Playbooks
Over Storm Brave is a blitz package out of the 3-3 Wide Jack Nickel front designed to bring pressure while disguising coverage behind it. The play sends extra rushers off the edge and through the interior gaps, forcing quick decisions from the quarterback, while the back end plays a matching zone shell to take away the quick hitters that offenses use to beat pressure. This is a run and pass stopping blitz, not a coverage beater, and the primary read for the defense is to identify the hot route or check down first since that is where the quarterback will go under duress, then close hard on any late-developing route once the rush gets home.
Read the running back protection assignment first, if he stays in to chip or block that confirms the offense expects pressure and you should rally to the hot route immediately. Watch the offensive line splits pre snap, wider splits often mean the offense is anticipating an interior blitz and will slide protection toward your Brave pressure. Key the slot receiver or tight end release, a quick out or hitch route is the built in answer to this blitz and your matching zone defender needs to jump it. This play struggles against max protect calls with only two receivers out, since the extra rusher gets swallowed and your coverage is left thin underneath. Post snap, if the quarterback immediately looks left or right without hesitation he likely diagnosed the blitz pre snap, so be ready to bail into zone drops rather than committing fully to the rush lane.
Call this on third and medium to third and long when you expect the offense to pass, since the extra rusher creates a numbers advantage against slide protection.
User the blitzing linebacker or defensive back closest to the running back to erase the checkdown, which is the first place quarterbacks go against pressure looks.
Disguise the blitz by showing a two high shell pre snap, then rotate down into the pressure look just before the snap to bait the quarterback into a bad presnap read.
Pair this with Cover 3 Buzz Match or Cover 1 Hole in your play calling sequence so offenses cannot key on your blitz tendencies out of this formation.
Avoid calling this against empty formations or trips look where the extra rusher can be picked up easily and leaves your matching zone shell exposed on the backside.