The RB is dual reading away from the slide and therefore isn't looking at the blitzing LB. This is especially effective if the LOLB is blitzing because there is no way the for the LG to help with the A gap blitzer. The LOLB can also fake the blitz to hold the LG giving the LILB a run through while bringing only 5. This breakdown has lead many half slide teams to check the slide to always be sliding to the 3 tech. A second solution is to turn the 1/2 slide into a full slide which I will address in a later post.

When dealing with a team that checks their protection based on the 3 technique an effecive strategy is to get a 2 on 1 vs the running back. Since the RB will go opposite the slide the RB will also go opposite the 3 technique. The following is using the NCAA zone blitz vs half slide to create the 2 on 1 vs the RB.

In this example the LT is man on the DE who is long sticking. The LT doesn't know that the DE will eventually go all the way down to the A gap which should be the LG's responsibility. The LT only knows that he has the DE man and must block him on an inside movement. The inside blitzer is aiming for the B gap which will disappear as the LT chases the DE inside creating a 2 off the edge blitz. This leaves the RB with 2 people to block. The QB should throw hot in this situation. Unfortunately for him he is throwing directly at an inverting Safety in the 3 under 3 deep coverage. This blitz can be brought from the 2 receiver side as many do but it can really be brought from anywhere.

Vs. a right handed QB this blitz can be brought from the defensive left to make sure the QB has the blitz in his field of vision and is forced to throw hot or be sacked in a long yardage situation. Or brought from his blind side (defensive right) to create unseen pressure.

NCAA Blitz vs 3x1

2010-03-04T14:45:00.000-05:00

Varation vs. 3x1

Another coverage change up.

Blitz of the Week #1

2010-03-03T14:46:00.007-05:00

This weeks blitz of the week has been used by many teams. The Baltimore Ravens have utilized this blitz to allow Ed Reed to pressure the QB. Recently the UConn Huskies had success using this blitz in this years PapaJohns.com Bowl against the South Carolina Game Cocks. This blitz has been a favorite of Bo Pelini at both LSU and Nebraska.

The blitz is designed to overload the middle of the protection. The 2 3 techniques (can also be from G with the 2i ripping across the guards face to the outside) occupying the guards. The Mike is going first with the Will coming 2nd and the SS walking into the box and blitzing the open daylight on the midline. Here is a good shot of LSU running Gut in the Pelini days.

Understanding 1/2 Slide Protection

2010-03-02T18:33:00.001-05:00

What is 1/2 slide protection? Simply stated: part of the offensive line is "sliding" or blocking a zone in the protection scheme and part of the offensive line is executing a man protection scheme. Typically this is a 6 man protection with the RB responsible for a dual read to the man side of the protection.

In this first picture the slide is going to the defensive left. The RG is the first uncovered linemen and starts the slide. The RG will block any rusher in the A gap. Similarly the C, LG, and LT are in the slide and will block the rusher in the A, B, and C gaps respectively. The RT is man blocking the DE.

In the second picture the slide is still going to the left but this time the defense is in a G front with the RG covered. Therefore the C is the first uncovered lineman and starts the slide with the LG and LT also sliding. The RG is man on the Nose and the RT is once again man on the DE.

The RB is stepping to the man side and is responsible for 1 to 2 (Dual Read on the ILB and OLB in this 4-4 look). He will block inside out after which he may check release into a route or look to help in the protection elsewhere.

The QB is responsible to throw hot if both the ILB and OLB to the slide blitz. If only 1 blitzes the offense feels the slide protection should be able to pick it up. Similarly if both the ILB and OLB to the man side blitz the QB should throw hot. Many offensive coordinators tell the QB vs 8 potential rushers (4-4 & 3-5) to key the safety if you see blitzers creeping and a safety coming down that is the side were you need to throw hot.

In the following series of posts I will diagram some blitz stratagies to attack 1/2 slide protection.