Creating the Illusion of Pressure

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 Lebeaus 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 dont make their bluff look like the real thing and often
they dont. 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 (59 corner vs. 63 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 offenses 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.