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Nickel 3-3-5 Sam

Playbook: Seattle Seahawks

Formation: Nickel 3-3-5 Sam

Play: Cover 1 LB Blitz (Intro and Left Side Heat)

Setup:

  1. Pinch your linebackers
  2. Blitz your MLB who is in man coverage
  3. Once the ball is snapped let the MLB take a step in and then pull him off into coverage
  4. (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:

  1. Pinch your linebackers
  2. Pinch your defensive line
  3. Blitz your MLB who is in man coverage
  4. Once the ball is snapped let the MLB take a step in and then pull him off into coverage
  5. (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:

  1. Pinch your linebackers
  2. Blitz all LBs
  3. 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)
  4. (Optional) Adjust the coverage how you’d like
  5. 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:

  1. Set your audibles in Nickel 3-3-5 Sam as seen in the video
  2. Make the proper substitutions in Nickel 3-3-5 Normal (put your fastest safety at the LB spot on the left)
  3. 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:

  1. Pinch and blitz all linebackers
  2. Once the ball is snapped let the MLB take a step in and then pull him off into coverage
  3. (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:

  1. Pinch and blitz all linebackers
  2. Once the ball is snapped let the MLB take a step in and then pull him off into coverage
  3. (Optional) Pinch your defensive line
  4. (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:

  1. Base Align
  2. Pinch your linebackers
  3. Put your strong safety that is originally in a curl flat zone into a deep half
  4. Put your blitzing OLB on the right side into a curl flat or hard flat zone
  5. 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.

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eastside732
eastside732
2 years ago

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!

nwerner
nwerner
2 years ago

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.

Duval88
Duval88
2 years ago

can you comment on how to have your defensive ends disengage when qb rolls out?

ShakeZ
ShakeZ
2 years ago

Is there anyway to not get burnt by streaks on the Cover 1 LB Blitz setups?

Mark
Mark
2 years ago
Reply to  ShakeZ

Do you still get beat if you man up by speed? Get beat when shading overtop? Just curious for my own knowledge.

Mark
Mark
2 years ago

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.

Duval88
Duval88
2 years ago

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?

supik444
supik444
2 years ago
Reply to  Duval88

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.

FuegoFaneto
FuegoFaneto
2 years ago

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

FuegoFaneto
FuegoFaneto
2 years ago
Reply to  FuegoFaneto

I see u said base in the video so maybe that’s the reason ?

waseem14
waseem14
2 years ago

what i’ve noticed is you really need to put time in too to understand why this works to make it work.

Last edited 2 years ago by waseem14
Bigal79
Bigal79
2 years ago

How are you stopping inside zone while setting up the blitz ?

Gman0408
Gman0408
2 years ago

Hey man, any news on if you’re gonna drop another defensive ebook?