In our example, we've come out of the huddle in the Strong-I Normal TE Corner with the New York Giants. Running back
Brandon Jacobs is already assigned to stay in and block to the left on this play. However, we may want to change his
assignment based on certain signs that we see before the snap.
Recognizing the Blitz
Aggressive Stance
One of the most common signs that indicate a blitz is when a defender is slightly hunched over instead of standing
upright. If both outside linebackers are in the hunched over position, we should suspect some kind of pressure coming. If
the two middle linebackers in a 3-4 defensive setup are standing upright near the offensive line, we would assume
pressure is coming from the outsides of the offensive line frp, the hunched over outside linebackers. However, suppose
Steelers' strong safety Troy Palamalu trotted down near the right side of line of scrimmage before the play began--
another sign of an incoming blitz. Now it appears that pressure may be coming from from the strong safety as well. Any
time you see a defender slowly jog down towards the line of scrimmage it is safe to assume a blitz. The jogging defender
may not always be blitzing, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Defenders hunched at the line is a good indication of an incoming blitz.
Overloading
Another defensive look that you're going to see that should set off alarms in your head that a possible blitz coming is an
overload. Suppose your opponent has shifted the defensive line and linebackers to the left--this may be done because it's
easier for the blitzing defenders to exploit the weak side of the play. The reason it's easier for defenses to exploit the
weak side of an offensive play is because there aren't as many blockers on that side of the line to help pick up the
pressure. When you see an overload such as this one, be sure to either hot route extra players to stay in and block or
audible to another play that will allow you to pick up the pressure more effectively.
Manual Positioning
A third sign that you will see that will lead you to believe that pressure is coming is when your opponent is manually
moving multiple players around before the snap. It's not always easy for some players to be able to tell where the
pressure is coming from when the defense does this. However, you need to be smart enough to realize that your
opponent isn't moving around multiple players near the line of scrimmage for no reason. If your opponent is moving
defenders to the middle of the line, it's safe to assume that the defense is trying to create pressure there. We know that
our opponent won't be able to blitz effectively around the outside of the line because there aren't enough defenders in
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