Playbooks
Blitz DT Pop is a defensive interior pressure package out of the 3 High shell in the 4-2-5 Big Nickel personnel. The defensive tackle stunts or loops to create a pop through the interior gap while the linebackers and secondary hold a three safety shell behind it, disguising whether the pressure or the coverage is the primary threat. The play is designed to beat man and quick game concepts by collapsing the pocket up the middle before the quarterback can climb the ladder, with the primary read for the user being the interior gap the DT pops into so you can spy or contain accordingly.
Presnap, identify whether the offense is sliding protection toward the interior, since that tells you if the DT pop will be picked up immediately Watch the running back alignment, if he is set to check release or scan for the pop, expect him to chip the interior gap and slow your pressure Post-snap, key the quarterback's initial drop depth, a quick three step drop means he expects the interior to be clean and you need the pop to win fast This beats quick game man beaters and shallow crossers since the pop disrupts timing before receivers separate, but it struggles against five step drops with hot routes to the flat Watch for user lurk defenders sitting on shallow crossers behind the pop, if the offense audibles to a screen the interior pressure can be exploited so keep an eye on blocking linemen releasing late
Use this on early downs or second and medium when offenses are still establishing tempo, since the 3 High shell disguises the interior pressure well before the snap
Bait the quarterback with the three safety look presnap, then user the DT to time the pop with the snap count so you collapse the pocket before protection can slide over
Pair this with Cover 3 Match or Cover 4 Quarters from the same set so your presnap safety alignment looks identical, forcing the quarterback to guess between coverage and pressure
Avoid calling this against heavy max protect looks with extra blockers kept in, since the interior pop can get picked up and leave your coverage shell thin over the middle
Mix in Edge Blitz 2 or Edge Blitz 3 as complementary calls to keep the offensive line guessing which gap the pressure originates from each snap