Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Field Sim 3 is a simulated pressure call out of the 2-4 Dbl Mug look in Nickel personnel that disguises a Cover 3 shell behind a mugged front. The two off-ball linebackers show blitz at the line but only one rushes through an interior gap while the second linebacker walks back into an underneath zone, creating a five man rush with three deep thirds and three underneath defenders. Cornerbacks on the outside run deep thirds while the safeties rotate into the middle and support zone drops, so your primary read is identifying which mugged linebacker actually rushes versus which one bails into coverage before you commit to a route or blocking assignment.
Defensive Reads
Watch for the quarterback to stare down the mugged linebackers at the snap, that hesitation is your cue to jump the sim pressure with a user controlled defender for a home run blitz This call beats teams that check into empty formations or three step drop concepts expecting man coverage, since the deep thirds erase easy completions on the perimeter Aggressive man beater concepts with deep crossers can still find soft spots if the underneath zone defenders are slow to sink, so get depth quickly on your zone drops after the snap Identify the running back and tight end release patterns immediately, since check release protections into the flat are the first area sim pressure gives up before the rush gets home Watch for offenses that motion a receiver into a stack or bunch to identify true zone coverage, if they diagnose Cover 3 pre-snap they will attack the deep middle seam where the safety rotation can be exploited
Usage Tips
Pre-snap, count the number of defenders showing at the line and note which of the two mugged linebackers is cheating his weight forward, that is typically your true rusher
Use this call on early downs or in neutral situations where the offense is likely to run standard drop back concepts, since the disguised zone behind the rush punishes quarterbacks who assume man coverage
If the offense audibles into a hot route or quick game concept designed to attack a blitz, you still have three deep defenders to fall back on, so trust your zone shell rather than jumping a route
Pair this with SS Dog 3 or Blitz Loop 3 in the same set to keep the same pre-snap picture while varying which gap actually sends pressure, forcing the quarterback to guess snap to snap
Save this for third and medium or third and long situations where quarterbacks are conditioned to identify blitz and throw quick, since the delayed zone drop behind the rush creates late-developing passing lanes for user picks
