Playbooks
SS Sam Crash Press is a man-beater pressure package out of the Under 4-2-5 formation that sends the strong safety and Sam linebacker on a coordinated crash blitz while the corners play press coverage on the outside receivers. The line stunt up front is designed to confuse blocking assignments and create a free rusher off the edge or through the interior gap. The primary read progression starts with identifying the crashing defenders pre-snap, then working the quick underneath route or hot route beater to the side away from the pressure since the coverage behind it is man heavy and vulnerable to picks and leverage routes.
Pre-snap, check the strong safety depth. If he is crashed up near the line of scrimmage before the snap, the SS Sam Crash Press blitz is live and the offense should identify the free rusher lane immediately. Watch for the Sam linebacker walked up on the line. This is the second piece of the crash package, and if both the Sam and SS are showing blitz, expect a numbers advantage on one side that the protection has to account for with a chip or slide. Press corners at the line signal man coverage behind the blitz. If the corners are playing off with a deep safety still splitting the field, this is likely a disguised zone blitz and the underneath zones will be shorter, so check down quickly. Post-snap, track the flow of the second-level linebackers. If the Mike or Will drops into a zone lurk instead of blitzing, that is a sim pressure look and the quarterback should reset the progression to the shallow crosser or the flat. If the user is controlling the SS or Sam defender, watch the leverage they take at the snap. A hard inside crash means the alley is open outside, while an outside crash forces the ball back to the middle read.
Call this on early downs or third and short when opponents expect run out of the Under front, since the crash blitz disguise can catch play-action or quick game off guard.", "Pair SS Sam Crash Press with Mike Sam Crash Press in your play-calling sequence. Alternating which linebacker crashes keeps the offense guessing about which gap is vacated and prevents them from diagnosing the blitz from film study.", "Before the snap, confirm your corners are aligned in press to support the man coverage behind the blitz. If the offense audibles into a bunch or stack formation, consider switching to Sam Blitz 2 or Safety Blitz instead since press corners can get picked in tight alignments.", "Use hot routes to adjust the Sam or SS crash angle based on the offensive tackle depth. If the tackle is set wide, tighten the crash angle to shoot the B gap instead of looping around the edge.", "Sequence this play after showing Cover 1 Hole or Cover 3 Match earlier in the drive. The similar pre-snap shell disguises the blitz look and increases your free rusher win rate against quarterbacks who key coverage shells."]