Playbooks
WS Blitz 3 is a weak side linebacker blitz out of the Even 4-2-5 Big Nickel personnel that sends the weak side backer off the edge while the defense rolls into a three deep zone shell behind it. This is a zone pressure package designed to disguise the extra rusher pre snap, using the safeties and corners to hold Cover 3 integrity underneath and deep. The primary read for the user is the weak side edge rush lane first, get eyes to the quarterback's escape route, then fall back to your zone drop responsibility if the blitz is picked up or the ball comes out before contact.
Pre snap, check the running back alignment and offensive line splits to confirm the weak side is actually the open side for your blitzer to attack. Watch for a quick screen or bubble RPO to the weak side since this blitz vacates that area and can be exploited if the zone drops are late getting outside. Post snap, key the quarterback's first read: if he looks immediately to the flood side away from the blitz, your underneath zone defenders need to sink and wall off the shallow crosser. This play beats man protection schemes that cannot account for the extra rusher, and it beats teams that run outside zone or stretch plays toward the weak side. It gets exposed against max protect looks with six or seven blockers, and against quick game passing concepts like slants and hitches that get the ball out before the free rusher arrives, so respect play action fakes that hold your blitzer for a beat too long.
Call this on early downs when you expect the offense to run gap or zone schemes toward the weak side since the extra hat crashes down fast and disrupts blocking angles at the mesh point.
Disguise the blitz by walking the weak side linebacker up late or showing a two high look before the snap, then bail into the three deep shell right at the snap to keep quarterbacks from diagnosing pre snap.
User the weak side blitzer manually against mobile quarterbacks so you can contain instead of overcommitting upfield, since a free run past the pocket invites a scramble for extra yards.
Pair this with WS Blitz 1 and WS Blitz 2 in the same play calling sequence so the offense cannot key blitz direction based on personnel or formation tells, forcing them to guess weak side pressure every snap.
Best used on third and short or obvious run downs where the offense is likely to commit extra blockers to the play side, leaving the backside edge exposed to this exact blitz angle.