Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Under Smoke is a Safety Blitz out of the Big Quarter 3-1-7 personnel in the Quarter formation, sending the deep safety on a downhill blitz off the hash while the rest of the second and third level defenders spill into short zone drops. The diagram shows two underneath defenders sinking into shallow hook/curl zones, a crossing route defender working underneath from the slot to the opposite hash, and the blitzing safety attacking straight downhill through the middle of the formation. This is a zone pressure look designed to disguise the extra rusher while still keeping shell integrity underneath, so the primary read is the blitzing safety's lane first, then the shallow crosser as the QB is forced to speed up his internal clock.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check the offensive line splits and running back alignment to confirm they are not sliding protection toward the blitzing safety's lane, which would neutralize the pressure before it develops. Watch the slot and tight end alignment since the crossing zone defender's landmark is designed to sit in the shallow crossing lane and take away drag routes or flat conversions. Post-snap, key the running back's release out of the backfield, since check-release protection schemes will pick up the blitzing safety and turn this into a coverage snap instead of a pressure snap. This call is vulnerable to hot route adjustments that send receivers immediately vertical or to quick outs toward the sideline, since the shallow zone droppers are focused on inside crossing patterns and can be beaten by routes that break to the boundary. Against spread option or shotgun empty sets, this blitz can be neutralized quickly, so watch for a hurried snap count or receiver bunching near the line, which signals a quick game beater designed specifically to counter this pressure.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or third and medium when you expect a quick game or shallow crossing concept from the offense, since the safety blitz is built to disrupt timing before routes fully develop. Check the offensive formation pre-snap for bunch or stack sets that could create natural rub picks against your shallow zone droppers, and if you see that, consider audibling to Overload 3 instead for a cleaner rush lane. Use the crossing zone defender as your first key post-snap, since he is responsible for taking away the shallow drag or slot out that offenses use to counter blitzes. Pair this call with Cover 1 Thief or Cover 2 Man Spy in your play-calling sequence so the offense cannot sit back and read blitz every snap, forcing them to respect man coverage disguises as well. Avoid calling this against empty or spread formations with quick bubble screens, since the vacated underneath zone can get exposed if the crosser is late getting to his landmark.
