Playbook: Seattle Seahawks
Formation: Nickel 3-3-5 Sam
Play: Cover 1 LB Blitz (Intro and Left Side Heat)
Setup:
- Pinch your linebackers
- Blitz your MLB who is in man coverage
- Once the ball is snapped let the MLB take a step in and then pull him off into coverage
- (Optional) Adjust the coverage behind it as you see fit
Overview: This play sends only 5 guys on a blitz (because you are fake blitzing with your MLB) and it brings very fast pressure off the left edge unless your opponent blocks an extra guy. Make sure to watch all of the videos from Nickel 3-3-5 Sam as we will continue to build off of this blitz
Playbook: Seattle Seahawks
Formation: Nickel 3-3-5 Sam
Play: Cover 1 LB Blitz (Right Side Heat)
Setup:
- Pinch your linebackers
- Pinch your defensive line
- Blitz your MLB who is in man coverage
- Once the ball is snapped let the MLB take a step in and then pull him off into coverage
- (Optional) Adjust the coverage behind it as you see fit
Overview: This time we are bringing pressure off the right edge instead. All we had to do is 1 extra step (pinching your defensive line). We’ll get to why you might prefer pressure off the right edge instead a little later on.
Playbook: Seattle Seahawks
Formation: Nickel 3-3-5 Sam
Play: Cover 1 LB Blitz (Dual Edge Pressure)
Setup:
- Pinch your linebackers
- Blitz all LBs
- Take your safety that is in a deep blue zone, put him in a QB Spy, and move him close to the line of scrimmage between your 2 linebackers (see video for exact positioning)
- (Optional) Adjust the coverage how you’d like
- While usering the safety, hold down LT/L2 right when the ball is snapped for a split second then patrol the middle of the field
Overview: This play brings unblocked pressure even when your opponent blocks an extra guy. If it is a 6 on 6 matchup, you will get a free rusher 90% of the time. Your job is to take away your opponent’s first read on this play with your user.
Playbook: Seattle Seahawks
Formation: Nickel 3-3-5 Sam
Play: Audibling Down From Nickel Normal (Cover 1 LB Blitz)
Setup:
- Set your audibles in Nickel 3-3-5 Sam as seen in the video
- Make the proper substitutions in Nickel 3-3-5 Normal (put your fastest safety at the LB spot on the left)
- Immediately audible down from Nickel 3-3-5 to Nickel 3-3-5 Sam as soon as you can
Overview: This technique results in effectively getting your fastest safety lined up at defensive end which makes the pressure even faster from this concept.
Playbook: Seattle Seahawks
Formation: Nickel 3-3-5 Sam
Play: Cover 3 Sky (Blitz)
Setup:
- Pinch and blitz all linebackers
- Once the ball is snapped let the MLB take a step in and then pull him off into coverage
- (Optional) Adjust the coverage behind it as you see fit
Overview: This is just the Cover 3 zone defense version of the man to man blitz we covered earlier.
Playbook: Seattle Seahawks
Formation: Nickel 3-3-5 Sam
Play: Cover 2 Sink (Blitz)
Setup:
- Pinch and blitz all linebackers
- Once the ball is snapped let the MLB take a step in and then pull him off into coverage
- (Optional) Pinch your defensive line
- (Optional) Adjust the coverage behind it as you see fit
Overview: This time we are faking a blitz from our slot cornerback. Cover 2 Sink defends passes much better than Tampa 2 and Cover 2 Hard Flat.
Playbook: Seattle Seahawks
Formation: Nickel 3-3-5 Sam
Play: Cover 3 Sky (Coverage Defense)
Setup:
- Base Align
- Pinch your linebackers
- Put your strong safety that is originally in a curl flat zone into a deep half
- Put your blitzing OLB on the right side into a curl flat or hard flat zone
- Blitz the MLB you are usering but play pass coverage with him
Overview: We blitz the extra MLB so that the CPU registers us as having 4 guys blitzing. If you only have a 3 man rush against certain run plays, it will often result in automatic pancakes. It’s good to mix in some coverages from this formation to keep your opponent guessing.
you can run pretty much so this (make sure you’ve got all your safeties on the field)
the entire game. Pay attention to the vids, and you’ll be making people quit in no time.
No cap this might be the best defensive book you guys have put out in a min… Excellent work!
Thank you for the great review! It means a lot especially in a game where defense is so hard to come by!
Can you comment on what holding LT/L2 does when the ball is snapped? I’m not sure what I’m trying to achieve with that. Thanks for the book, I need all the help that I can get on defense.
Of course! Holding LT/L2 just keeps your player stationary so he doesn’t move. By doing that for a second close enough to the line of scrimmage, you occupy an offensive lineman’s attention for just enough time for a guy who is actually blitzing to come in free.
can you comment on how to have your defensive ends disengage when qb rolls out?
Is there anyway to not get burnt by streaks on the Cover 1 LB Blitz setups?
It helps to identify the fastest receiver on the field and not press cover with the cornerback on him.
Do you still get beat if you man up by speed? Get beat when shading overtop? Just curious for my own knowledge.
Both of those things definitely can help a defender not get beat but it all depends on the speed differential, how much THP your qb has, etc
I’m getting dotted by running back routes or slants from opposite side. I can’t stop both when you have to hover for a second. I got killed all night. Idk. Maybe I’m missing something. I’ll go back through everything again.
It’s not a perfet defense and if someone is doing something like that to you, you may want to go into a coverage defense or make some other adjustments.
Hate to ask again but is it a better way to contain or can you comment on how to have the d-ends disengage when a rollout occurs?
Qb contain is as good as it gets bud. If the qb breaks contain, you can always click down on your right joystick and that will invert the nearest defender, aka it will disengage his previous assignment and rush the qb. This can easily get you burned tho by leaving a receiver wide open.
Is it a way to have the left side come in boss ? Because the way where u pinch the lbs don’t come in for the left side heat the other ones do though
I see u said base in the video so maybe that’s the reason ?
what i’ve noticed is you really need to put time in too to understand why this works to make it work.
How are you stopping inside zone while setting up the blitz ?
Hey man, any news on if you’re gonna drop another defensive ebook?