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. 

Complementing 5 Up Pressure Concepts

The 2018 Seahawks are in an even front spaced Dime personnel on 3rd & 3 vs. 11 personnel with the TE flexed to presents a 10 personnel structure. 

The Rush: 
The Mike is engaging the Center before working the strong side rush. The Safety is pressuring the A gap with the 3 tech working a B gap pop to contain.

The Coverage: 
Cover 1 with edge covering the RB

The pass protection is a 5 man scat with the RB free releasing. The initial presentation from Seattle forces a 5-0 putting the covered OL into 5 1on1 matchups. The look shows 5 rush threats with the box Safety on the RB in man coverage. The weak OT/OG are forced to fan/fan on the rush threats. The OT has no way of knowing initially the edge rusher is actually manned on the RB and will leave the pass rush when the RB releases. The DT does a good job of attacking the B gap to occupy the OG before working to contain. By the time the OG passes the DT to the OT it is too late to reset to the A gap pressure. The Mike does an excellent job of engaging the Center to create space in the opposite A gap while still working a pass rush move. The Safety isn't one of the 5 most dangerous threats initially creating a pass rush opportunity. The Safety does a nice job staying tight in the A gap to prevent the OG from being able to redirect and set the new A gap threat. The tight man coverage prevents routes from developing while the pressure forces a fast throw and contact on the QB. Consistent Pressure > Sacks. Play forced a 3rd & 3 to a 4th & 1.

Good pressure plan from Ken Norton.

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.