Playbooks
In 12 playbooks
Breakdown
Saw Blitz 0 out of the Tite 3-4 Base 5-2 personnel is a five-man pressure package built around Cover 0 man coverage with zero deep safety help. The diagram shows all five underneath defenders driving downhill on blitz paths at the snap while the two deep defenders (shown as dots) hang back to match up in man coverage on the outside receivers, with the four X's representing the widest coverage defenders pressed at the line. This is a true zero blitz designed to overload the box and force a quick throw, with the primary read being to identify the shooting alley pre-snap, pick the User defender or free rusher least accounted for by the offensive line, and attack that gap before the quarterback can get through his progression.
Defensive Reads
Watch the offensive line splits and running back alignment pre-snap to guess where they plan to slide protection against the extra rusher. If the offense comes out in an empty backfield or spread bunch look, expect quick game and man beaters designed to exploit the lack of deep help, so be ready to jump underneath routes with your user defender. Post-snap, key the quarterback's eyes immediately since Cover 0 means someone is uncovered or a blitzer is unblocked, and a hard, decisive read wins the down. This blitz dominates against slow-developing play action and deep drop back passing since there is no time for protection to hold up against five rushers. It gets exposed by hot route sight adjustments, quick bubble screens, and any route combo designed to beat man coverage with picks or rubs, so watch for receivers stacking or crossing at the snap. If the offense shows RPO run action, stay disciplined with run fits first since a free hitter in the box can still be gashed by a quick handoff before the blitz gets home.
Usage Tips
Call this on third and short or in the red zone when you expect the offense to sit in shotgun and hold the ball rather than get the ball out quickly.
Pre-snap, count blockers versus rushers and identify which gap is unaccounted for so you know where your free defender is coming from.
Since this is Cover 0 with no deep help, only dial this up when you are confident your corners can win their man matchups on an island, especially against slower outside receivers.
Use the right stick to manually spy or redirect a linebacker if you see the offense checking to a quick screen or hot route beater, since the zero look is vulnerable to bubble screens and quick outs.
Pair this with Saw Blitz 1 or Saw Blitz 3 in the same set to disguise the exact blitz path pre-snap, keeping the offense guessing on which gap gets the extra rusher.
Avoid calling this on third and long unless you have a spy plan, since if the quarterback escapes the pocket there is no safety net behind the man coverage.
