Breaking down the game- Football Film Study 101: NFL and College football 4 and 5 man pass rush games and pressures

Saturday, January 1, 2022

NFL and College football 4 and 5 man pass rush games and pressures

This article looks at 4 and 5 man pass rush games. Teams get creative and can run these stunts out of 4 hands down and 3-2 nickel looks. Also, some teams like the Steelers and Bucs will run it from their 5 man big package with 2 de, watt and dupree or barrett and JPP and it causes protection issues.

When you study sacks and sack percentage, you will find more sacks and pressures are obtained with movement and stunts than actual fancy pass rush moves. We all love to spend time with the fancy club moves, chop and rip, etc, but statistically teams get more out of games than anything else.

How you devise your games is very important. Here are some things to consider:

#1 it is based on protection. How do they handle games and what is their protection.

#2 I think you need to look at personnel and see how they handle twists and stunts. Do they have a weak link and that's the guy or guys you want to attack.

#3 The most important aspect in my opinion is to look at how their guards and centers set. Look at the center and guards. Do they have a tendency to turn and move their body on an angle. If that is the case they are very vulnerable to pass rush games and that's the guy you want to exploit.

Look at the Jets and Alex Lewis. Sometimes teams will run some games at players because they have a tendency to turn their shoulders. The Dolphins run one and they get home. McGovern should have stayed front side on that because the 3 technique was to his right, but Lewis turning and overextending contributes to the pressure and sack.

3rd and 8 the Rams are in a 5-1 look odd front.

They run a nice 3 man game with the LB and Nickel Safety off the edge. The RG turns and takes the LB and the RB stays outside, thus no-one to take the looping Safety. They play man free with the concept as you can see on the film.

Odd 3 LB DL Personnel

5-1 look

3rd and 7 Giants vs the Vikings. Vikings run a game with the olb and defensive tackle. The issue is that the RG turns to help on the defensive tackle and can't flatten out to take the looper.

The OLB Loops inside as the right guard turns to help on the defensive tackle

The LB is by him and gets the sack.

4-2 defense

4 man sim pressure

Here's an example at the college level where the USC right guard turns way too much and isn't able to work back and handle the stunt.

Example #3 is the Jets vs the Seahawks.The Seahawks run a game and get the sack. The left guard turns and can't redirect back.

A team that excels in the game department is the Patriots. Here are a few examples vs. The Chargers. They run it from their odd look.

Below you can see it live.

Here's 2 clips vs the Chargers where they get great pressure off inside games against the Chargers.

How does the center set. Let's say you run a mug look, does he try to get vertical and sort it out or does he turn his shoulders and try to take a man right away. If he's a turner, he's ripe for a pass rush game with the mug linebacker to the side he turns to.

Here's an example where the center turns and the Looper gets free. The Chargers don't exchange it and the pressure gets home.

Washington Defense vs USC

Here's an example of where the screener gets the sack. The first rusher, who is essentially trying to attack that near shoulder, ends up getting the sack with a 4 man game off a simulated pressure from Coach Jimmy Lake.

#4 Games to me is like setting a pick and roll in basketball. You are trying to get some type of advantage by getting one guy home. You want the picker to be violent when he sets that screen to get the roller home. But often when you run games, the picker is the guy that often comes free. Teach it that way. Its very similar to basketball, that when you set a screen you end up being the roller and scoring. The player that sets that violent screen can often get the sack.

Below is an example from a mug look where the LB's cross and get home as the Jets are running standard NFL protection. Back steps up to take the mug LB and the center goes the other direction. This is the most common NFL protection.

When you run 5 man games you will see the following coverages:

Cover 1- man free with a free safety deep. All underneath players are in man.

Cover 2- You can play cover 2 and give up a zone underneath.

cover 3- 3 under 3 deep

cover 6/8 1/4, 1/4 half to either the single side or 3x1 side.

Ravens vs Titans Playoffs.

3rd and 9

Ravens run a nice 4 man game with the right defensive end coming clean. This one is tough at the college/hs level because it takes time.

The right guard turns so much he can't redirect to take the looper. This forces a poor throw and the Ravens get off the field on 3rd down.

Steelers

big front 3-4 personnel with Watt and Dupree at OLB. They run an inside game with the nose guard and defensive tackle.

Example #2 4-2 front

Michigan is in a 4-2 but moves to a bear front

They move from a 4-2 to a bear look, They run a 2 man game inside with their 2 interior lineman and the mike lb who moved down to the los. They run a 3 man game with the 2 dt and the mike lb.

3-2

3-2 dime look

Iowa State brings the cb and will to the boundary and plays cover 2 vs 3x2. They use the weak safety as a fat defender.

LSU Version of America's blitz vs miss state. They dont do a good job disguising it and Miss state sends the protection that way with the tackle, guard and center. They play man free with the lb on the rb.

3rd and 9 and 3rd and 10 The Dolphins run a 5 man pressure with an inside game vs The Rams Empty.

Dolphins vs Rams

The. 2nd time they run a game out of 3-2 dime.

Here are back to back games in which the Bears get great pressure. The DE plays it with such violence that they are able to get the looper home on both occasions. The first is a sack. The 2nd is an interception.

Later in the game, they run a tackle and end stunt on the defensive right and then and end and tackle stunt on the defensive left. Nice design as the defensive end forces the qb to scramble into the Defensive tackle.

The Bengals run a nice 5 man game with a 3 man game on one side with a game with the mike lb and de on the other. They run it from a load front.

From an odd 3 man look, Pttt Panthers run an effective stunt with the mike and the nose guard.

The Mike picks for the nose but ends up coming free as a result.

Mike engages the center

After disrupting the center, the mike comes free and gets the sack.

Baylor

Baylor runs a 4 man game from their shade front. They shade with the nose on the right side and run a tackle and end stunt on the other. The center is unable to help as they don't slide and he takes the nose with the left guard helping on the defensive end. Simple but effective.

Rams vs Bucs

Bucs run a 3 man game out of their 4-2 front

3 tech DT opp A gap 1st #93

2 I RT DT. OPP B GAP. #60

ILB Left A gap. #45

Nice Job .

WIsconson vs Ohio State

wisconson gets empty runs a show pressure with a 4 man game, dropping the DE in their man free concept. The LDE drops and plays a rat concept with the 4 man pressure/