Playbooks
CB Bench Sim 2 is a simulated pressure package out of the Dime 3-2 Swap Dbl Mug front that disguises a five man rush look while dropping a corner off the edge into an underneath zone. The Mug alignment shows a heavy blitz picture pre snap, then the CB bench technique carries a shallow zone responsibility while the defense rotates into a Cover 2 shell behind it, making this a zone based simulated pressure rather than a true blitz. Your primary read starts at the initial rush counting how many defenders actually get skinny at the line, then flows to the deep half safeties to confirm the two high shell before you attack any user lurk threats sitting in the underneath window.
Pre snap, check the safety depth and spacing to confirm whether the offense expects Cover 2 or is baiting a check down against a perceived blitz. Watch the slot corners and nickel defenders at the snap to see if the quarterback is reading the Mug look as pressure and speeding up his throw, which sets up easy user pick opportunities underneath. Post snap, key the bench corner drop since he is your primary defender against shallow crossers, spot routes, and quick hitters aimed at the vacated blitz alley. This play struggles against quick game beaters like snag or stick concepts that attack the flat before the zone defenders fully rotate, so be ready to close throwing lanes fast with your user defender. It is highly effective against man beater combos and levels concepts because the simulated pressure disrupts protection timing while still keeping numbers in coverage against crossing routes.
Call this on early down passing situations, especially second and medium, when the offense is likely to test the middle of the field with quick game or drag concepts. Show the Mug look pre snap and hold your defenders at the line as long as possible to sell the all out blitz before dropping the bench corner into his zone landmark. Pair this with SS Sim 2 and Nickel Sim 2 in the same set so the offense sees an identical pre snap picture but gets three different simulated pressure rotations, which makes it much harder for opposing quarterbacks to diagnose the rush and coverage combo. User the bench corner yourself if you want to sit on shallow crossers, hooks, and quick out routes since that is the zone this play is designed to fill. Mix in Blitz Loop 0 and Blitz Loop 3 from the same personnel group so your opponent cannot key on formation alone to determine whether it is a real blitz or a sim pressure look. Avoid calling this on obvious long yardage downs since the coverage behind the sim rush leaves fewer underneath defenders to rally against scramble drills.