Panthers find little success when blitzing

[R0CKnR0LLA]

I'd like to see the % of 1st downs gained when we blitz on 3rd down. If you get pressure and force the QB to throw the ball away or dump it off short of the 1st then the blitz is working. The sack total is almost irrelevant in that regard.

From what I saw, the last 10 games or so our blitz was pretty effective.

[CRA]

Isn't the concept of a 4-3 Defense to be a bend don't break attitude? I thought that it is a much more play your position and be there to make the play as opposed to a 3-4 Defense with blitz packages that are suppossed to generate mass confusion for the offense.

4-3 Defenses, IMO, don't have to generate Sacks as much as a 3-4 due to the fact everyone really plays their position. In the 3-4, some guys are out of position trying to make the BIG play and can get burned if it isn't not successful.

in regards to LBs, 4-3's don't generate the sack production of a 3-4. But just pure sacks from a defense, I don't see why a 4-3 would be believed to generate less?

[brandon_87]

Fox's defense always focus around the front 4 to get the job.......gonna be a long year for the defense.

why is that?

[Retemnav]

why is that?

Because they'll be playing 19 games this year?

[panthers55]

I think we may also need to come up with more creative blitzing schemes. I think the blizting we've done up to this point is pretty vanilla which is why they're so frequently picked up.

We have a winner!! First of all blitzing on third down doesn't fool anyone. That is when everyone blitzes. To be effective on third down blitzes you have to do several things. First of all you need to not telegraph the blitz like we do. The easy thing to pick up for a quarterback is a blitz when they can see who is coming. They simply call a hot read to the receiver who occupies the space just vacated by the blitzer. Second you need to sometimes mix up the secondary. We play a vanilla Tampa 2 behind the blitz which is easy to defeat because with the blitzer leaving a hole in the defense it is easy to pick apart. PLus the quarterback can call an audible once theyknow you are in cover 2 and they can see the holes. That is why teams that play a strict Tampa 2 rarely blitz. On the other hand teams like the Eagles often play man under when they blitz. That way the receivers and hot reads have someone on them off the line which makes the quarterback hold the ball longer allowing the blitz to get there. You aren't trying to defend for 5 seconds in the secondary just for 2 or 3 seconds which man can do effectively. It is easy to beat a cover 2 by simply flooding a zone with 2 receivers going high low for example on an out and the running back going into the flat. Against man they are all picked up.

The other thing we need to do is stop rushing straight ahead. Teams that blitz well do stunts, twists and shifts stemming your line or the defensive secondary.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4448493_run-stunt-football.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_4712_run-football-defense.html

http://football.about.com/od/howtoplaycoach/a/Disguising_Coverage.htm

I know this is very elementary but there are easily things to do which would make up more effective. And if you can find it on the internet it isn't exactly rocket science.

[CatMan72]

Isn't the concept of a 4-3 Defense to be a bend don't break attitude? I thought that it is a much more play your position and be there to make the play as opposed to a 3-4 Defense with blitz packages that are suppossed to generate mass confusion for the offense.

4-3 Defenses, IMO, don't have to generate Sacks as much as a 3-4 due to the fact everyone really plays their position. In the 3-4, some guys are out of position trying to make the BIG play and can get burned if it isn't not successful.

43 is not necessarily bend don't break, but the cover 2 or tampon 2 is. At it's most basic level the idea in a 43 is that the DE's will generate most of the pressure while in 34 the OLB's will generate most of the pressure. The Eagles run a 43 defense and are one of the most aggressive blitzing teams in the NFL.

You can get just as creative with blitzing in a 43 as you can in a 34. You can drop DE's into coverage and send LB's or you can drop LB's into coverage and send safeties. The idea is to make it difficult for the offense to read who is coming pre-snap. I may be wrong about this, but when we blitz we usually do it with an OLB and that's pretty basic stuff for an NFL offense to pick up.

[panthers55]

Isn't the concept of a 4-3 Defense to be a bend don't break attitude? I thought that it is a much more play your position and be there to make the play as opposed to a 3-4 Defense with blitz packages that are suppossed to generate mass confusion for the offense.

