Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 11 playbooks
Breakdown
Edge Blitz 3 brings pressure off the edge out of the Dime 3-2-6 look while dropping into a Cover 3 shell behind it. The two outside defenders and the interior rushers converge with red arrows showing edge pressure and an inside blitz path crossing through the middle, while the three deep defenders sink into thirds and the underneath defenders wall off the flats and hook zones. Post-snap the primary read progression starts with locating the free rusher off the edge to determine if the blitz is unblocked, then working to the deep middle third defender to see if the quarterback can find a soft spot behind the pressure before it arrives.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check if the offense has a tight end or running back set to the pressure side, since that indicates a chip block that could slow your edge rusher. Identify if the quarterback is in shotgun with quick game tendencies, since this blitz is designed to disrupt timing before those routes develop. Post-snap, watch for the deep middle third defender sinking to take away any vertical shot down the pipe while the blitz forces a quick decision. This beats man beater concepts and quick slants that rely on rhythm timing, but struggles against hot routes or screens that attack the vacated underneath zones. If the offense audibles to a hot route toward the blitz side pre-snap, be ready to user the nearest underneath defender to jump that adjustment before the ball is out.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or third and medium when you expect a quick game passing attack, since the edge pressure disrupts timing routes before the coverage shell has to hold up long.
Check the offensive formation pre-snap for extra blockers or tight ends staying in, since that tells you if the edge rushers will win clean or get chipped.
Use the Cover 3 shell to bait the quarterback into throwing underneath, then trust your zone defenders to close on hook and flat throws rather than jumping routes too early.
Pair this with Cover 3 Cloud or Cover 3 Lock on back to back snaps to disguise the same shell while changing where the pressure comes from, keeping the quarterback guessing on the source of the rush.
Avoid calling this against empty formations with quick screens, since the edge rush can be negated by blockers releasing directly into the perimeter.
