Firezone Pressure to Overload the RB

The Seahawks are in a base 4-3 personnel running a 5 man pressure concept on 2nd & 10 vs. 10 personnel. 

The Rush:
End - Contain
DT - Movement across the Center to balance the pass rush 
DT - Contain through B gap
Sam - Inside pressure on through the heel line of the up field DE
Mike - Inside pressure lane off the moving DT

The Coverage:
3 Under 3 Deep Fire Zone

The protection is a half slide concept. The Center is executing a zone set opposite the RB's alignment.

The typical rules of a half slide say the first uncovered OL starts the slide. The T and G are covered by DL so they are manned up. They will still use a principle of being able to pass off twists/stunts by the DE and DT, man doesn't mean the will chase those defenders anywhere they go. The Center is uncovered and starts the slide. The Guard to the slide side can expect help from the Center if the DT tries to rush inside. The T/G to the slide can expect help on a DE/DT twist/stunt from the Center as well. 

On the pressure the Guard on the man side is not guaranteed help from the Center who is setting away. With no expected help from the Center when the DT crosses the G has to continue to block him. The RB blocks inside threat first and picks up the inside most of the two rushers. The result is a 2 on 1 by the Sam/Mike on the RB. The protection can handle 3 rushers to the man side but cannot block a 4th. The QB is responsible for the 4th on a hot throw. The QB's eyes are opposite the pressure initially leaving no way to see the 4th rusher. 

The Cardinals could have instead of a half slide protection gone to a big on big man scheme. In this concept the OL declares a 2nd level player the "Mike" the OL handles the 4 down DL and the Miked player.

The man protection concept still uses pass off techniques by the OL to hand twists or pressures with players crossing/exchanging rush lanes. 

As the DT/Mike exchange rush lanes, the Center/Guard would end up pass setting together hip to hip with the Center taking over the DT and the Guard setting the Mike. The RB could handle the Sam and pressure is picked up.


It is easy to look back at the film and say why didn't they run a man protection. Why is the Center setting to nothing and wasting himself?

The Seahawks use a healthy amount of pass rush twists.

Here the twist is to the man side which the T/G have to pass off. OL exchanging a stunt is  easier said than done.

Here a pass rush stunt runs into a setting Center and the protection holds up to allow the ball to be thrown and caught.

In the Cardinals situation the protection gave Center help for a potential pass rush stunt to the slide side and if no extra rushers came the RB could help with DL stunts to the man side. 

The Seahawks are a primary 4 man pass rush team. If the Cardinals would have been in a man protection and gotten beat on pass rush stunt by the DL the questions well up about why the Center didn't help with the stunt? Why didn't they set the protection to the best pass rusher? How could you let that happen? Etc.

The reality is pass rush and pass protection are not just individual plays they are also the conceptual overlap of various calls combined with tendencies. No call is perfect, what is the best call for the situation? What gives us the best chance to win this play? It is EASY to look a play after the fact and say that was a "bad call" or "should have called...." the reality is even calls that make sense based on tendency don't always work out. 

Nice concept by Ken Norton to attack the RB in half slide protection. 

Double A Gap Pick Pressure

Ohio State is in a hybridized 4-3 in a double A gap mug spacing. The down safety is a Nickel/Slot Corner skill set and the DE's are in 2 point stances.

The Rush:
DEs and DT's are rushing their gaps from wide alignments to create space in the A gaps. The Will is penetrating and picking the Center while the Mike is stutter then wrap.

The Coverage:
Cover 1 with the rush accounting for the RB

From the 6 up look the OL is manned up with the Center setting to strong side with the RB handling the weak side A gap threat. When the the Center sets strong the Will is able to execute the pick. This is similar to when an unengaged OL rib shots an adjacent engaged DL. The Center cannot see the pick and isn't in the body position to effectively engage with the penetrating Will. When the Mike wraps the Center is forced to redirect creating a further disadvantage vs. the pick. The result is 2 rushers through the weak side A gap. The Will gets the pressure following the knockdown on the pick of the Center. This pressure has been featured previously from the Falcons the article is available here. The major difference is the technique of the A gap rushers.

Nice pressure plan from Greg Mattison and Jeff Hafley.

Defending Sail Route in Cover 2

Nice example of the Seahawks in a base personnel Cover 2 concept against an 11 personnel bunch zone naked sail route.

Seattle is in a over front spacing with the weak side DE reduced to a 4i alignment. The Will LB is walked on the LOS in a 9 technique but is still responsible for the hook drop in the cover 2 coverage concept.

