Playbooks
Breakdown
CB Blitz 2 is a Cover 2 zone blitz out of the Nickel 3-3 Cub set that sends the corner off the edge while dropping the rest of the defense into a two deep shell underneath. The diagram shows both safeties bailing to deep halves, the underneath defenders sinking into short zones on the left, and the slot corner or nickel triggering the blitz off the right edge with the Sam or Will occupying an inside gap alongside him. This is a zone pressure package rather than a man beater, designed to disguise the extra rusher while still keeping two deep defenders over the top, so the primary read progression starts with confirming the corner blitz is unblocked, then working to the underneath zone defenders sinking into the shallow and curl areas if the quarterback holds the ball.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check the offensive formation for trips or bunch sets to the blitz side since a tight end or running back can chip and slow the corner's rush timing. Watch the deep safeties for cheat alignment toward the blitz side, which tips that the shell is rotating to help account for the vacated corner responsibility. Post-snap, key the running back's release; if he stays in to block or checks the blitzing corner, your pressure gets slowed and you must trust the underneath zone defenders to hold their landmarks longer. This beats quick game and man beater route combos that rely on the corner's original leverage since he is now attacking downhill instead of covering. It struggles against screens and quick hitters to the flat away from the blitz because the vacated corner zone leaves a soft spot that a slot receiver or back can exploit before the underneath defenders can rally over.
Usage Tips
Use this on early downs or second and medium when offenses expect a standard shell and are not anticipating five man pressure. Disguise the blitz by aligning the corner off the ball pre-snap and delaying his walk up until just before the snap so quarterbacks cannot get a pre-snap alert. Pair this with Cover 3 Buzz or Tampa 2 in your call sequence so opponents see similar two deep or three deep shells and cannot key blitz off formation alone. If the offense runs a lot of quick game or hot routes to the flat, user the blitzing corner manually to time the snap and beat blockers before the back can chip him. Mix this with Cover 1 Robber on the following snap to keep quarterbacks guessing between man pressure and zone pressure looks from the same personnel grouping.
