Unless you just have superior athletes on a defense, you know that you are going to have to take some risks to make big things happen. One of the best ways to take a risk is to use the blitz. For most teams, however, blitz packages mean you need to use man coverage. That leaves you open for some big plays. Some coaches just aren’t comfortable with man blitzes. So, use the Fire Zone concept.Fire Zone blitzes use a Cover 3 concept and bring 5-man pressure. That means you have 5 players rushing the passer, with 3 players covering the deep 1/3s of the field. The remaining players are going to be responsible for cover 3 underneath zones as best they can. There are holes! You can teach your guys to “pattern read,” essentially playing man on anything in their area, to make things better – but the fact is, 52 yards across is a lot of ground for 3 guys to cover, when the Quarterback only has to throw the ball 5 or 10 yards down field. You’re relying on the pass rush to make these throws tough. [Read more...]