Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Weak Blitz 3 is a five man pressure package out of the 3-4 Under 4t set that drops into a Cover 3 shell behind the rush. Both outside linebackers on the perimeter run vertical carry responsibilities into deep thirds, the deep middle defender sinks into a deep third as well, and the underneath defenders read out into shallow zone drops on both the strong and weak side. The four square icons plus the extra rusher off the edge show five man pressure with three deep defenders and three underneath zone defenders left to account for the flat and curl areas, making this a zone blitz built to disguise pressure while still playing sound coverage behind it.
Defensive Reads
Watch for the quarterback attacking the deep middle third late since the single high safety has to cover a lot of ground against vertical shots. Man beater concepts like double moves against the flat defender can hit if that zone defender jumps underneath routes too aggressively. Check pre-snap safety depth: if the safety is shallow, expect the deep middle third to be vulnerable to seam routes from tight ends or slot receivers. Post-snap, key the shallow zone defenders' drop angles since a slow read can open passing lanes behind the blitzers before pressure arrives. This look shuts down quick game and shallow crosses when the underneath zone defenders sink fast enough to squeeze throwing windows before the rush gets home.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or second and medium when you want to disguise a five man pressure look without fully exposing man coverage on the back end.
Pre-snap, check if the offense has trips or bunch to the side without extra underneath help since the shallow zone defenders can get outnumbered in space.
Use the flat defender's initial zone drop to bait quick game throws, then close hard once you read the quarterback's eyes.
Pair this with Cover 3 Sky or Cover 3 Hard Flat from the same set so your pre-snap look stays consistent even when you bring extra pressure.
Avoid calling this against heavy play-action shots since the deep thirds can be stressed if the underneath defenders bite on run fakes.
