The Zone Blitz!

Football is often a game of deceit and trying to create the illusion that are you doing something that you aren’t or not doing something that you are. Defenses often rely on disguise, for example – in our first Check the Technique article we discussed that in the 3-4 defense teams often disguise where the 4th pass rusher will come from in an effort to confuse the QB. It can come from the Inside Linebacker or Outside Linebacker and that element of mystery can create confusion which can lead to an error on the offense. Today we are going to breakdown the “Zone Blitz” which is the master of disguise and confusion for NFL defenses.

The history of the Zone Blitz begins with Dick Lebeau, the longtime defensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers who has been credited with creating the Zone Blitz scheme. The overall premise of the Zone Blitz is a switch in roles for defensive players – coverage guys rush the passer and Lineman who usually rush the passer drop into coverage.

The Zone Blitz is a combination of two football terms that are blended into one common phrase. Typically, the Defensive Lineman drops into a “Zone” where he is responsible to cover an area and anyone that comes into his area he is responsible for. The QB is not typically used to this action by a lineman and it can do two things 1. Force him to throw the ball into the area that is now covered that he wasn’t planning on being covered  or 2. Confusing him long enough that he holds onto the ball and allows the other defenders to come in and get a sack.

The other portion of the “Zone Blitz” is the blitz part. While the lineman are dropping into a Zone, a Linebacker, Cornerback or Safety will blitz the QB running as fast as he can to get a sack. The combination of all the Defensive players moving around into areas where they normally aren’t creates confusion and leads to good things for the defense.

Let’s look at a 3-4 Defense example of a Zone Blitz…

As you can see, the Defense End slides out and is responsible for covering the “Flat” area out on the right side and the Left Defensive End drops straight back into coverage where the Linebackers usually are. In this example all 4 Linebackers are attacking the QB trying to create enormous pressure. The key to this playcall will be in it’s disguise. If the the QB is tipped off to the blitz, he will call an audible to a play designed to exploit its weakness.

Let’s take a look at a 4-3 Zone Blitz…

Looking at this diagram you can see that this is a bit more complicated blitz as the Strong Safety is also rushing the passer. The Defensive End once again drops back from the line into coverage, this time covering the Linebacker’s position while the Linebacker drops back covering the Free Safety position and the Free Safety rotates over covering for the Strong Safety who is attacking the QB. All of this motion and movement is intended to confuse the QB just enough that he doesn’t know what to do either throwing it in a place that he shouldn’t or holding it too long which creates a sack.

We have spoken about the two main benefits of the Zone Blitz but it also has it’s downfalls. If the pass rushers fail to get to the QB then the defense is left vunerable due to the lack of coverage skills in the secondary. A large Defensive Lineman rarely has the speed and skills to cover much faster Running Backs and Wide Receivers. In addition, the Zone Blitz is typically only useful on passing plays, so if the QB is tipped off to what the defense is doing, he may call an audible and switch to a run play and catch the Defense out of position.

The limitations to the Zone Blitz are endless as there are unlimited formations and schemes which a Defensive Coordinator can come up with. It is used to create confusion for the offense and when used properly it is a good weapon to have. Originally created by Dick LeBeau of the Pittsburgh Steelers now nearly every team has adopted it and is now a standard playcall in NFL defensive playbooks.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask!