Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 22 playbooks
Breakdown
Mike SS 3 Seam is a zone blitz look out of the Dime 1-4-6 Big Dime package that sends five rushers while dropping into a Cover 3 shell behind it. Both outside corners sink into deep purple zones on the flanks while the middle linebacker area is vacated by the blitz, and the two crossing red arrows underneath show the Mike and SS timing up an interior blitz through the A and B gaps. This is a zone beater blitz designed to disguise pressure with three deep defenders still accounting for the deep thirds, so the primary read for the offense facing it is to identify the vacated middle hook zone and attack it quickly before the rush gets home.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check both safeties, if they show a two high shell before rotating down into the box you are disguising this blitz well and should get free access to the backfield. Watch the offensive line splits, tight splits usually mean they expect interior pressure and will slide protection toward the Mike and SS rush lanes. Post-snap, the biggest risk is a hot route or quick slant into the vacated middle hook zone, so any user-controlled defender should be ready to jump underneath crossing routes immediately after the snap. This blitz is most effective against five or six man protections that cannot account for both interior rushers, but it gets exposed against max protect or seven man protection schemes. If the offense runs play-action out of run heavy personnel, the blitzers can get sucked up on the fake, so key the running back's initial path before committing the Mike and SS upfield.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs when you expect the offense to run a quick game or shotgun spread concept, since the interior blitz gets home fast against five man protections.
Disguise the blitz by aligning the Mike and SS off the ball pre-snap so the offense cannot identify the blitz gaps until the last second.
Pair this with Mike SS 1 Dog or Spinner Dog 3 in the same set so quarterbacks cannot key on which linebacker is rushing from game to game.
If the offense shows empty or spread formations, check the blitzers to a contain rush instead to avoid getting gashed by a scramble or screen.
Use this on second and long or third and medium when the offense is more likely to sit in the pocket, since the Cover 3 shell behind the blitz can still close on intermediate throws.
