Middle Overload Zone Under Man Pressure

Clemson is in even front spacing Nickel personnel with OLB bodies at DE on 3rd & 7. The pressure is a middle triple overload pressure concept.

The Rush:

DTs working through the B gaps to contain, ILBs through the A, and the Safety as the third rusher inside running down the midline

The Coverage:

Zone under Man. This coverage has be covered before on the site with examples from Bill Belichick's coaching tree. 

The middle overload forces the OL to account for the two Rush LBs who are dropping, the two DTs who end up occupying the Guards as they work to contain. The remaining protection is the Center and RB for the two A gap ILBs. When the Safety adds as the triple overload there is no blocker to account for him.

The coverage concept allows the defense to account for four verticals with four defenders over the threats like cover zero. The disguise of post defense is excellent with the post aligned Safety holding the disguise before playing coverage weak. The weak side uses a man combo technique with the Corner handling #2 out when #1 and #2 switch. The combo protects the Safety disguising from the MOF from being quickly out leveraged by #2 on an  immediate out breaking route. The two low players provide inside zone presence in the seams helping deny hot routes and control crossers. The drop LBs are also able to get eyes back to the backfield for the RB releasing, break on the QB's throw, or rally to a QB scramble.

Nice overload design and coverage concept from the Tigers and Brent Venables.

Scrape Fire Zone Teach Tape

Here is a short teach tape on an America's blitz variation. I discussed this pressure on the podcast I did with Coach Vass a while back (Coach Vass Pod). This pressure pattern has been an effective run pressure for us. 

SCRAPE PATTERN

The DL is looping away from the pressure. The 4i to the pressure is on a stick to the A gap. However, we allow this player to stem to a 3 tech pre-snap if necessary. The stem allows for a couple of positives:

1. The DL can use the one gap movement technique we use and practice most often. This can be an easier technique to execute than a traditional long stick moving 2 gaps.

2. Helps prevent the DL from getting cut off from the A gap on zone runs away

3. Helps on block back pull schemes - More on this later

The OLB to the pressure is on a low track. On any read scheme the low track has the lower threat. The low track will cross any block from the OT and spill any kick out block. The low track blitzer is on a path through the outside hip of the OT.

The ILB has the wide track pressure. On any read scheme the wide track has the widest threat. The wide track is the edge of the defense to the pressure. The wide track will go at the snap, wrapping tight off the outside hip of the low track blitzer.

The DL may be tagged to use a Nut stunt instead of looping away from the pressure.

The Nut allows the 4i away from the pressure to penetrate and the Nose will loop over the top. 

READ SCHEME

Here the looping Nose does a good job stopping the flow of the zone run allowing the low track blitzer off the edge to make the tackle for no gain. The 4i cheating his alignment down allows the stick technique to get to the A gap preventing the RB from punching the back side A gap when the Nose built the wall in the front side A gap. The wide track ILB is in position if the QB had kept on the read.

Here the zone read has a cruiser Y off lead block for the QB when he keeps. The low track forces the keep read allowing the wide track ILB to quickly pressure the QB on the keep. The seam drop safety could improve his technique here. The seam dropper is relating to the #2 which is initally the RB. Then the RB's flow and the Y off's cruiser path cross the Y off is the new #2. The safety should react faster to this exchange to provide the extra defender when the Y off cruises past the low track blitzer to wrap for the wide track blitzer. 

KICKOUT BLOCK

Here the pressure is into power. The low track blitzer does a good job getting under the kick out however we would like more pry up the field and finish with shoulders square. As it plays out the low track does get part of the pulling guard but with more pry up the field the low track blitzer can get a true two for one. Nice job by the wide track blitzer using his hands to shock the crack block and by the back side ILB reacting to the pulling guard. The seam dropping safety must do better making a run/pass read, specifically following the rule of Don't Go 'Til You Know. 

Here the loop of the DL builds the wall on the split zone which forces the RB to hesitate. There is no clear hole to hit. The low track blitzer does  get under the block of the cutter Y off. We would like the contact to be thicker, more body on body. The Wide track blitzer does a good job of checking the QB for open hands before chasing down the RB. Weak side the seam dropping OLB is walked up on the LOS. His #2 receiver is the Y off. When the Y off goes on the cutter path the new #2 is the RB. The OLB should see those keys through the end of LOS. Nothing here reads as pass. The OLB should be more firm at the LOS and shock the block of the OT setting a hard edge.

