Playbooks

Sim Pressure 3

Dime·2-3-6·Big Dime 4-1-6
Cover 3Simulated PressureZone CoverageBlitz
Play diagram for Sim Pressure 3 from Dime 2-3-6 in Madden 27

Quick Reference

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Breakdown

Sim Pressure 3 is a five-man simulated pressure look out of the Dime 2-3-6 set that drops into a Cover 3 shell behind the rush. Both outside linebackers/edges show blitz then bail into short zone drops, the two underneath defenders sink into curl/flat zones while a deep third safety and both cornerbacks hold the deep thirds over the top. This is a zone beater deterrent, meaning it is designed to disguise the blitz and confuse the quarterback's pre-snap protection read while still playing sound zone coverage behind it, so the primary read for the defense is to rush the four shown crossers and see if the box defenders trigger a hot throw before the zone settles underneath.

Defensive Reads

Watch the two showing edge defenders presnap, if they widen or crash down that tells you the offensive line is sliding protection toward the disguised rush. Key the underneath defenders dropping into their curl and flat zones, they are reading the quarterback's eyes to jump any in cut or drag route thrown into their zone. This beats quick game and man beater concepts that rely on the quarterback reading blitz presnap, since the delayed drop disguises the coverage until after the snap. It can be exposed by quick RPO reads or bubble screens attacking the flat before the underneath defenders settle into their assigned zones. Post snap, look for the deep third safety rotation, if the quarterback holds the ball too long the sim pressure rush will convert into real pressure and collapse the pocket.

Usage Tips

Show this play on early downs when you want to bait the offense into thinking man or all out pressure, then let the disguised drops confuse the quarterback's presnap protection calls.

Use it against teams that love quick game and hot routes, since the simulated rush timing forces a fast decision before the shown defenders reach their zone drops.

Pair it with Cover 3 Match and Cover 3 Buzz Mable in the same play call sequence so quarterbacks cannot key the safety rotation before the snap.

If the offense audibles into empty or spread formations, consider checking to Nickel Sim 2 or Edge Blitz 3 from this same set to keep the simulated pressure disguise fresh.

Avoid calling this on obvious passing downs where the offense expects pressure, since a savvy quarterback will throw hot into the vacated rush lanes before the drops complete.

Other Plays in 2-3-6