Playbooks
Breakdown
Nickel Blitz 3 is a five man pressure package out of the Load Mug front that drops into a Cover 3 shell behind the rush. Both outside cornerbacks carry vertical routes up the numbers while the underneath defenders spill into a zone drop pattern with a spy or shallow hook defender working the middle read. The nickel defender on the boundary walks up and blitzes off the edge, and the primary read for the quarterback attacking this look is to identify the single high safety rotation and attack the vacated flat or seam behind the blitzing nickel before the rush gets home.
Defensive Reads
Watch the safety depth pre-snap since a single high safety confirms the Cover 3 rotation while two deep safeties signal the offense expects man or split coverage and may audible into a quick game beater. Key the nickel defender alignment on the boundary because that is your blitzer, and if the running back or tight end shifts protection that way the play is designed to pick him up. Post snap, track the underneath zone droppers for a lurk defender sitting in the shallow hook area since that defender can jump quick out routes and slants that man beaters rely on. This call gets beat by fast developing screens and quick RPO throws to the flat since the underneath defenders are reading run first before sinking into their zone drops. Trips and bunch formations can overload the zone drops on one side, so identify numbers advantage pre-snap and consider shifting the deep third corner assignment if the offense stacks receivers to the blitz side.
Usage Tips
Use this on early downs or short to medium yardage situations where the offense is likely to hold protection and take a shot downfield since the extra rusher creates a quick clock. Show blitz pre-snap and check if the offense slides protection toward the boundary nickel, then confirm the single high safety alignment which tips the Cover 3 shell underneath. Bring the deep third corners as your primary run support key against play-action since they stay vertical and can be baited by double moves if the quarterback holds the ball. Pair this call with Cover 3 Cloud or Cover 3 Sky earlier in the series so quarterbacks cannot key the blitz off safety depth alone. Mix in Nickel Blitz 1 and Nickel Blitz 2 from the same set to disguise which gap the extra rusher is attacking while keeping the same post snap shell look.
