Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 11 playbooks
Breakdown
Hot Blitz 3 is a five-man pressure package out of the Dime 3-2-6 set that drops into Cover 3 zone shell behind the rush. Both outside cornerbacks and the deep middle defender run vertical zone drops to split the field into thirds, while the two underneath zone defenders wall off the intermediate area and one linebacker mirrors a receiver on a short angle drop before releasing into his zone. The three remaining defenders shown with red arrows crash downhill off the snap as blitzers, giving you a five-man rush with three-deep, three-under zone coverage behind it. This is a blitz beater killer for offenses that rely on quick game, since the underneath defenders sit in passing lanes while the deep thirds take away anything over the top.
Defensive Reads
Watch the running back and tight end alignment pre-snap, if either is releasing quickly into the shallow zone that is exactly what your underneath defenders are designed to take away. Post-snap, track the deep middle defender's drop to make sure he gets over the top of any vertical shot down the seam before the blitz gets home. This look is vulnerable to hot routes that attack the vacated intermediate middle if your underneath zone defenders bite too hard on shallow crossers, so stay disciplined with your zone drop rather than crashing every route you see. Against empty or spread formations, identify if the offense is sliding protection toward your blitz side, since a free rusher on the backside can force an instant throw before your zone drops even settle. If the quarterback is a heavy check-with-me or hot route player, expect quick outs and slants underneath, your zone defenders need to sit rather than run with receivers to stay sound against those combos.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs when you expect the offense to test a quick pass or shallow drag concept since the underneath zone defenders sit right in those throwing lanes.
Key the tight end or running back releasing into the flat before the snap, then check if your zone defenders have a clean path to their landmarks or if they need to be manually redirected with the right stick.
Pair this with Cover 3 Cloud or Cover 3 Hard Flat in your play-calling sequence so the offense sees the same pre-snap shell but gets a different blitz look each time, keeping the quarterback guessing on where the extra rusher comes from.
Use this on third and medium when the offense is likely to run a hot route or sight adjustment into a quick out, since your underneath defenders can jump those routes while the pressure forces a rushed decision.
User the zone defender who mirrors the receiver's angle route pre-release so you can jump an in-cut or option route before it develops, then peel off into your deep third responsibility if the receiver clears.
