coachcousins@yahoo.

com
The 3-5-3 odd stack defense blitz package
Thomas Cousins
www.coachcousins.com

power points available on CD after the session.

All 11 power points on one CD for $20.00
1. Defending the wing t with the 3-5-3
2. The 3-5-3 blitz package
3. Making the transition from the 4-3 to the 3-5-3
4. 3-5-3 d- line run techniques
5, Outside linebacker play
6. Stopping today’s most popular plays
7. Defending power formations and option
8. Defending the spread
9. 3-5-3 base fronts and adjustments
10. Inside linebacker play
11. Pass rush progression

[email protected]
Advantages of the 3-5-3
Not many coaches know how to block and game plan for it.
It is extremely flexible. Nickle-dime substitutions can easily be made without d
isrupting your whole scheme.
The defense is an 8 man front, yet you have 5 defensive backs on the field for p
ass coverage.
It allows the use of smaller speed type players.
Offenses do not know who is coming or from where.
It is confusing to offensive linemen.

[email protected]
Defensive philosophy
We will dictate what the offense runs, not the other way around.
We can adjust to anything we see.
We are not counter punchers, we do not react; we attack.
We need a surge up the field by our dl and our blitzes. We try to make a new los
1 yard back from where it was.
We want all 5 offensive linemen to have to account for our 3 defensive linemen.

[email protected]
Defensive positions
We split our defense down the middle. A strong side and a weak side. By doing th
is it simplifies our calls.
Our olbs are called stud (strong) and whip (weak)
Our ilbs are called sam (strong) and will (weak)
Our nose and mike are in the middle.
You can also run this defensive by sides- right side/ left side. The players sim
ply need to know what side the are on as dictated by the strength call.

[email protected]
Defensive calling procedure
The first thing we need to do is make a strength call. We determine our strength
to the te, if no te to the 2 receiver side, if balanced to the field.
Sometimes through game-planning we will decide to always call the strength to th
e field.
We will always move our front so then we can simply tag a blitz onto the line st
unt.

[email protected]
3-5-3 line calls
Nose and tackles listen for-
in, out, pinch, slant strong, slant weak

[email protected]
In
T N T
Crossover step, dip and rip and get to assigned gap.
Tackles are responsible for b gaps, nose always slants strong.
[email protected]
Out
T N T
Crossover step, dip and rip and get to assigned gap.
Tackles are responsible for c gaps, nose always slants strong.
[email protected]
Pinch
T N T
Crossover step, dip and rip and get to assigned gap.
Tackles are responsible for b gaps, nose slants weak.
[email protected]
Slant strong
T N T
Crossover step, dip and rip and get to assigned gap.
Weak tackle is responsible for b gap, strong tackle has c gap, nose always slant
s strong.
[email protected]
Slant weak
T N T
Crossover step, dip and rip and get to assigned gap.
Weak tackle is responsible for c gap, strong tackle has b gap, nose slants weak.
[email protected]
Pressure package
Through the use of a very simple terminology system, you can tag one player or u
p to six people to blitz.
The defensive line is always slanting one way or the other, so you can simply ta
g a blitz onto the existing line call.
It is not vital that the linebackers know where the defensive linemen are slanti
ng.
The linebackers simply walk up behind the defensive linemen and blitz opposite,
or they can hit the blitz on a delay after the defensive lineman has slanted.
The linebackers have the freedom to decide how they want to blitz and from what
depth.

