Types of Zone Blitzes

Developed in the 1990s, zone blitzes are a staple for defenses in football. They are successful for three reasons. They allow the defense to apply pressure to the offense without resorting to risky man-to-man coverage on speedy wide receivers; offenses have trouble identifying blitzes since they appear from the line of scrimmage as a standard zone defense and the defensive players switch responsibilities, which can confuse the offense.

  1. 2-Deep Zone Exchange

    • The standard 2-deep zone formation divides the defensive pass coverage into two sections: deep and shallow. Two safeties cover deep while the three linebackers and two cornerbacks cover the shallow pass zone, split into five sections. From this 4-3 formation (four linemen and three linebackers), the weak-side linebacker blitzes the offense while the defensive end drops back to cover one of the five shallow pass zones. This exchange of responsibilities confuses offenses since the defensive end is identified as a rusher. In addition, since the offensive line has wasted a lineman to mark the defensive end, the running back must remain in the backfield to block as opposed to performing his own pass route.

    2-Deep Zone Twist

    • Similar to the zone exchange blitz, the zone twist blitzes with the strong-side linebacker with the defensive end dropping back into pass defense. The nose tackle then "twists" around the blitzing linebacker. In other words, the linebacker attacks the line, forcing one or two offensive linemen to block him while the nose tackle then slides in behind him. The strong-side linebacker's zone is filled by the weak-side linebacker, while the defensive end covers the weak-side linebacker's original zone.

    3-Deep Zone Cross Blitz

    • From a 3-deep zone, with the strong safety and two cornerbacks as the three deep covering pass defenders, the cross blitz attacks the line of scrimmage with both the strong-side and weak-side linebackers. The strong-side linebacker crosses over and blitzes into the weak-side linebacker's side, while the weak-side linebacker follows slightly behind him and to the strong side of the offensive line. With three shallow zones, the free safety covers one of the middle zones, leaving one shallow zone uncovered. This is effective only in deep passing plays, as short passes will exploit that gap.

    Strong-side Linebacker Zone Blitz

    • The most common blitz in football, the strong-side linebacker blitz, is the most difficult for the offense to read. This is because the defense lines up before the snap in a 2-deep zone formation. However, when the ball is snapped, the two cornerbacks drop deep, creating a 3-deep formation along with the free safety. The strong safety covers the missing shallow zone. From here, the strong-side linebacker blitzes through the center while the nose tackle drops back into shallow zone coverage if it is a pass. The weak-side linebacker covers the blitzing strong-side linebacker's zone, while the defensive end drops back into the weak-side linebacker's zone.

    Safety Blitz

    • From either a 2-deep or a 3-deep formation, a defense can confuse the offense by blitzing with a safety. However, the blitzing safety is also accompanied by a linebacker, making this a two-man blitz. The cornerbacks drop back into the safety's deep zone to protect against long passes. This is a risk since the distance a safety must cover gives the offense time to complete a mid-range pass.