Here the play is GY counter. The low track blitzer is excellent prying under the kick out and finishing with shoulders square. The wide track blitzer should stay tighter to the outside hip of the low track blitzer on his path but does a great job anchoring his hips to attack the 2nd puller. The seam safety drops in to be the free hitter making the tackle on the running back.

VS. HARD TE

Nice example of the 4i cheating to get to his work in the A gap. The low track blitzer is good here beating the cutoff block of the TE. The loop of the DL again builds the wall play side allowing the low track to chase the play down from behind.

NUT

The low track is under the kick out block. The Nut on the back side allows the 4i to shed and work strong. The non-blitz ILB should react faster to the pulling guard and backfield flow. Nice example of the nut by the 4i and Nose.

PULLER AWAY FROM PRESSURE

Here the offense is running power away from the pressure. The issue is the offense is adding a pulling OG and we must add defenders to match the numbers. The wide track ILB does not read out with the pulling guard. The wide track is the edge of the defense to the pressure side. The DL here must cross on block back pull schemes. This is a good example of the 4i seeing the guard on the pull and crossing the center's block back. The 4i should use a more compact technique on the arm over. The Nose also does well looping and crossing with the block back pull scheme, crossing the face of the guard blocking back. The low track OLB is completely wrong here. The low track should cross the block of the OT. 

Several clips of scrape pattern to show situations that happen when running this type of pressure. Hopefully there is a tip or coaching point here you can use when coaching your pressures. 

America's Blitz Variation

This pressure variation has been discussed several times on Blitzology. I've received several questions after I talked about it in the pop up clinic I did with Coach Vass over the summer. Here is some more info.

The Rush:
The OLB is rushing off the edge. The Nose and DT way are playing 2 gap technique and working away from the pressure vs. the pass. The ILB is the read player. If the A gap is open he will run through. If the A gap is closed the ILB will convert to the C gap. The ILB will read out vs. a pulling guard.

The Coverage:
3 Under 3 Deep Firezone 

We like this concept for several reasons:
It lets a LB do the athletic redirection portion of the blitz. Not every DL is great on a long stick technique.

It is an easy pattern to install early because the pattern for the DL is not complex

It can be used in multiple situations to pressure run or pass

A Gap Open

On a zone blocking scheme the Center wants to provide some amount of body presence for the Nose. With the Guard zone blocking the B gap DT. This creates the A gap run through for the ILB and what we feel should be an athletic mismatch with the Center.

A Gap Closed 

Here the concept is attacking an inverted zone read. The A is closed so the ILB converts to the C gap rush. This creates the two off the edge concept we want in this situation. 

Inside Puller

The ILB reads out when the guard pulls. This allows us to gain a body against gap schemes.

Outside Pull

Again the ILB sees a pull from the guard. This time it's an outside pull on a buck sweep/pin & pull scheme. The ILB reads out and plays outside to gain a hat at the point of attack.

Adjusting FZ Coverage vs. RPO

LSU is in a bunch formation from 20 personnel with a FB body aligned on the hip running a conflict RPO. The concept blends a counter run scheme with a glance route to the X receiver. The read is the weak safety.

QB meshes with the RB reading the weak safety. If the safety rotates/triggers into the run fit the ball is going to the glance behind his head.

If the Safety stays deep the ball is handed to the RB and the defense does not have a +1 to the weak side. The usage of a bunch formation also helps the offensive concept here. The bunch formation strong deters the defense from bumping the LB's weak. Any bump by the backers weak creates stress for  the defense against the possibility of bunch side runs and 4 strong route concepts. 

This is a really nice play design from LSU. The Georgia Southern defense is in a weak fire zone  pressure and has a numbers advantage in the run game if the ball was handed off on the counter. Part of fire zone pressure's success has been the ability to attack run schemes by winning numbers at the point of attack. RPO's are in part a reaction to defensive schemes like fire zone pressure that are problematic. Can't run into the defensive look, just throw the attached pass concept.  Tough to block the +1 defender, just read him. 