The Panthers are attempting to attack the coverage with a weak side sail concept. The X receiver is running to take the top off the coverage by challenging the deep 1/2 safety. The Y off runs a cutter path behind the LOS selling the action of a block on the back side edge in a split zone concept but ultimately is running the flat route. The point of the bunch is running a deep over. The goal is to attack the flat defending corner with the flat route. By threatening the flat player off of the run action the goal is to get the flat player to stay low while forcing the flat defender to get width to avoid be out leveraged. If the Corner is low and wide the deep over route has open space behind the Corner in the flat and underneath the stretched deep Safety.

The weak Corner does an excellent job following his reroute on X of hinging open. He opens his hips at a 45 degree angle inside pointing his hips and shoulders toward the MOF. His allows him to again depth & width to the sail. His body position also allows him to see the deep over and to adjust his path to pick up the route. His body position additionally creates vision to the QB to allow him to break late to a throw underneath. The Mike LB does a good job opening to get under the crosser forcing the route to keep running allowing the sail technique corner to take the route over.

Good coaching a execution from Ken Norton.

Attacking with Weak Side Pressure

Here are some examples of UCF attacking FAU this season with a variety of weak side pressures.

The Rush:
WS off the edge with the weak DE working slow under

The Coverage:
3 over 2 quarters concept strong with man on the weak side

The two off the edge  pressure and loaded box kills off the zone read while the strong side coverage denys RPO options.

The Rush:
WS off the edge with the weak DE working slow under

The Coverage:
 3 Under 3 Deep Firezone

Same pressure as example one. This time the offense is running power read. The strong DE is up the field building an edge and forcing the QB into a keep read. The two off the weak edge creates problems for the back side of the power. The OT gap hinges and is occupied by the DE leaving the WS free off the edge for the TFL. 

The coverage initially looks like the FS is down and the WS is either going to play the post of help weak. This subtle disguise helps deter RPO throws strong with the FS showing down as well as protects the isolation of the X on the Corner with the WS body presence weak. The FS pops the top and the WS pressures attacking the run. 

The Rush:
Will backer walked outside off the edge. DL slanting away from the pressure

The Coverage:
3 over 2 quarters concept strong with man on the weak side

The design is very good against a TE cutoff run scheme. The WS and Mike load the box forcing the OL's combos to work inside and up to the interior threats. The DE aligned inside the TE is a difficult cutoff and the slanting interior DL force the ball to cut back/jump out. The Will walked on the edge becomes the responsibility of the cut split X receiver. The ILB vs. WR is not a great matchup for the offense combined with the very high degree of difficulty to make a block from WR on a walked up edge blitzer. The ball is forced to the unblocked Will for the TFL.

The Rush:
Odd front spacing with the Tackle and DE working a twist game. WS is pressuring late in the space created by the twist game

The Coverage:
Flooded Cover 3 concept

The twist and WS combine to create pressure and get the QB off his spot. The coverage is interesting. If this coverage concept was a normal Cover 3 Firezone the Mike would have been the 3RH dropper while the Will should have dropped to the weak seam. The Will should be dropping in FZ concept on the RB. Here the defense instead floods the coverage strong. The SS, Mike. and Will are all dropping strong to the trips. The Will even rolls back into the #3 to deny the weak seam route. In a typical 3 flood coverage the WS drops relating to #4 (RB) to the 1st crosser. Instead the defense uses a 5 man pressure to eat the RB while still playing the flooded coverage concept to deny the trips route combinations.

Randy Shannon put on a master class in weak side pressure planning in this game, really good stuff. 

Field Overload Firezone

Really interesting play during the Syracuse vs. NC State game this season. The Cuse are in a base 4-3 personnel running a field side firezone pressure.

The Rush:

End & Nose contain with the DT on a long stick to balance the pass rush. The inside blitzer (Mike) is working B gap to A gap path while the Sam is blitzing wide B.

The Coverage:

3 under 3 deep firezone coverage with pressed corners

The technique of the inside blitzer is critical to the success. By starting wide in the B gap and working to the A gap the blitz takes on a two through one gap effect.  The B to A path of the inside blitzer helps the timing of the pressure. By starting wider in the B gap the path allows the DT in a 3 technique the time and space to execute his long stick. The B to A gap path also creates confusion for the RB.

The Guard & RB end up in a really tough protection situation. The Guard has a B gap threat from the 3 tech DT. As the DT leaves a new B gap threat shows up from the inside blitzer. The guard reacts by blocking the inside blitzer and stays on as the blitzer crosses face to the A gap. The RB is initially looking inside out from ILB (Mike) to overhang (Sam). When the inside most threat (Mike) blitzes the RB aggressively steps up to make the pick up. End result is two blockers on the Mike leaving the Sam on a run through pressure affecting the QB. The little detail of the B to A path of the Mike had a huge effect.

Looking at the possible outcomes.

One way the offense could have picked it up is for the Guard to continue to set out and handle the wide B gap blitzer bypassing the Mike. This is how the RB tried to pick up the pressure. In reality this is possible but very difficult. The Guard set initially to the DT in the B gap. As the DT sticks inside there is an immediate pass rusher attacking the Guard. It is unlikely a Guard will ignore an immediate rush threat from the Mike to set to the Sam. Also there is the issue of the Guards vision. When the DT sticks the Guard's vision is directly in line to see the Mike. It's unlikely the Guard would have vision to the wide B gap rushing Sam. 

Alternatively and more likely is to have the RB to take the wider threat.

Here the Guard picks up the Mike. Now the challenge falls heavily on the RB. The issue starts pre-snap.

The picture for the RB has two primary blitz threats. The Mike is further inside making for a quicker threat to the QB. The RB priorities the inside threat first. When the Mike blitzes the RB wants to aggressively step up to make the block. Once he aggressively steps up it makes it difficult to redirect out to the Sam. The RB may be even more aggressive to get to the block due to the initial deep alignment in the pistol. The RB can't fight physics, object in motion stays in motion. The more aggressive the RB is toward the LOS the harder it is to redirect. The path of the blitzer also manipulates the eye's of the RB. The RB is looking at the Mike as the 1st threat. The Mike starts wide and redirects back in to the A gap. That path pulls the RB's eyes inside and away from the Sam. Two truths play out as a result: your feet go where your eyes take them and you cannot block what you don't see. 

This type of blitz sets up a Goldilocks situation for the RB. If the RB is aggressive to block the Mike inside, he can get caught up inside (as he did in the clip) and cannot react out to the Sam. If the RB is more under control allowing him to either block the Mike or redirect out to the Sam, he runs the risk of getting pass rushed deeper in the pocket. A RB in the lap of the QB can affect the QB just as much as a pass rusher. This forces the RB to use just the right amount of aggressiveness. 

This play is also interesting because of the route. NC State has a variation of a curl/flat combination. 

The route of the S receiver is an inside stem curl. The Seam dropping Safety is a Match-Carry-Deliver player. The question is should he carry (treat the S as a vertical) or deliver (treat the S as an inside route)? The Safety treated the S as a vertical threat (hips are more vertical than under) and carried the route. This forces the 3RH Will backer to get depth and width under the Z and eventually break on the Y. There is no doubt this route puts stress on the Will. This is a good reminder the pass rush co-exist and play off one another. You give up some part of coverage to get more pass rushers, the extra rush has to affect the QB. It's easy to for an offensive coach to draw up this route and say "easy completion" or a defensive coach to talk themselves out of firezone because of a stressful route. Who else is stressed out on this play? The RB with a tough pass protection task and the QB with a blitzer in his face. 

Good stuff from Syracuse and defensive coordinator Brian Ward. All the details of this blitz are executed to make it work even against a stressful route.

Covering Mesh Route in Man Coverage

Michigan is a 4-3 personnel.

The Rush:

DL is slanting with the LB rushing off the the edge.

The Coverage:

Cover 1 with LB manned on the RB adding to the rush in a green dog technique

The pass rush is pretty straight forward. The impressive part is the man coverage. The Safety and LB do a good job of getting on different levels. The LB is playing the hip aligned TE at 4 yards with outside leverage while the safety is at 6. The press alignment of the corners naturally puts them on different levels from the man coverage players on the inside receivers. Post-snap the LB plays the upfield arm of the deeper route in the mesh. The corner has the WR on the lower part of the mesh. This is a great example of undercutting a route to get to low hip position maintenance. By undercutting the route the Corner is out of danger of getting picked on the mesh. Great job of understanding the route and knowing the position maintenance of when to play high arm vs. undercutting to play low hip. Good stuff from Don Brown.

Breaking Half Slide Protection

One tired and true plan to beat half slide protection is to cover up all the OL. Half slide is half slide (zone) and half man technique. The rules of half slide protection define which OL are sliding and those who are in man. Often the rule is the first uncovered OL starts the slide. If you cover all the OL up you naturally break the slide by forcing all the OL to be in man. Got them in man now what? Twisting pass rushers is one good way to attack OL in man protection. Virginia Tech is rushing 5 from an odd front dime personnel.