4-3 Defenses, IMO, don't have to generate Sacks as much as a 3-4 due to the fact everyone really plays their position. In the 3-4, some guys are out of position trying to make the BIG play and can get burned if it isn't not successful.

No a 4-3 is not a bend don't break defense by design. And there are many different types. For example the 4-3 run by Philadelphia is nothing like the 4-3 we run in Carolina.

Plus all 3-4 defenses are not heavy blitzing schemes either. Surely the ones run by the Jets, Baltimore and Pittsburgh are while the NE 3-4 is more of a read and react type 3-4.

Here is a link to the various types if you are interested.

http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2010/1/26/1269381/which-defensive-scheme-will-the

[KillerKat]

Think it's because we make the blitzs so obvious.

[CatMan72]

We have a winner!! First of all blitzing on third down doesn't fool anyone. That is when everyone blitzes. To be effective on third down blitzes you have to do several things. First of all you need to not telegraph the blitz like we do. The easy thing to pick up for a quarterback is a blitz when they can see who is coming. They simply call a hot read to the receiver who occupies the space just vacated by the blitzer. Second you need to sometimes mix up the secondary. We play a vanilla Tampa 2 behind the blitz which is easy to defeat because with the blitzer leaving a hole in the defense it is easy to pick apart. PLus the quarterback can call an audible once theyknow you are in cover 2 and they can see the holes. That is why teams that play a strict Tampa 2 rarely blitz. On the other hand teams like the Eagles often play man under when they blitz. That way the receivers and hot reads have someone on them off the line which makes the quarterback hold the ball longer allowing the blitz to get there. You aren't trying to defend for 5 seconds in the secondary just for 2 or 3 seconds which man can do effectively. It is easy to beat a cover 2 by simply flooding a zone with 2 receivers going high low for example on an out and the running back going into the flat. Against man they are all picked up.

The other thing we need to do is stop rushing straight ahead. Teams that blitz well do stunts, twists and shifts stemming your line or the defensive secondary.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4448493_run-stunt-football.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_4712_run-football-defense.html

http://football.about.com/od/howtoplaycoach/a/Disguising_Coverage.htm

I know this is very elementary but there are easily things to do which would make up more effective. And if you can find it on the internet it isn't exactly rocket science.

Exactly... successful blitzing has several components, it's not all about the guy coming on the blitz.

[CRA]

why is that?

Um, b/c Fox's defense always rely on the front 4....this is the weakest one he has ever had in Carolina and by a pretty significant margin. In addition, to that.....Fox doesnt' blitz well......so that means that secondary full of guys who aren't really great in coverage under good conditions(Harris, Godfrey, Marshall)....will be picked apart.

[pantherclaw]

I'd like to see the % of 1st downs gained when we blitz on 3rd down. If you get pressure and force the QB to throw the ball away or dump it off short of the 1st then the blitz is working. The sack total is almost irrelevant in that regard.

From what I saw, the last 10 games or so our blitz was pretty effective.

I agree.

Also the best blitz is a well timed one.

[pantherclaw]

Um, b/c Fox's defense always rely on the front 4....this is the weakest one he has ever had in Carolina and by a pretty significant margin. In addition, to that.....Fox doesnt' blitz well......so that means that secondary full of guys who aren't really great in coverage under good conditions(Harris, Godfrey, Marshall)....will be picked apart.

We currently have the weakest front 4 based on what? The fact you don't know what our group is capable of doing? Fox & Meeks obviously feel pretty good about our young guys.

Do I think we have the best front 4? No...but to say they are the weakest before even seeing them play as a unit on the field, is just you talking out of your ass. Then again, that is all you do.

[CRA]

We currently have the weakest front 4 based on what? The fact you don't know what our group is capable of doing? Fox & Meeks obviously feel pretty good about our young guys.

Do I think we have the best front 4? No...but to say they are the weakest before even seeing them play as a unit on the field, is just you talking out of your ass. Then again, that is all you do.

ok name a DL under Fox you think could be argued as weaker?

[pantherclaw]

ok name a DL under Fox you think could be argued as weaker?

You missed the point. I'm not surprised. Keep on beating your drum with nothing but you opion to back it up.