This offseason we will be working in spring ball on some fire zone adjustments we have had in the playbook but have not featured. Specifically getting the corners involved as the Seam player.

Same pressure concept with a job swap. The corner is replacing the safety as the seam flat player while the safety is taking over the 1/3 responsibility for the corner. We have used the corner in a trap technique in 4 under 2 deep and sim pressure concepts but not in 3 under 3 deep. This adjustment gives the QB a give read while allowing the defense to remain +1 to the pressure side. 

With offenses continuing to advance with RPO concepts, we are going to have to keep adjusting/adding concepts on defense.

Why do you need all those coverage concepts?

If we keep it simple on defense the reads for the offense are simple and they probably have a really good RPO concept that is going to be a problem. Fundamentals, effort, and physical play will always be our foundation but they don't solve every problem. We have to have scheme answers. 

Middle Overload Zone Pressure

Here is a really nice example of a middle overload zone pressure and great FZ coverage technique from the Jets. The defense is a 4-2-5 nickel personnel with OLB bodies at DE.

The Rush:

Both mugged up A  gap linebackers rush their gaps. Both DT's work outside to contain. The Safety walked down shows man coverage on the TE. The Safety loops inside to the midline to rush following and fitting off the two A gap rushers creating a triple inside overload.

The Coverage:

3 Under 3 Deep

The double mugged A gap look forces the OL into 1 on 1 blocks across the board and forces the RB to pick up an A gap rush threat. With both DE's dropping out into coverage the OT's eventually pick up the contain DT's. The OG has a very difficult redirect pass set from the DT to the full speed Safety on the midline. Final result is the LB and Safety creating a 2 on 1 vs. the RB and a pressure in the QB's face.

The coverage is excellent. The Corners are playing a matching tight 1/3 technique on the outside receivers. The Nickel is carrying the #2's vertical release. Matching aggressive coverage outside allows the Safety to be aggressive from the post on the #3 receiver. The top down technique of the post safety forces the route of the TE to flatten allowing the weak side seam dropper to intercept the crossing route. The 3RH dropper passes off the #3 to the opposite seam dropper. With the RB blocking strong the seam player can zone off allowing the strong DE to pass the crosser to his help on the weak side. The strong DE relates to the final 3 (RB) while the weak side DE is able to cover the final #2 in the seam (TE crosser).

Nice execution of the pressure and coverage from the Jets. Good stuff from Gregg Williams.

Handling Four Strong Route Concepts in Fire Zone Coverage

Here is a fire zone pressure clip from Alabama. The Tide are in a Dime personnel with OLB bodies as the DE's.

The Rush:

The Mike covers the center creating a bear spaced front with all 5 OL covered. The Rush backers on the edges are contain. The strong DT is moving inside to the midline. The Dime  takes a path through the DE's heels creating a full speed straight line run to the QB.

The Coverage:

3 under 3 deep fire zone 

The initial path of the Dime fools the RB into taking a wide path. When the Dime goes through the heels of the up field DE, the RB struggles to redirect and make the pick up.

The coverage does a great job handling the 4 verticals from a 4 strong formation.

The formation presents 4 receiving threats to the strong side of the formation. The Mike is the seam dropper relating to the #2 receiver. In this formation the #4 strong is also #2 receiver weak. Weak side the corner is playing an aggressive man style technique with limited coverage help. To the strong side there is a choice to make about the strong corner's technique. The corner could play a divider zone technique deep 1/3. Instead the corner bails to man style technique leaning on the #1 receiver. The Nickle in the seam is playing match-carry-deliver seam technique. With the #2 receiver vertical the Nickel carries the route. With the RB #4/#2 blocking strong the drop down safety has inside help from the weak seam dropping Mike LB. The safety and LB do an excellent job of passing the route. The Mike gets is eyes outside to see the threat and makes a man turn and rolls back with the vertical from the #3 (once the route distributes it is the new/final #2). The drop down safety is able to pass the inside vertical and zone off over the top of the RB who becomes the new/final #3.

This is a good understanding of a four strong formation and how to pass and match the route distribution from Alabama. Good stuff from Pete Golding and Nick Saban.

