Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Dbl Safety Blitz out of the 3-4 Under 4t is a five man pressure package built around both safeties crashing off the edges. The diagram shows both X defenders (the safeties) coming off the corners with arrows pointing straight downhill toward the quarterback, while the interior four defenders (the square icons) drop straight down into short zone landmarks and the two remaining outside defenders hold their width. The two circle icons stay put underneath as extra hook or curl defenders, meaning this is a zone blitz with only five true rushers and shallow zone coverage behind it, not a man beater. The primary read progression for the defense is simple: both safeties race off the corners as the first wave of pressure while the underneath defenders anchor the short middle and hold curl/flat responsibilities, forcing the quarterback to get the ball out before the second wave of pressure closes off his escape lanes.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety alignment on the offense: if both safeties are showing deep and the box is light, this call disguises well and creates a favorable numbers rush against man protection schemes. Watch for running backs staying in to chip block, since a back who releases late into a route can slow down the edge safety rush and buy the quarterback an extra half second. Post-snap, key the offensive tackles: if they widen quickly to handle the safety rush, that confirms the edge pressure is unblocked and the quarterback will likely hitch up into the pocket where the shallow zone defenders can close. This call gets beat by quick game concepts like hitches, stick routes, and slot fades that get the ball out before the double safety pressure arrives, so respect fast-tempo no huddle offenses. Against play-action rollouts, this blitz can get gashed if the offense pulls a safety away from the play side flow, so read the running back's aiming point to confirm run fake versus true dropback before committing the user rush.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or third and medium when you expect the offense to hold protection with only five or six blockers, since the double safety crash overloads both edges instantly.
Pre-snap, identify if the offense has trips or a bunch to one side, then user control the safety to the open side to guarantee a clean rush lane instead of letting the CPU logic get picked off by a chip block.
Hot route the underneath square defenders into deeper drop zones if you diagnose a vertical shot play, since their base assignment sits shallow and can get exposed by deep crossers or seam routes.
Pair this call with Cover 3 Hard Flat or Cover 1 FS Fire earlier in the series so the offense sees safety depth consistent with a standard shell, then dial up Dbl Safety Blitz to punish an offense that is sitting back expecting coverage.
Avoid calling this against empty formations or against quarterbacks with a quick trigger, since the shallow zone drops leave hitches and quick outs open if the rush does not get home fast.
