Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Will Sam 1 is a Cover 1 man blitz look out of the 3-4 Bear Base 5-2 personnel. The diagram shows a deep single high safety sitting in the middle of the field with a lone deep zone responsibility, while the five defenders across the front send hard downhill blitz arrows, indicating a five man rush with man coverage assigned underneath. The X defenders out wide and at the second level are locked in man coverage on the outside receivers and the slot, making this a pressure package man beater designed to disrupt timing on quick game before the quarterback can find a hot route.
Defensive Reads
Watch for the quarterback checking to a screen or quick RPO game, since this play sends five and leaves the box light against outlet throws. If the offense shows two backs or a tight bunch set, expect natural rub routes that can beat the man coverage underneath, so be ready to jump routes with your user defender. Post-snap, track the single high safety, if he bites on a play-action run fake, deep shots down the seam or over the top will be wide open. This play dominates against slow developing drop back passes and five and seven step concepts because the rush gets home before routes mature. It struggles against hot routes and sight adjustments on blitz beaters, so if the quarterback audibles to a quick out or slant pre-snap, expect the ball out fast before pressure arrives.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs against offenses that lean on quick game or west coast timing routes since the five man rush arrives before three step drops can develop.
Check the backfield and slot pre-snap, if you see bunch or stack formations this man coverage can get picked, so be ready to bail into Cover 1 Hole from this same set instead.
Use your user controlled defender on the most dangerous underneath route runner, usually the slot receiver, since the deep safety is alone and cannot help against crossers.
Disguise this call by mixing it with Sam Mike 1 and LB Blitz 0 so quarterbacks cannot key blitz direction based on your pre-snap alignment.
Best used on third and short or in the red zone where the quick five man pressure forces a hurried throw before receivers can separate against man coverage.
