Playbooks

Franchise Playsheet

Not So EZ RZ

PlaysheetDefense

3Formations

3Sets

33Plays

Overview

Not So EZ RZ is a 33 play situational playsheet built on a tight three formation core: Nickel, Quarter, and 4-3, each with exactly one set. That structure makes it a pass defense book first. Nickel 4-2-5 and Big Quarter 3-1-7 combine for 24 of the 33 plays (72% of the sheet), which means nearly three quarters of what you can call comes out of sub personnel with five or seven defensive backs on the field. The 4-3 with Base 4-3 personnel is the only true run front here at 9 plays (27%), and it exists to give you a first and second down answer rather than to carry the defense.

Concept coverage tells you the same story. You get the full man ladder (Cover 1, Cover 1 Hole, Cover 1 Robber, Press Man, straight Man Coverage) sitting next to a complete zone ladder (Cover 2, Tampa 2, Cover 3, Cover 4 Quarters, general Zone Coverage), plus Line Stunt pressure to manufacture heat without leaving the shell. Cover 1 Sting WK out of the 4-3 is the early down man pressure, 1 Dt LB Loop is the Nickel stunt that sends a looping linebacker behind interior movement, and 3 Double Buzz out of Quarter is the two buzz defender Cover 3 you live in on third and long. Because every formation has a single set, your pre snap picture is consistent and your audible package is simple to memorize.

Choosing Not So EZ RZ over a wider book means trading formation variety for coverage depth in the exact personnel groups that matter on third down and in the two minute drill. It is larger than 52% of the game's defensive franchise playsheets, so you are not short on plays, you are short on fronts. If you want a sheet that lets you disguise Cover 1 Robber and 3 Double Buzz from the same Quarter alignment and user a safety over the top, this is a clean fit. If you want multiple nickel and dime sets to attack bunch and empty looks differently, you will feel the single set per formation limitation.

Scheme Fit

Not So EZ RZ wants a defensive back heavy roster: three or more corners with high press, man coverage, and acceleration ratings, plus at least two safeties with strong zone coverage and play recognition to handle the buzz and robber assignments out of Big Quarter 3-1-7. Because Nickel 4-2-5 and Quarter carry only one or two linebackers, you need one sideline to sideline linebacker with elite pursuit and tackle ratings, and you need interior defensive linemen with high block shedding and finesse moves so Line Stunt calls like 1 Dt LB Loop produce pressure without extra rushers. Pick this book if you are a coverage first user who likes controlling a safety, disguising Cover 1 Robber and Cover 3 from identical alignments, and forcing offenses to beat you with the run rather than through the air.

Playsheet bonuses

IUnlocks the playsheet
II+3Man Coverage, Pressall CB
III+5Zone Coverage, Play RecLB
IV+7Tacklingdefenders

Every play in this playsheet (33 plays)

4-3 Over9 plays

Nickel 3-3 Load Dbl Mug12 plays

Quarter Normal12 plays

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Strengths

Sub personnel dominance: 24 of 33 plays live in Nickel 4-2-5 and Big Quarter 3-1-7, so you can answer three, four, and five wide sets without ever leaving your comfort formations or burning timeouts on personnel mismatches.
Big Quarter 3-1-7 is a rare shell in most franchise books, and 12 plays out of it lets you carry Tampa 2, Cover 4 Quarters, and 3 Double Buzz from one alignment, disguising the deep rotation until the snap.
Full man and zone ladders from the same two sub formations: Cover 1, Cover 1 Hole, Cover 1 Robber, and Press Man sit next to Cover 2, Cover 3, and Quarters, so identical pre snap looks can produce opposite coverages with only coverage audibles and no formation flip.
One set per formation means a three play audible package covers your entire sheet, letting you flip between 4-3, Nickel, and Quarter concepts instantly and spend your pre snap clock on line shifts, press toggles, and user defender positioning instead of menu navigation.
Line Stunt plays like 1 Dt LB Loop generate interior pressure out of Nickel without adding a rusher, so you can keep five or six in coverage and still collapse a pocket against quick passing offenses.

Weaknesses

Only 9 plays (27%) come from the 4-3 with Base 4-3 personnel, so heavy run games, goal line pounding, and short yardage power leave you undermanned with light boxes for most of the sheet.
Zero heavy fronts and no dime or additional nickel sets mean an opponent who identifies your single set per formation can motion into unbalanced or bunch looks and get the same predictable alignment every snap.
Big Quarter 3-1-7 puts one linebacker on the field, so any Quarter call is exposed to draws, inside zone, and quarterback runs if you commit your user to a deep zone instead of the box.
Heavy Cover 1 representation (Cover 1, Cover 1 Hole, Cover 1 Robber, Press Man) makes you readable to opponents who spam mesh, drag, and pick concepts, and you have no extra man formations to hide the rotation behind.
Three formations total is a narrow menu for a 33 play sheet, meaning the plays repeat concepts more than they add new pictures, and experienced users will diagnose your shell off the front alignment alone.

Usage Tips

Build your audible package around Nickel 4-2-5 as the base call, Big Quarter 3-1-7 for third and 8 or longer, and the 4-3 for first and second down between the 20s where run fits still matter.

On third and long, live in Quarter and alternate 3 Double Buzz with Tampa 2 and Cover 4 Quarters from the same alignment, usering the middle hook so the extra defensive backs handle the outside.

Use the 4-3's 9 plays early: run Cover 1 Sting WK on first and second down to get man pressure while you still have Base 4-3 personnel to fit the run, then go sub for the rest of the series.

Mix 1 Dt LB Loop into Nickel on second and 6 to 10 to get interior pressure without adding a rusher, and shade your press toggles before the snap so the same front can show Press Man or drop into Cover 2.

Because Big Quarter only carries one linebacker, always user the box defender or a hook zone against mobile quarterbacks and check into a 4-3 call if the offense shows heavy personnel late in the down and distance sequence.