Playbooks
Corner Blitz 3 is a Cover 3 zone blitz out of the Big Nickel 4-2-5 personnel in the Over G set that sends a corner off the edge while dropping the defense into a three deep, four under shell behind it. The blitzing corner is replaced by underneath zone defenders rotating over the top, so the blocking scheme for the offense has to identify the extra rusher immediately or the quarterback eats a free hit off the edge. This is a zone beater against man heavy concepts and high low route combos, but the primary read for the defense is the flat to curl matchup: key the running back or slot receiver releasing into the boundary, then work to the deep third defender if the underneath threat is accounted for by the blocking scheme.
Check the offensive formation for a tight end or running back aligned to the same side as your blitzing corner, since that is the first hot route answer offenses use against this pressure. Watch the slot receiver or third receiver's release at the snap, a quick out or speed out into the vacated corner blitz lane means the quarterback is going right at your pressure point. If the offense shows a stack or bunch look to the blitz side, expect a rub route designed to pick your blitzing corner, consider shifting this call to the opposite hash or checking to a different blitz in the set. Post snap, key the running back's protection assignment, if he stays in to chip or block the edge, your underneath zone defenders have time to sink and take away the shallow crossers. This call is most vulnerable to hard play action rollouts away from the blitz side and to quick game concepts like slants and stick routes that get the ball out before the extra rusher arrives, so mix in Cover 3 Buzz Match or Cover 4 Palms if you see those tendencies.
Disguise this call by mixing it into passing situations where you have already shown base Cover 3 Sky or Cover 3 Match, since the pre snap shell looks identical until the corner triggers downhill at the snap.
Use this on third and medium to third and long when opponents tend to call max protect or slow developing play action, since the corner blitz gets home before the extra protector can adjust.
Hot route your Mike or Will linebacker into a spy or additional underneath zone if you are worried about a quick screen or RPO beating the blitz to the flat.
Pair this with Ws Blitz 2 and SS Blitz 3 in the same set to keep offenses guessing about which secondary defender is coming, since all three show similar pre snap alignment but attack from different angles.
Avoid calling this against empty formations or bunch sets where the blitzing corner has to run through traffic, since rub routes and stacked releases can slow the rush and turn this into a coverage bust.