Playbooks
Nickel Blitz 3 is a five or six man pressure package out of the 3-3 Wide Jack set that drops into a Cover 3 shell behind the rush, giving you a zone blitz look rather than a pure man beater. The defensive line and blitzing linebackers attack specific gaps while the remaining underneath defenders wall off shallow zones and the deep third safety and corners cap the field. Your primary read as the blitz caller is pre-snap: identify the running back or slot receiver as the outlet valve, then key the quarterback's eyes post-snap to see if he is going to the hot route or trying to beat the deep thirds over the top.
Watch the offensive line splits and running back alignment pre-snap, tight splits and a back cheating to the blitz side often mean they are anticipating pressure and will check to a quick game answer Key the slot or number two receiver at the snap, if he sits down quickly in the shallow zone that is the built in hot route beater and your underneath defender needs to be sitting on it This call is strong against man beater concepts like slants and mesh since the extra rusher disrupts the quarterback's rhythm before routes develop It is vulnerable to quick RPO throws and bubble screens to the flat, so user control a linebacker who can stay disciplined and not fully commit to the rush Watch for max protect looks with two tight ends or an extra offensive lineman, since that neutralizes the numbers advantage of your blitz and forces you into a coverage bust if the quarterback holds the ball
Use this on early downs or second and medium when offenses are still establishing run tendencies so the extra rusher can blow up play action before it develops
Check the offensive personnel pre-snap for empty or spread sets, since those often mean the quarterback has to get the ball out fast against your extra rusher
User the middle linebacker or the closest underneath defender to the trips or slot side to jump the shallow drag or option route, since that is the first hot route offenses use against zone blitz pressure
Pair this call with Cover 3 Sky or Cover 3 Buzz Match earlier in a series so the offense sees the same shell and cannot key the blitz off formation alone
Avoid calling this on third and long against empty backfields unless you have a spy assignment, since one missed rush lane turns into an explosive play against only three deep defenders