Chalk Talk – Zone Blitz

Every fan of football has heard the term ‘Zone Blitz’, but how many of those fans really understand what a zone blitz really is? For starters, a zone blitz is an exchange of defensive roles that confuses and surprises the offense.

Zone blitzing, as well as zone coverage, has grown in popularity throughout the ranks of football. The complicated and up-tempo offenses of the modern era have produced multiple defensive fronts ranging from five defensive linemen to just three. The two most common zone blitzes in college football today can be run from any front and just about every college team runs them. For the purposes of this article we’ll call them ‘Mad-dog Switches’ and ‘Barks’.

Four Man Fronts:

The most common defensive front in football is the four-man defensive line. The four-man front gives defenses a good chance at controlling the line of scrimmage and the D-linemen assume a large share of the responsibility in the run game. A zone blitz from a four man defensive line is when one (or more) of the defensive lineman drop into pass coverage and a linebacker(s) assumes the responsibility of that lineman and/or blitzes. The Mad-dog Switch is when one or both defensive ends drop, causing a great deal of pressure up the middle of the OL (fig 1).

Three Man Fronts:

The three-man defensive line is generally anchored by a nose tackle (larger than a typical d-tackle), and, in effect, allows linebackers to roam and make plays in space. Blitzes, particularly zone blitzes, are more difficult for the offense to spot because it is not necessary to drop a lineman into coverage. Both the Mad-dog Switch and the Bark are popular from these fronts and equally successful. The Mad-dog Switch still forces pressure in the interior of an offense but is much more easily disguised (fig. 3).