Adjusting Firezone Coverage

Here is a nickel personnel 5 man firezone pressure from the Arizona Cardinals.

The Rush:

4 from a side concept with a long stick DT (Nose) while ILB and Safety overload the inside gaps with the DE as contain.

The Coverage:

3 under 3 deep firezone with the 3RH dropper locked on #3

This coverage adjustment is not new in the NFL firezone world.

This "Mable" adjustment is from the 1997 Carolina Panthers defense and Dom Capers. The Cardinals are using this type of coverage adjustment. 

By locking the DE on the TE to the flat the Cardinals avoid the DE dropping into space. The DE's assignment of covering the TE to flat is a job the DE can do. Consider the alternative:

The DE would need to push the Nickel from the Seam out to the flat. That would force the DE to drop with depth and width to cover a WR on the out cut. 

By adjusting the 3RH drop the Cardinals gave the DE a winnable assignment in coverage. Having these types of coverage tools is part of making firezone pressure packages successful for all skill sets in coverage. Good stuff from Coach Holcomb.

Ravens Overload Firezone Pressure

Here are two examples of 4 from a side overload firezone pressures the Baltimore Ravens dialed up this season.

Baltimore is in a 2-3-6 Dime personnel grouping. The DE's are OLB bodies diagrammed here as Rush Backers (R).

The Rush:
Nickel - Edge
Rush Backer & DT - Inside moves
Mike - Cross the Center
DT - B gap to Contain weak

The Coverage:
3 under 3 deep firezone coverage

Three elements that help this pressure succeed:

1. The Nickel is uncapped. There is no player aligned directly over the Nickel. This signals to the pass protection the Nickel cannot blitz. No capper = no one to cover the #2 receiver and replace the Nickel in coverage

2. The Rush backers are both potential droppers. The potential the Rush backers could drop helps protect the trips side. The #3 receiver is not uncovered. The Rush is possibly the 3 dropper to the trips side.

3. The Safety bluffing weak signals 4 rushers weak when the pressure is actually 4 from the strong side. The safety alignment also further signals the Nickel is not in the pressure.

The protection is in a tough spot. The structure is 3&3. The OT OG C working strong and the OT OG RB working weak. Any 4 from a side overloads the protection and requires a hot throw. The Center cannot let the Mike cross without traveling back (cannot let the Mike be the 4th rusher weak). That leaves a 3 on 2 vs. the pressure side OG and OT. The uncapped Nickel prevents the strong side hot concept from entering the QB's mind set. The pre-snap presentation says the weak side might have 4 rushers. When the weak side Safety runs out to the post the the 4 weak hot threat is gone (QB thinks there will be time & protection) only to have a strong hot throw situation post-snap. Everything happens so quickly before the snap it is difficult for the offense to make any protection adjustments.

The Ravens used a similar concept later in the season.

The Rush:
Nickel - Edge
Mike & DT - Up the field
Rush Backer - Loop opposite A
DT - B gap to Contain weak

The Coverage:
3 under 3 deep firezone coverage again with the weak side safety presenting pressure weak and rolling the coverage late.

The effect is another 4 strong rush. The look on film is the Chiefs may have adjusted the protection pre-snap to account for the pressure threat weak. The result is again a 3&3 protection. A possible protection check makes sense to put the OT OG C working weak to block the pressure threat. The protection sends the RB strong with the OG and OT. The issue is the protection ends up with 3 blockers on the weak DT (3 on 1 is a defensive win). The RB is forced to pick up the Mike in the A gap. The penetration of the Mike makes the OG's job to block the looping Rush almost impossible. 

Quality pressure designs from the Raven defense to overload the protection.

Firezone Coverage vs. Action Passes

This post is continuing the coaching points for 3 under 3 deep Firezone coverage. These coaching points come from the 2003 Kentucky playbook of defensive coordinator Mike Archer. 

Firezone vs. Boot

• Corner to the action - Cover all of #1 out or vertical
• Seam player to action - First to the flat
• 3RH - Find and cover the crosser
• Seam player away from the action - Throwback. Alert or the running back or crossers coming back 
• Corner away from the action - Cover all of #1 vertical
• Post Safety - Alert for the deepest crossing route

Zombie 

Call alerting Safety and Backside Corner #1 strong is in a crack alignment. 

