| 07 July 2010
Matt Bowen of the National Football Post has put together quite the article series breaking down different plays and defensive schemes in the NFL. This week he examines an exotic NFL blitz call out of the 4-3 base set.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of this blitz call is seeing the DT drop into coverage in this set. Most fans don't think of DTs dropping into coverage, but in the case of this blitz call the under tackle drops back doesn't rush, he becomes a key cog in the pass defense.
To read Matt Bowen's inside the playbook feature click here
As far as the Bears running this type of scheme the answer is a simple yes, the Bears do run a version of this blitz with their three technique dropping into coverage. The Bears will likely continue to run this type of blitz and with Julius Peppers' versatility. The Bears have often times employed a rush package that's known as a cobra rush package where they will take out a DT and put in another DE to rush the QB. Mark Anderson often times served as the cobra rush player in the scheme and Peppers will likely do the same. But given that Peppers is so fast and tall and can make plays in the passing lanes, you could very well see the Bears drop him into coverage as well as rush the QB.
A perfect example of an exotic blitz that the Bears ran with some success can be found in the first game of the season against the Packers. Danieal Manning comes on the safety blitz off the edge. Lance Briggs attacks the open side A-gap, Ogunleye stunts hard to the outside B-gap, Alex Brown drops into coverage and Mark Anderson is lined up in the cobra rush position, out wide in the five-technique spot.
To see the high light of the Danieal Manning blitz that resulted in a safety click on this sentence
This is just one of the many different blitz packages the Bears employed in 2010 that shows they aren't afraid to bring exotic pressure over playing strict Cover-2 in a third and long situation.
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