Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 2 playbooks
Breakdown
1 Sting Tex is a Cover 1 man blitz out of the 3-4 Over Ed front that combines press man coverage on the outside with a line stunt (Tex) up front. The diagram shows the four down linemen crossing assignments with the tackle and end looping inside and outside off the snap to confuse the tackles and free up an interior rusher, while the deep safety sits in the middle of the field as the lone high defender in man coverage. This is a man beater blitz package designed to disguise the interior rush and force a fast throw, with the primary read for the offense (when facing it) being to identify the stunting linemen and get the ball out to the first uncovered receiver before the free rusher arrives.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check the offensive personnel and line splits, tight splits often mean the offense is anticipating a stunt and will slide protection toward it. Watch the running back alignment, if he is set to the play side of the stunt he can pick up the free rusher and neutralize the Tex. Post-snap, track the offensive tackle and guard on the stunt side, if they pass off blocks cleanly the interior rusher will not get home and you need to trust your man coverage longer. This play is vulnerable to quick game concepts like slants and stick routes since the Tex stunt takes a beat to develop, so if the quarterback shows a quick release pre-snap consider checking to a different blitz. It beats teams that rely on man beater route combos like drag and out combinations because the single deep safety can help on any receiver who breaks toward the middle of the field, but it can be exposed by a check and release from a running back who chips first and leaks out late.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or third and short when you expect a run or quick game concept from the offense, since the Tex stunt is built to blow up blocking schemes at the point of attack.
Disguise this look by mixing it in after showing Cover 1 Robber Press or Cover 1 Hole, since all three start from the same shell and keep the quarterback guessing on where the extra rusher comes from.
Use your user-controlled defender on the most athletic offensive weapon, typically the slot receiver or running back, since the rest of the defense is locked in man with only one deep safety helping over the top.
Bring pressure from the interior stunt but stay alert to influence blocking, if the offensive line down blocks hard against the Tex you may need to manually spy the running back to prevent a cutback lane.
Pair this play in a sequence with Olb Fire Man or Hot Blitz 3 to keep the same Cover 1 shell but vary where the pressure originates, forcing the quarterback to hold the ball a fraction longer each snap.
