How to Beat Zone Blitz Defense Football

Zone blitz defense packages seek to put pressure on the offense, while protecting against deep passes. Ideally, in zone blitz schemes, only the defense knows which members of their secondary will rush the passer and which members will fall back into pass coverage. From the offense's standpoint, not knowing which players will rush or pass can make the defense extremely unpredictable. However, if the opposing team is using zone blitzes to hammer your quarterback and stifle every offensive play, there are some countermeasures you can take against their schemes.

Instructions

    • 1

      Read the defense, and mix up your snap count to try to get members of the defense to reveal their intent. Be on the lookout for linemen looking to drop back into pass coverage or for members of the secondary that may be looking to drop down and rush.

    • 2

      Establish your ground assault with power runs, and then take advantage of gaps in the defense's zone with short play-action passes and bootlegs. The quarterback should use touch passes to hit soft areas in the secondary or quick passes to the flats.

    • 3

      Go deep from the shotgun formation. Use your running back and fullback to protect your quarterback, while sending your receivers along "go routes" up the sides of the field.

    • 4

      Use a spread offense to dilute the defense's zones. Spreading out your offensive line forces the defense to widen their zones horizontally, which can cause more blown assignments on the defense and create more pockets for passing.