Fire Zone Blitz
Five-man pressure with a three-deep, three-under zone behind it.
Concept: A backer or safety blitzes while a defensive end drops to cover the vacated underneath zone.
Grows with your players
Same play, more layers as they age up — teach it once and build on it every season for a consistent program.
- 12UIntroduce: Line up right and own your gap — win with alignment, pad level, and pursuit to the ball.
- 14UAttack blocks: Add get-off and block destruction so the front controls the line of scrimmage. Layer in the called blitz — one timed gap-shooter on the snap. Teach the coverage drops behind the front and read run vs. pass. Combine front, pressure, and coverage — and disguise it pre-snap.
Every position's job
Fire the assigned gap on the snap as the fifth rusher for pressure.
Drop off the edge into the vacated underneath zone instead of rushing.
Rush the B-gap.
Rush the A/B-gap.
Blitz or cover the middle under zone depending on the call.
Cover a hook/seam under zone (three-under).
Cover a curl-flat under zone.
Cover the strong deep third.
Cover the weak deep third.
Cover the deep middle third (three-deep behind the pressure).
How to teach it
- 1Five-man pressure with three-deep, three-under behind it — a defensive END drops to cover the vacated zone; rep the drop.
- 2The blitzer and the dropping end swap jobs — everyone must know his role pre-snap.
- 3Three under defenders spot-drop and pattern-match to keep the coverage sound.
Common mistakes to fix
- !The dropping end doesn't get to his zone and it opens; fix by drilling the end's zone drop repeatedly.
- !Blitz doesn't get home and the three-under is stretched; fix by timing the pressure to the snap.
Build this into your call sheet.
Adopt this system in your coach portal, tag plays by situation, and print call sheets and player wristbands.