Vs. flow pass, FS will rob dig if TE crosses and backside corner will drive to the post

Flow Pass = Play Action pass with both backs to the TE and the TE running a crossing route

Against a play action flow pass with a crack alignment of of #1 the defense will make a Zombie call pre-snap.

When the #1 receiver strong goes in crack motion the Corners and Post Safety must communicate with a "Zombie" call.

The Zombie call allows the the Post Safety to rob the dig. If the 3RH player is fooled by the play action fake the defense is still able to cover the levels route from the offense. The Zombie call tells the backside corner to overlap to the middle of the field and double cover the post with the other corner when #1 on his side runs a dig.

The defense would make the same Zombie call vs. a #1 aligned in a reduced split crack alignment.

Here the offense aligns with #1 in a reduced split. The defense makes a Zombie call to alert the Corners and Safety of the reduction of splits. The post safety robs the dig when the TE runs the crossing route. The Corner overlaps when his #1 runs the dig and double covers the post.

Zombie can be a good solution in a 3 deep coverage concept to handle play action and cover the levels route combination. 

Firezone Coverage Seam Technique Coaching Points

Long time Pittsburgh Steeler Defensive Coordinator Dick Lebeau (currently with the Tennessee Titans) is known for his firezone pressure package. Coach Lebeau’s 3 under 3 deep firezone coverage concept has been the topic of multiple posts on Blitzology in the past. This post is a continuation of those same concepts. The following information is from the 2003 Kentucky Defensive Playbook. The defensive coordinator was Mike Archer. Before his time at Kentucky, Coach Archer served as the linebacker coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1996-2002. With Coach Archer coming from the Lebeau coaching tree much of the firezone terminology and techniques are similar.

This post focuses on the Seam Drop. Coaching points for this drop from Coach Lebeau were covered previously on Blitzology (Here).

The Seam technique from Coach Archer follows many of the same coaching points.

The basic structure of the 3 under 3 deep coverage is:

3 Under

Seam

3 Receiver Hook

Seam

3 Deep

FZ 1/3 Corner

Lean Post Safety

FZ 1/3 Corner

The diagram shows in the simplest form the responsibilities of the Seam player. If the #2 receiver runs:

Outside = Match

Vertical = Carry

Inside = Deliver

Coach Archer defines the Seam drop in the playbook. 

Seam Drop – Played in 3 underneath 3 Deep zones. Align inside or outside of the #2 receiver. Match-Carry-Deliver the deepest and outside of #2 or #3. Vs. a removed #2 with over split between he and #3 align inside and drop inside the #2 receiver and work to his outside shoulder – maintain vision and break. 

The seam player aligns 1-2 yards inside of #2 and 6 yards deep vs. a wide split between #2 and #3.

Coach Archer goes on to define Match-Carry-Deliver

• Match #2 / #3 outside leverage on any flat release. 
• Carry #2 / #3 outside in vs. any vertical route. 
• Deliver #2 / #3 outside in on any inside release until forced to come off with either a call or another eligible crosses your face from the inside out

Here are some example diagrams.

Carry - Cover the deepest / outside of #2 /#3

The Seam player is working from inside to the outside shoulder of the vertical release of #2. The Seam player will only collision the #2 outside in and never inside out. All of the Seam player's help is inside from the 3RH and the Lean Post Safety.

Leverage with width and vision

The Seam player drops with width and then squeezing inside.

Match = Leverage first to the flat of #2 / #3

The Seam player is playing with depth over the first to the flat (#3). This should keep the Seam player in the window of any route by #1.

Against two releases in the same direction play deep to shallow.

By keeping depth over the first to the flat the Seam player is still in body position to play deep to shallow on the #2 and #3.

 Deliver #2 inside until another color crosses your face outside.

Match & Carry
Match the first to the flat of #2 / #3
Carry any flat and up

Vs. Flood = Lock #2

Flood = 3 Receivers releasing into routes to the weak side of the formation

Lock – Puts a defensive player “locked” on a receiver regardless of receiver’s release 

If the #3 receiver is releasing away from the Seam player the Seam player locks on the  #2 receiver and covers him man to man.

Against any D area motion the Seam player locks the #2