1. The 3-5-3 odd stack defense blitz package
Thomas Cousins
2. 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 disrupting your whole scheme.
• The defense is an 8 man front, yet you have 5 defensive backs on the field for pass 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.
3. 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.
4. Defensive positions
• We split our defense down the middle. A strong side and a weak side. By doing this 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 simply need to know what side the
are on as dictated by the strength call.
5. 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 the field.
• We will always move our front so then we can simply tag a blitz onto the line stunt.
6. 3-5-3 line calls
• Nose and tackles listen for-
in, out, pinch, slant strong, slant weak
7. In
8. Out
9. Pinch
10. Slant strong
11. Slant weak
12. Pressure package
• Through the use of a very simple terminology system, you can tag one player or up to six people to blitz.
• The defensive line is always slanting one way or the other, so you can simply tag a blitz onto the existing line
call.
• It is not vital that the linebackers know where the defensive linemen are slanting.
• 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.
13. 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 in from the sideline.
14. Four man pressures
15. Four man pressures
16. In mike go
17. Out mike go
18. Slant strong mike go
19. Slant weak mike go
20. Pinch mike go
21. Will go
22. Sam go
23. Sam a
24. Will a
25. Slant strong whip fire
26. Slant weak stud fire
27. In sam fire
28. Five man pressures
29. Five man pressures
30. Bat
31. Dog weak
32. Slant weak Dog strong
33. Double a
34. Fire
35. In fire
36. Smash
37. Wash
38. will go stud fire
39. In sam go stud fire
40. In will go whip fire
41. Mike go whip fire
42. Mike go stud fire
43. Sam A go stud fire
44. Will A stud fire
45. Out x
46. Six man pressures
47. Dog
48. Slant strong dog
49. Slant weak dog
50. Smash- Will Go
51. Wash- Sam Go
52. Sam Go fire
53. Will Go fire
54. In mike go fire
55. Double A Whip Fire
56. Double A Stud fire
57. Seven man pressures
58. Bat- fire
59. Dog- Stud fire
60. Dog- Whip fire
61. In Sam go Will A fire
62. Eight man pressures
63. Dog- fire
64. Devil
65. Total Blitzes
• That is 164 total different blitzes
66. 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. Instead “pinch stud a”
needs to called.
67. 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.
68. Banjo
• Banjo is a check used when cover 1 or man coverage is called and an outside linebacker 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 his 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 linebacker 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 linebacker and yell “banjo”. The inside linebacker will yell back
“yes, yes” to tell the outside linebacker that he will perform the blitz.
1. Defending power formations, power runs and the option with the 3-5-3.
Thomas Cousins
2. Theory behind defending power formations:
• The defense must not get outflanked by formation.
• The linebackers and defensive backs must always check for play-action.
• Inside linebackers bounce everything to the outside.
• Outside linebackers force everything inside.
• Defensive backs come up late on run.
• Defensive linemen must not give up ground on double teams
3. Defending double tight
• This defense considers any type of double tight end formation to be a power formation. Examples include:
4. Double tight end
• Outside linebackers must tighten up to two yards by four yards off the end man on the line of scrimmage.
5 Double tight end double wing
6 Double tight end one back (Moose)
7. Double tight end unbalanced
8. Double tight end overload
9. Defending specific power plays
10. Defending Double Tight Blast
11. Defending Double Tight toss sweep
12. Defending Double Tight wing Blast
13. Defending Double Tight wing
wingback lead
14. Defending Double wing
wingback counter
15. Other options vs. Power formations
16. Tuff
• On occasion versus double tight it may be helpful to bring the Stud linebacker down as a fourth defensive
lineman and play the tuff front.
17. Tuff
18. Goal line
• In short yardage situations, it is sometimes helpful to jump into goal line to add extra defenders to the line of
scrimmage.
19. Goal line vs. double tight
20. Goal line vs. Double Tight Wing
21. Defending the option
• Because the defensive front is always slanting either right or left, the option rules will change depending on
the direction of the slant and the type of option being run.
• This defensive system does have a base set of option responsibilities in place. But as stated earlier they can
and will change.
22. Option rules
• Tackles- If slanting in take dive, if they slant out they take the quarterback.
• Nose- Dive.
• Mike- Dive.
• Sam and Will- Opposite of tackle- if the tackle slants out take dive. If the tackle slants in take the quarterback.
• Stud and Whip- Straight to pitch.
• Free safety- Quarterback to pitch.
• Corners- Pitch (late)
23. Slant strong vs. inside veer
24. Slant weak vs. inside veer
25. In versus inside veer
26. Out versus inside veer
27. Pinch versus inside veer
28. Slant strong versus outside veer
29. Slant weak versus outside veer
30. In versus outside veer
31. Out versus outside veer
32. Pinch versus outside veer
33. Slant strong versus midline
34. Slant weak versus midline
35. In versus midline
36. Out versus midline
37. Pinch versus midline
38. Slant strong versus speed option
39. Slant weak versus speed option
40. In versus speed option
41. Out versus speed option
42. Pinch versus speed option
43. Effective blitzes versus the option
• This defensive scheme is capable of forcing offenses out of the option through the use of pressures that take
away the dive and quarterback at the mesh point.
• The key point in playing the option is for the defense to try and turn every play into toss sweep as quickly as
they can.
• This can only be accomplished by attacking the mesh between the quarterback and fullback.
• Attacking the mesh is the focal point in defending the option with the 3-5-3 defense.
44. In- fire- Sam go
45. Pinch- dog strong
46. Slant weak- Mike go
47. Defending double slot option
Problems double slot formations offer.
• Four vertical pass threat on every play.
• The positions of the slots allow for angles to down block the defensive tackles
• Due to the nature of the formation, misdirection is common.
• The placement of the fullback makes quick hitting plays a problem.
• Very conducive for running the option.
48. Defensive essentials versus double slot formations
• Always honor the four vertical threats.
• Keep the outside linebackers outside of the slots to prevent them from getting blocked down on.
• Stay at home backside to take care of misdirection.
• Do not get out flanked by motion.
• Be disciplined and play option responsibilities correctly.
49. Slant strong versus double slot inside veer
50. Slant weak versus double slot inside veer
51. In versus double slot inside veer
52. Out versus double slot inside veer
53. Pinch versus double slot inside veer
54. Slant strong versus double slot midline
55. Slant weak versus double slot midline
56. In versus double slot midline
57. Out versus double slot midline
58. Pinch versus double slot midline