[email protected]
Blitzes
Blitzes inside are called go, bat or dog
Blitzes from the outside are called fire or x
We will package some blitzes to cut down on the length of calls
We will put our longer calls on a wrist band, everything else will be signaled i
n from the sideline.
[email protected]
Four man pressures
[email protected]
Four man pressures
Mike Go x 5
Will Go x 5
Sam Go x 5
Whip Fire x 5
Stud Fire x 5
Sam A x 2
Will A x 3
Sam Fire x 5
= 35 different blitzes
[email protected]
In mike go
T N T
W M S
MIKE WILL SLANT TO THE A GAP OPPOSITE OF THE SLANT BY THE NOSE
[email protected]
Out mike go
T N T
W M S
MIKE WILL SLANT TO THE A GAP OPPOSITE OF THE SLANT BY THE NOSE
[email protected]
Slant strong mike go
T N T
W M S
MIKE WILL SLANT TO THE A GAP OPPOSITE OF THE SLANT BY THE NOSE
[email protected]
Slant weak mike go
T N T
W M S
MIKE WILL SLANT TO THE A GAP OPPOSITE OF THE SLANT BY THE NOSE
[email protected]
Pinch mike go
T N T
W M S
MIKE WILL SLANT TO THE A GAP OPPOSITE OF THE SLANT BY THE NOSE
[email protected]
Will go
T N T
W M S
THE WILL SLANTS TO THE GAP OPPOSITE OF THE SLANT OF THE TACKLE
[email protected]
Sam go
T N T
W M S
SAM BLITZES THE GAP OPPOSITE FROM THE SLANT OF THE TACKLE
[email protected]
Sam a
T N T
W M S
[email protected]
Will a
T N T
W M S
[email protected]
Slant strong whip fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Slant weak stud fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
In sam fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Five man pressures
[email protected]
Five man pressures

bat
dog weak
dog strong
double A
fire
smash
wash
Will go—Stud fire

Sam go—Whip fire

Will A—Whip fire
Mike Go—Whip fire
Mike Go—Stud fire
Sam A—Stud fire
Will A—Sam go
X
= 65 different blitzes
[email protected]
Bat
T N T
W M S
BOTH ILBS WILL BLITZ UNCOVERED GAPS WHEN BAT IS CALLED
[email protected]
Dog weak
T N T
W M S
INVOLVES THE MIKE AND SAM
[email protected]
Slant weak Dog strong
T N T
W M S
INSTEAD OF SAYING SAM GO MIKE GO WE JUST CALL DOG STRONG
[email protected]
Double a
T N T
W M S
[email protected]
Fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
In fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Smash
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
In smash
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Wash
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
will go stud fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
In will a whip fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Mike go whip fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Mike go stud fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Sam A stud fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Will A stud fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Out x
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Six man pressures
Dog
Smash—Will Go
Wash—Sam go
Sam Go- Fire
Will go- Fire
Mike go- Fire
Double A—Stud fire
Double A—Whip fire
= 40 different blitzes

[email protected]
Dog
T N T
W M S
[email protected]
Slant strong dog
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Slant weak dog
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Smash- Will A
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
whip fire will A - Sam Go
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Sam Go fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Will Go fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
In mike go fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Double A Whip Fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Double A Stud fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Seven man pressures
bat—fire
dog—Stud fire
dog—Whip fire
In sam Fire will A

= 16 different blitzes

[email protected]
Bat- fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Dog- Stud fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Dog- Whip fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
In Sam go Will A fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Eight man pressures
Dog Fire
Devil
= 6 different blitzes
[email protected]
Dog- fire
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Devil
T N T
W W M S S
[email protected]
Total Blitzes
That is 164 total different blitzes
[email protected]
Marrying calls
The coach must marry calls between the line call and the blitz.
Example- you can’t call “in stud a” because there would be 2 people in the same gap. I
nstead “pinch stud a” needs to called.
[email protected]
Our advice
Keep an open mind- be willing to think “outside the box”
Be creative
Cover all gaps
Remember- players make plays- we only try to put them in the correct spots.
[email protected]
Banjo
Banjo is a check used when cover 1 or man coverage is called and an outside line
backer who is assigned a man to cover is called upon to blitz.
The outside linebacker can either call banjo to tell the free safety to cover hi
s man, or he can call banjo to assign his blitz to the inside linebacker.
After the strength call is made, the formation is determined, and the outside li
nebacker sees that he cannot blitz because of being assigned a man to cover, he
will physically turn to the free safety and yell “banjo.”
If the free safety cannot cover the man because he is already covering someone,
he will yell back “no, no” and then the outside linebacker will turn to the inside l
inebacker and yell “banjo”. The inside linebacker will yell back “yes, yes” to tell the
outside linebacker that he will perform the blitz.