Playbooks
At a Glance
Overview
Penny 3 High is the defensive shell set inside the 3-3-5, and it is built entirely around disguise. Where the base 3-3-5 sets stack three linebackers tight over the box, Penny 3 High drops the extra defensive back deep and aligns three safeties high pre-snap, giving every play in the set the same starting picture. The personnel group is Nickel 5-1-5 with one true linebacker, three down linemen anchored by the NT, and five defensive backs including the SLCB tag. That means you get slot corner speed matched on the third receiver instead of a lumbering backer, which is the entire reason this set exists in competitive play.
The set differs from Penny Under or the standard 3-3-5 fronts because the front is lighter and the coverage menu is deeper. You are not stopping inside power runs with this alignment, you are baiting throws. The three high shell makes Tampa 2, Cover 4 Drop, Cover 6 Invert, and Cover 3 Sky all read identically before the snap, and 3 Double Buzz plus 3 Double Cloud give you two different ways to bracket the outside without changing your safety depth. That pre-snap consistency is what makes users hesitate on deep shots and hold the ball an extra beat.
On the pressure side, Edge Blitz 2, Edge Blitz 3, Mike Bltiz 0, Mike Sim 2, and Hot Bltiz 3 all launch out of the same three high look, so you can send five from a shell that reads like a two deep zone. The single linebacker in Nickel 5-1-5 means your blitz timing has to be clean, but when it works you are getting free edge pressure while three safeties sit deep and take away every vertical. Coverr 2 Roll rounds out the package as your late rotation option when you want to show three high and finish in a two deep shell after the snap.
Strengths
- Three high safety alignment makes Tampa 2, Cover 4 Drop, Cover 6 Invert, and Cover 3 Sky visually identical pre-snap, so opponents cannot read your coverage rotation before the ball moves.
- SLCB tag puts slot corner speed on the third receiver instead of a linebacker, killing seam routes, slot fades, and option routes that normally beat Nickel personnel.
- Edge Blitz 2 and Edge Blitz 3 generate outside pressure from a light front while keeping deep help, giving you sack potential without exposing the post.
- 3 Double Buzz and 3 Double Cloud bracket both boundaries with buzzing safeties, turning corner routes and back shoulder fades into contested throws you can user pick.
- Mike Bltiz 0 and Hot Bltiz 3 out of the same shell force offensive users to guess between all out pressure and three deep coverage on third down.
Weaknesses
- Three down linemen and one linebacker means inside runs, split zone, and QB power hit for chunk yards if you do not commit a user defender to the box.
- The single Mike is the entire run fit, so any offensive audible into heavy personnel or a motion into a stack forces you to check out of the set.
- Blitz plays send pressure with almost no interior depth behind them, so scrambling quarterbacks and play-action rollouts escape the pocket easily.
- Three high safeties leave the intermediate middle soft on Cover 4 Drop and Cover 6 Invert, and drive routes, deep crossers, and sit routes work the vacated window.
- Screens, flat routes, and RB angle routes eat this set alive because your linebacker is either blitzing or covering the hook, not the sideline.
Usage Tips
Use Penny 3 High on second and long or third and seven plus when the offense shows three or more receivers, and rotate between 3 Double Buzz, Tampa 2, and Cover 3 Sky from the identical pre-snap look.
User the middle safety on all three high plays and drive on the intermediate crosser, since the play art already covers the deep thirds and the underneath hook.
Pair Edge Blitz 2 with a pre-snap pinch on the front to keep the NT from getting doubled, then user the free defender over the middle to clean up the hot read.
Audible out of this set the moment your opponent motions into heavy personnel or lines up under center, because Nickel 5-1-5 cannot hold up against inside power runs.
Show Mike Bltiz 0 on obvious passing downs, then back out into Coverr 2 Roll on the next snap to punish the check down and the quick out your opponent just learned to trust.
