Iowa State 3-3-3 Stunts & Blitzes

If you have been around the game for awhile you know that every 5 years or so there is a new wrinkle that becomes the new hot topic. It was the 4-2-5, then it was RPO's, and now it seems to be the 3-3-3 that is best seen at Iowa State and Baylor. Not just as a special 3rd down package but as their true base defense.

The 3-3-3 defense is an odd dime package, think of it like a 3-3 stack but they break the stack rules of the LB's. They play with 3 safeties, typically calling that 3rd safety the "JOKER", who is a hybrid Safety/Ni/LB. One of the benefit of running this defense is that you can easily get into traditional 3-4 looks by playing the JOKER down closer to the box like an OLB.

How can you play a dime package as you every down base defense? Well, by stunting and bringing pressure and blitzes from different levels. This is not a sit back and drop 8 to defend the pass every snap, although there are times when that is certainly warranted. To give you a little insight into how you can play this defense on all downs I picked out a few unique pressures that Iowa State ran this past season on both 1st and 3rd down.

In these four examples you will see a bit of everything from a 3 under 3 deep 5 man pressure, a 2 under 3 deep 6 man pressure, a straight man 7 man pressure, to a 3 under 4 deep quarters pass defense. This should give you an idea of the versatility of this defense.

3 Under 3 Deep 5 Man Pressure:

The first thing to understand about this defense is up front. This defense, at its basic level, will run a variation of three front; Tite, Okie, and Bear. In this example we see their Okie front which usually consist of one DE in a 5, a head up N, the other DE in a 4i. A Tite front would be a head up N and both the DE's in 4i's. Bear is your traditional head up N, DE's in 3's, and the OLB walked up to the LOS. You will see all three fronts in these examples.

In this play they line up in an Okie front but they reduce the DE on the trip side from a 5 to a 3 before the snap, which turns this into more of a Tite front. The DL runs a weak slant where everyone crosses the face of their shade. The MIKE, who is hipped to the DE vs a 3x1 set, will plug the B Gap on the snap. SAM will stem to inside leverage of #3 and will run a delay dog. This is great against the half slide as the OG will likely follow the reduced DE inside on his slant leaving a 2-on-1 vs the OT with the MIKE and SAM. Unless you get a full slide to the trips you should have an unblocked player to that side. WILL plays the Hook/Curl and needs to be ready for any RPO as he is in conflict.

They are rolling strong with the safeties and the JOKER will play the low hole right behind the MIKE and SAM. This will turn into a 3 under Cover 3. This would play out very similar to stress coverage. This a great call verse strong side perimeter run game and quick game.

2 Under 3 Deep 6 Man Pressure:

This pressure is out of a 3-4 look which they achieve by playing the JOKER walked down the weak side. Again we have the Okie front but this time they do not stem out of it. Here we see a strong slant from the DL with a cross blitz from the WILL and the MIKE, notice the N long sticks into the strong B Gap. WILL is first to cross the center's face then the MIKE. The hope is that with the slant and WILL going to the strong A Gap that the OG will help with the 4i DE. This should leave the MIKE blitzing through an open A Gap. The JOKER runs a blitz off the weak edge to add the 6th man.

Being that this is a 2 under 3 deep zone and your vacating the weak hook to curl most teams would probably play man. I like that they are not going to man just because they are sending 6. I believe that you can always play good run defense in zone because you have 22 eyes on the football and can keep everything in front and limit the big plays. The goal is always to keep making them snap the ball and good things will happen.

Straight Man 7 Man Pressure:

Here we can see them run what I would call their "super dime". They sub an extra LB for their DT. This is a true speed package that is definitely built for third down.

Out a bear front look they run a read twist with the MIKE and the BACKER who is playing a stand-up nose. BACKER will take the gap they feel is best verse the Center's block, the MIKE will take the other A Gap. In a bear front you normally get man pass protection from the OL. Even though the offense is in a Y-off formation and could potentially slide the front weak and pick up every rusher, you would expect on a 3rd down they would release the Y and you have one more rusher than they can handle.

The JOKER, who is initially playing like a one high safety, will walk down and man the RB. If the RB stays in the core he will screen check and can be the 8th man on a secondary pass rush once the lanes open up. C's play inside leverage and man on #1. SS and WS will take #2 man-to-man.

3 Under 4 Deep Quarters Coverage:

This is a great companion play with the last example as a way to disguise if your coming or if your dropping into coverage. Here they line up the same way with their super dime in a bear front. The twist now comes from the DE's who are both long sticking into the A Gap trying to cross the center's face. BACKER is going drop to the low hole wile the MIKE is going to wrap the to contain the weak side. WILL drops under #2 on his way to the weak Curl/Flat. SAM will run a dog path inside the Y and will contain if the RB flares out strong.

SS will roll down and play Curl/Flat, while the JOKER will roll to the strong to play quarters with the strong side C. WS will play a normal quarters technique with the weak side C. C's are playing inside leverage and will play almost a reverse scooch technique to work to outside leverage of #1.