Safeties blitzing more than ever
Posted: Wednesday October 21, 1998 04:04 PM
Just five years ago, the safety blitz was an occasional call in the NFL.
When I was with the Jets, we blitzed Ronnie Lott 35 percent of the time --
which was unheard of at the time. But today, anything goes -- and a lot of
safeties may blitz that much.
On Monday night, we saw two of the best "new" safeties in the NFL in the
Patriots' Lawyer Milloy
and the Jets' Victor
Green.
Whether they come up to play the run or blitz from the blind side on a pass
rush, these safeties wreak havoc on offenses. Green had 90 tackles in 1997
and Milloy had 82. This year, they should surpass those numbers and add
another 4 to 5 sacks each because they're being turned loose even more.
So how can offenses counter these tactics? Some offensive coordinators will
try to neutralize aggressive safeties by using a "twins" set with two wide
receivers to the same side. This makes it very difficult to blitz the
safety. But if the defense still finds ways to bring him up, the next
option is to open the tight end's alignment -- lining him up as a wideout.
But even that might not stop a guy like Milloy, who will still blitz
inside, leaving the tight end to be covered by a linebacker while he
pressures the quarterback.
Quarterbacks have become so aware of safeties showing blitz at the line of
scrimmage that it'll often cause them to change the play. And when the
safety drops back into coverage, the audible that's just been called is now
the wrong play for the defensive alignment. Basically, the mere presence of
the aggressive safety can disrupt the offensive play-calling.
Perhaps the best way that an offense can burn aggressive safeties is to get
the ball to a talented running back who can bounce a run outside,
especially if the safety gets tied up and containment is broken. But not
every team has that talented running back.
All safeties still have to cover receivers, tight ends, and running backs
in zone and man coverages. But any team that is lucky enough to have a
versatile safety who can do all these things, plus play aggressively at the
line of scrimmage -- that defense has a chance to cause some real problems
for the offense.
Pat Kirwan brings 12 years of NFL front office, coaching and scouting
experience to CNNSI.com and will offer columns throughout the 1998 season.
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