Seven on Seven - How to smoke out the blitz and handle that extra blitzer

      One of the most important things you have to do as a football coach is provide your team with answers to the blitz.  If you learn how to handle pressure, you will literally beg teams to blitz so you can hit them with a back breaking play.
      In a four receiver set with one running back

in protection you can account for six rushers at one time. However, there are times when the defense presents you with seven potential rushers and you are out numbered by one -- maybe. Not if you count the quarterback in your protection.  Here's an example of a blitz by the New Orleans Saints that hit home against Washington for a sack.
      Quarterback Kurt Cousins could not get away from the unblocked safety who came off the left edge.
       There are some things that Cousins could have done to smoke out the blitz and make sure he was protected. One of the things I teach young quarterbacks is that it's your responsibility to make sure that you are protected.  Here are some simple solutions to this play:

1) Move your receivers to figure out who is responsible for coverage.  In this case, I want to know if the defender mugged up on the line of scrimmage inside the slot is a blitzer or if he is a cover guy. Trade the slot over to the other side of the formation.  One of two things will happen.  He will go with the receiver if it's man or he will stay if he is blitzing.  If he stays, another defender will have to go with the receiver or else you will have the defense out numbered three to two.  Either way it's a win-win situation because the offensive line and running back will know which defenders to include in their protection.

2)  Set up a NOW throw. One of the

easiest solutions is to flare the running back to the plus side of the field.  We have always used the back in motion to outnumber the defense and get the ball out of the quarterbacks hands. Throwing the ball to the left against this set up would probably yield a sizeable gain because both defensive backs to the field are more than seven yards off the line of scrimmage and both will have start back pedaling at the snap. It sure beats the alternative of losing 7 to 10 yards on the sack.

3) Move the pocket.  Another solution

when you are outnumbered and out flanked is to roll away from the blitz creating some distance from the unblocked defender. It will also cut down the length of a throw to the wide side of the field.  The running back will help set a firm edge with the play side tackle. The rest of the offensive lineman work to their play side gap while not allowing any run through.  I like a deep comeback by the number one receiver in this situation with number two running a clear out and a shallow coming underneath.  The quarterback is instructed to put the ball outside where no defender will have a chance and if it doesn't look good run for whatever he can get.

4) Move the running back where you need him.  The quarterback has to put his blocker in the best possible position to succeed. If the protection remains a man to man protection with the linemen accounting for the five rushers at the line of scrimmage, the back filling the gap inside the right guard then it's much easier for him to make the block if he is on the same side.  I like using the crossing action to simulate the same flow as inside zone but will drop that window dressing to make sure that we get the pass off.  One other benefit of moving the running back is that it clears the quarterback's throwing window and helps him keep tabs on the unblocked rusher.  In this picture, the offense has accounted for six rushers including the safety (#32) posing as a mike linebacker.  The seventh rusher (#31) who ultimately makes the sack belonged to the quarterback.  So, it's up to him to think about what he is going to do when that guy comes. Sometimes, I tell our quarterback to be ready to buy some time if the unblocked man does blitz.  Most of the time, if he is successful in eluding that rusher a big play will result because our receivers are working against man-to-man coverage.