Playbooks
Invert 2 Sim is a zone pressure package out of the 3-3-5 Over Wide set that disguises a two deep shell while sending a five man rush with an inverted blitzer off the edge. The underneath zone defenders invert their normal drops, dropping a linebacker into a deep half while a DB or slot defender fills a shallow zone, which confuses quarterbacks reading standard Cover 2 keys. Primary read as the defense is to identify the underneath robber or curl to flat defender first since that zone determines whether hot routes into the flat or seams behind the invert are available, then confirm the sim pressure is picking up the protection before deciding to blitz with a spy or drop a extra man.
Pre snap, check safety depth and cornerback alignment, if the corners are showing hard outside leverage with two high safeties, the invert disguise is set up to sell Cover 2 before rotating into a different shell post snap. Post snap, key the linebacker who inverts into the deep half, if the quarterback stares him down early it usually means the offense read the disguise correctly and you should be ready to close on a deep shot. Watch for user controlled lurk defenders sitting in the shallow crossing lanes, this play is designed to shut down man beater crossers and drag routes that rely on picking off shallow zone defenders. This call gets exposed against quick game concepts like slants and hitches thrown before the sim pressure develops, so if the offense is in empty or spread formations with a fast tempo, consider swapping to Cover 1 Hole or Cover 6 instead. Identify if the offensive line is sliding protection toward the invert side, if they are, the free rusher should come from the opposite edge, so make sure your rush lanes and contain assignments match the protection slide in real time.
Call this on early downs or third and medium when offenses expect a standard zone or man look, since the invert disguise punishes quarterbacks who key linebacker depth pre snap.
Use the pre snap defender alignment to bait the offense into throwing behind the invert, then trust your zone drops instead of jumping routes early, the disguise only works if you hold your gap or drop until the ball is thrown.
Pair this call with Cover 3 Sim Pressure or Sam Blitz 3 in the same set to keep the offensive line and quarterback guessing about where the extra rusher comes from each snap.
If the offense is running heavy play action or RPO looks, user the inverting linebacker yourself to control the window over the middle and take away the primary crosser or dig route.
Avoid overusing this against mobile quarterbacks who scramble immediately at snap, since the sim pressure rush lanes can be exploited if the quarterback escapes contain before the invert fully sets.