The Rush:
Ends contain
The LB's and Nose work a 3 man twist game

The Coverage:
Cover 1

The OL identifies the twist and works to pass it all off. Out of 5 games of 1 on 1 VT was expecting to win at least one. In this case both the ILBs in the pressure use speed and athleticism to win their match-ups. Good stuff from Bud Foster and the Hokies. This pressure is very similar to a pressure Georgia ran which was featured previously. 

This pressure shows up on film for many defenses. This type of concept also shows up in the '85 Bears playbook from Buddy Ryan. 

Buddy Ryan was building bear front concepts in multiple ways. Out of the 4-3, blitz the Mike and twist with the two DTs and you have the same bear front stunt. Virginia Tech was instead using two ILBs and a Nose to build the Bear front. This blitz concept isn't new but it is still highly effective.

Changing the Math with Safety Run Pressure & DL Movement

This pressure is from the 2017 UCF defense.

The Rush:
The DL is slanting from a 4i-0-4i alignment away from the edge rushing safety. The box is initially a 6 man box but the blitzing safety changes the math to a 7 man box.

The Coverage:
Cover 1. Although it is possibly an aggressive version of 3 deep 3 under firezone with pressed corners.

Why did it work?

The box picture for the OL pre-snap is a fairly standard 4-2 look with both ILB's in the box.

Play side the OT and OG are fanning out to the Jack and End. Back side the C&OG are zoning to the Will while the back side OT&Y are zoning for the Mike. By the time the Safety rolls down to blitz and the Mike bumps out of the box the OL blocking is declared. The final picture looks more like a 4-3 defense with the Safety & 2 ILB's combined with the slanting DL to space like a 4-3 box. Because of the initial picture the OG is aggressive to the slanting End and quick to travel back inside. The OT sees the blitzing safety and adjusts but the OG is gone leaving the Jack unblocked. 

Even if the zone blocking had stayed intact the play is outnumbered by the defense and the zone would break in a different place.

The 4i on an outside move is a problem for the zone.

Once the back side OT and Y started comboing for the End and Mike the Zone has a challenge. The OT travels back with the End and eventually works to the Mike. In the last diagram shows what if the OL zone blocks the pressure accounting for the blitzer and slanting DL.
OT fanned to the blitzing safety
OG fanned to the Jack 
C/G combo came off to the End & Nose on the slants 
Even if that all happened the zone would still have broken. The zone cannot account for the scraping Will backer when the RB cuts back. The slanting End and Mike do a nice job of building a wall back side to force any cutback into the rush.

Another option would have been for the combo's to remain as originally declared.

The zone is still outnumbered. If the OT & OG travel back with the Jack and End as they slant the Center & Guard combo works to the Nose & scraping will the safety blitzing is unblocked. The two most likely outcomes are the safety makes the play in the backfield or the run cuts into a wall backside. 

Nice run pressure by Coach Chinander and UCF to create a TFL. The usage of the boundary safety in the pressure creates numbers where the offense did not expect them. 

Dallas Cowboy Zone Dog

Here is an interesting 5 man dog from the Dallas Cowboys' Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli. 

The play starts in a standard 4-3 2 high safety shell look.

During the cadence the DL stems the Nose and DE into this look.

The Nose moved to a head up zero technique and the DE went from a wide alignment to head up on the OT.

The defense then stemmed a 2nd time into this look.

The Nose moved to a strong side 1 technique and the Sam backer walked up on to the LOS. The stemming by the defense allows the Cowboys to create a odd front structure and bring a 50 front type of pressure.

The Rush:
Sam & End - Contain Rush
End - Inside Rush
T&N - Delayed twist

The Coverage:
3 under 3 deep

The penetration of the Nose in the A gap forces the Center's shoulders to turn. The delay twist by the Tackle is able to loop tight and pressure the midline.

Using pre-snap stemming and DL alignments are creative ways to incorporate Odd front concepts into a base Even front defense. 

Eagles Cover 2 Zone Dog

Here is a cover 2 zone dog run by the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this season.

The Rush:
Tackle - Work B gap to Contain 
Nose - Slant Opposite A
End - Long Stick to A gap
SS - Contain
Will - Scrape


The Coverage:
Corner & End - Flat
Sam & Mike - Hook
FS & Corner - Deep 1/2 

The Eagles show a 1 high safety coverage with a safety rotated down over the #2 WR. The expectation is the Eagles have to stay in a 1 high coverage unless they rotate a safety back deep. Instead Philly uses a corner in the role of a Deep 1/2 player.

