Fire Zone Pressures - William Jones (DC East Mississippi Community College)

( audio of clinic presentation here )

General Zone Pressures
1. A solid variation to stopping the run and rushing the passer, the foundation of a GREAT defense

2. Zone pressures allow you to bring extra rushers and play a safe coverage behind the blitz (not as much risk vs. Cov-0 but still high reward w/ negative plays by offense)

3. As a defensive unit, you MUST work on your run fits and QB (Pressure points of the passer) rush lanes vs various personnel/formations/plays. (Trash cans can be used for walk through and run through).

4. QB/WR are taught concepts of the following

• Split safety looks C2/C4/C6
• Post safety looks C3/C1
• No safety look C0 / man-to-man
  Therefore have certain route concepts and combinations that can be designed against each defensive coverage concept

5. QB/WR is taught when you see a blitz, look to;

• Will protections hold up and work the “concept side” of the pass play
• Throw to the “hot side” of the pass play
• QB/WR may have route/sight adjustments called within pass play of “trouble call” (Blitz side)
• As a defensive unit we want to identify all or most of the “concepts and hots” that offense want to use to attack our defensive package. (game plan/adjustments)

6. Can “trigger” the QB to make the hot throws vs what appears to be man-to-man coverage and void areas that are in the defense. The zone pressure concepts will drop defenders in those ‘hot areas’.

7. QB will tell you so much at when, where, how.

• QB Helmet (snap count, hots, checks)
• QB 1st 3 steps (concept/hots/screens)
• QB directional Keys
• QB delivery keys

8. Droppers / Cutters / Screw Down players began on basic progression concept

• Hot
• RB
• Crosser

9. Game Planning

• Ability to attack the weakest blocker in protection (OL,TE,RB) in a 2 on 1 concepts (high / low, inside / outside)
• Ability to attack certain protections and trigger certain adjustmetns with blitz threats
  Man
  Full Slide
  Half Slide
  Dual Read
• Gamble: The QB has to have time to pick out the open WR in the open area

10. 5 man zone pressures are designed in a :

• 3 deep / 3 under concept
• 2 deep / 4 under concepts
• 4 deep / 2 under concept
• Draw basic concept (Rex Ryan)

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"Cause A Pause"

At this point, Jones began illustrating several of their 3 deep / 3 under pressures. Among them were two impressive concepts to take note of; "Dog" and 'Mafia'.

To take advantage of an explosive rush end they had last year (#9 Claude Davis, now at South Florida), they used this looping stunt. "Dog", showing man coverage blitz (4 rusher overload to a side) then loop the rush end into the far A gap. With the Nose looping to outside contain and the Mike coming fast in the A gap, the stretch of the opposite A gap opens up.

Out of 3 high

Out of 2 high

"Mafia" was another concept they used to exploit the weakside bubble. So vs man protection it provides an easy path to bring a rusher free, vs run they cover up the weakest gap fit on the front. They have found that looping the nose (away from the mafia stunt) can always get the center to jump this crossfacing defender and really open up the area of attack.

vs tight #2

Normally, vs 2-back, the Will and Mike would be looping into the bubble. In this depiction, vs twins, the safety screws down and replaces the Will and becomes a hot blitzer.

Mafia zone pressure vs twins

Of note on this clinic was the verbiage used to coach the BRONCO ends. To keep them honest and playing run first, they don't coach them to drop, they call them "potential rushers" (courtesy of Pete Jenkins). In "mafia", the drop end now is the hole player. Instead of walling off #2, he is falling inside to the hole and fits on cutback on run away.

Coaching Rules for Mafia Pressure: