Playbooks
Blitz Loop Sim 3 is a five man pressure package out of Nickel Swap Dbl Mug that disguises a simulated rush behind a loop stunt from the interior defensive line. The linebackers and safety drop into a Cover 3 shell with three deep, three under while the defensive tackles and ends work a loop exchange to confuse the offensive tackles' blocking assignments and free up an interior rusher. This is a zone based blitz beater against man protection schemes, and your primary read progression is to key the offensive line's slide protection first, then user the looping defender to time your rush once you see which gap the guard or tackle vacates.
Pre-snap, check the running back alignment, if he is set to chip or stay in as a blocker the loop stunt will have a harder time winning clean, so consider audibling to a straight Blitz Loop 0 for more pressure. Watch the offensive tackles' stance and depth, a heavier pass set stance suggests they are anticipating an edge rush rather than an interior loop, which favors this call. Post-snap, key the guard's first step, if he immediately slides toward the looping lineman's original gap that means the offense identified the stunt, so be ready to user the backside rusher for containment. This play beats man concepts and quick game rhythm passing because the three under defenders sit in passing lanes while the loop disrupts timing, but it can be exploited by RPOs and quick bubble screens that get the ball out before the loop completes. Against play action rollouts, be ready to peel your looping defender off the line if you diagnose run action, since staying in the loop against a designed run fake leaves your edge exposed.
Call this on early downs or second and medium when the offense is likely to run a standard drop back protection instead of max protect. Check the offensive personnel pre-snap, if they show 11 or 10 personnel with no extra blockers, the loop stunt has a higher chance to win one on one against a tackle. Use the right stick to user the looping defensive lineman and manually time your rush to hit the gap right as the guard slides away, since the CPU AI will sometimes loop too early and get washed. Pair this with Cover 3 Match or Cover 3 Sky from the same set on the following snap so quarterbacks who diagnosed the sim pressure cannot key on the same shell twice. If the offense starts hot routing slot receivers into quick outs against your three under defenders, mix in SS Dog 3 or Blitz Loop 3 to change up where the extra rusher originates from.