The protection has the numbers to pick up the pressure.

The protection has two (OT & RB) vs. 2 (Will & SS) but loses both match ups. The OT is badly out athleted by the rushing DB. An OL forced to kick set out to a DB in open space is a match up the that favors the defense. On the inside the RB is forced to pick up the rushing LB. A LB on a full speed straight line run to the QB vs. a RB in pass protection is another match up that favors the defense. 

It is easy to say the offense should have simply had the OT sit for the Will and sent the RB wide to the SS. Both seem like better match ups for the offense. The issue is the RB is initially threatened by 2 rush threats as his dual read is the Mike & Will. If the Mike rushed the B gap the RB would have needed to block him. Likewise when the Will rushed B. It is very difficult to expect the RB to dual read the Mike to Will and adjust to the SS in the rush. Also A DB rotated over a slot receiver was not a likely rush threat. 

The usage of a DB in the rush and the alignment of the LB's in a 4-3 core created bad match ups for the protection. The coverage violates pre-snap expectations forcing the QB to make a post-snap read and buying time for the rushers to win. Good stuff from Eagles Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz.

Outside to Inside Blitz Technique

Regardless of a defensive scheme the situation may occur where the defense wants rush a player aligned outside the box into an inside gap. Here is an example of when the technique might be used in a 3-4 defensive structure.

The Jack outside linebacker is blitzing from an outside alignment into the B gap.

The same technique can apply to an overhang player in a 3-3-5.

Or a SS/Nickel pressure in a 4-2-5.

Here is one approach for teaching the outside to inside blitz technique.

The defensive end takes a wide alignment to get up the field and outside. The blitzer is on a 45 degree track on a path to replace the DE's heels as the DE launches up field. The blitzer is reacting to the block of the OT.

OT Blocks the DE 

If the OT blocks out to the DE, the blitzer stays on his track to control the B gap.

If the guard is zone blocking into the B gap, the blitzer must be ready to react and maintain B gap leverage.

If a FB is lead blocking in the B gap the blitzer will spill the block (NEVER KICKED). Spill = hit the blocker thick on the inside half and pry up the field.

If there is a puller on the blitzer's track into the B gap, the blitzer will spill the puller (NEVER KICKED).

OT Blocks Down

If the OT blocks down, the blitzer will stay on his 45 degree track and control the B gap from behind the line of scrimmage.

If the OT is blocking down and there is a puller, the blitzer will spill the puller (NEVER KICKED).

If the OT is blocking down and there is a FB lead block, the blitzer will spill the lead (NEVER KICKED).

If the OT is blocking down and there is a puller and lead block, the blitz will spill the puller. The goal is to get a 2 for 1. 

OT Blocks Down with an Option or Read Scheme

Against a down block by the OT, the End will handle the outside threat while the blitzer will handle the inside threat.

Against veer option, the inside threat is the dive. The blitzer will stay on his track and tackle the dive. The End will take the outside threat and handle the QB.

Against zone read, the RB is the inside threat. The blitzer will flatten and chase behind the LOS tackling the RB. The End is playing for the outside threat and will tackle the QB.

Against read power, the inside threat is the QB. The blitzer will tackle the QB. The blitzer must be ready to spill the pulling guard (NEVER KICKED). The End will play the outside threat in this case the sweeping RB.

OT Blocks Down with a Naked or Boot Scheme

Against any naked scheme the blitzer can chase the run because the End is outside for contain against the naked. 

The blitzer must be ready for a puller on boot. The blitzer will spill the puller (NEVER KICKED) and pry up field. If the QB continues outside, the DE will apply pressure and contain. If the QB attempts to pull up inside the guard's pull, the blitzer will apply pressure.

OT Blocks Blitzer

If the OT tries to block the blitzer, the blitzer must control the B gap. The blitzer should have his hands ready to shock the OT and play into the B gap.

OT Pass Sets

If the OT pass sets, the blitzer will pass rush through the B gap. The DE is up the field outside for contain. The DE CANNOT use a counter move to the inside.

Here is a good example of a Nickel blitzing using this outside in technique.

Against a full slide protection the blitzer and DE will bracket the RB. The blitzer is inside the RB's block and DE is outside for contain.

This outside to inside blitz technique can be a nice compliment to traditional edge pressures.