3-5 by Vinny Fazio

THE 3-5 DEFENSE: SIMPLY
AGGRESSIVE
Simplifying your scheme to get your

defense to play fast and aggressive
by Vinny Fazio
All photos in this book, including the front cover one, used with
permission from Mr. Roberto Allende, Victor Valley Community
Sports
Copyright © 2018 Eight Laces
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced

without the expressed, written consent of Eight Laces Consulting
or Coach Fazio. You can reach Chris at Eight Laces Consulting at
[email protected].
ISBN-13: 978-1986352338
ISBN-10: 1986352331
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Who is Coach Fazio? 4
Welcome to the 35 Book 6
Chapter 1 Background on the 3-5………….. 7

Chapter 2 Why the 3-5 …………………… 13
Chapter 3 Core Values …………………… 17
Chapter 4 Defensive Positions …………… 25
Chapter 5 Base Alignments ……………… 31
Chapter 6 Defensive Line Play …………… 37
Chapter 7 Linebacker Play ………………… 51
Chapter 8 Safety Play ……………………… 63
Chapter 9 Corner Play ……………………… 73
Chapter 10 Blitz Package …………………… 79
Chapter 11 Coverage Package ……………… 111
Chapter 12 Practice Schedule ……………….. 123
Chapter 13 Calling The Defense ……………. 125
Chapter 14 Handling the Empty Formation 129
Chapter 15 Handling RPO (Run Pass Options) 131
Chapter 16 Handling Trips ………………… 133
Chapter 17 Handling the Pro-Style Offense 135
Chapter 18 Handling Goal Line ……........... 137
Chapter 19 Defensive Terms ………………. 139
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4 THE 3-5 DEFENSE: SIMPLY AGGRESSIVE
WHO IS COACH
VINNY FAZIO?
Follow him on Twitter: @VFaz31
Coach Fazio spent 2014-16 as the Head Coach at

Ramona High in Southern California. At Ramona, Coach
Fazio took over a program averaging 1.8 wins per season
over the previous 10 years and led one of the most
impressive turnarounds in recent memory. The Rams
went 15-5-1 in Coach's final two seasons, the best 2-year
record at the school in over 20 years. Ramona was
consistently ranked in the top-10 in the CIF, reaching as
high as #1 in the polls.
THE 3-5 DEFENSE: SIMPLY AGGRESSIVE 5
Coach Fazio was named 2012 Newcomer Coach

of the Year by the San Bernardino Sun for leading
Eisenhower to their first CBL Championship in 12 years.
In 2013 he led Murrieta Valley to a 6-4 record in the
difficult Southwestern League.
As an assistant, Coach Fazio had stops at San

Jacinto High School and Carter High School, both of
which made appearances in the CIF Semi-Finals during
his tenure. As the defensive coordinator at Carter High,
Coach Fazio's group led the CIF in defense in 2010 and
2011.
Coach Fazio spent four seasons as the Linebacker

Coach at the University of Redlands, during which time
the Bulldogs finished in the top 10 in the nation in overall
defense three times. Redlands won the SCIAC
Championship in 2007 and fielded the Nation's #1
defense in 2008.
As a player, Coach Fazio was All-CIF and All-

Southern California at Fontana High School before
moving on to Claremont College where he was All-
Conference three times and a 3rd-team All-American his
Senior year.
Coach Fazio married his wife Jennie in 2010.

They have one son, Luca.
COACH FAZIO WELCOMES

YOU TO THE 3-5 BOOK
CHAPTER 1
BACKGROUND
ON THE 3-5
THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING

GREAT
My dad, Skip Fazio, was the Defensive

Coordinator at Fontana High School (Fontana, CA) from
1979 through 1998. During that time period the Steelers
were one of a very small handful of teams that could lay
claim to being the best defensive team in all of High
School Football. In 1987 Fontana won the National
Championship with a 14-0 mark. That defense recorded 8
shutouts in a 14-0 season including shutting out Fountain
Valley 21-0 to win the CIF Big 5 Title. The Steelers
again won the State and CIF Big 5 Championships in
1989, another 14-0 campaign.
The Steelers were a famously nasty bunch known

for their ferocity and toughness more than for their size
and speed. If a player got a penalty, he would take his
helmet off on the field and another player would slap him
as hard as he could in the face. This was not seen as being
inappropriate or strange at all in Steeler Stadium. It was a
different kind of place. The Steelers were also a notorious
50 team. Playing 50-slant with a base cover 3 the Steelers
did a little blitzing and had a few coverage wrinkles but
mostly they lined up and dared you to stand up to them
and try to make yards. Few did either.
I was honored to earn a starting job at Strong

Safety in 1997-98 and by then the opening of new
schools and changing demographics of the Fontana
community had made the Steelers, while still formidable,
less of a national power and more of a local contender.
This was also the time when, as the talent and to some
extent the nastiness started to plane off, Skip began to
experiment with new defensive front and coverage
combinations.
THE 3-5 IS BORN
In the year 2000 Skip took over as the Defensive

Coordinator at San Bernardino Valley College (San
Bernardino, CA), and in 2002 I was able to recruit him
away to be the Defensive Coordinator for my college
team at Claremont-Mudd (Claremont, CA).
At Claremont, running a combination of the 3-5

and the Bear, we went from fifth out of seven teams in
the conference defensive rankings to first in Skip’s first
season. The Stag defense led us to a 13-5 record over
Skip’s two years at Claremont-Mudd; the best two-year
stretch in over twenty years. The defense also finished
ranked #1 in total defense both seasons, something that

had never happened in back to back seasons in school
history. I graduated after the 2003 season and became the
strong safeties coach there in 2004.
We struggled.
It’s funny because you learn the most when things

aren’t going well. As we suffered through an extremely
long, difficult season we learned more about or defensive
identity and package than we ever learned in the years
where we were stopping everyone. This is when we really
started to decide what our main values were. (More on
the core values of this defense a little later.)
IMPROVING THE BULLDOGS
FROM 6th TO 1st
Skip took over as the Defensive Coordinator at

the University of Redlands (Redlands, CA) in 2005 and I
joined him in 2006. The year before Skip took over
(2004), the Bulldogs finished dead last in the Southern
California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC)
in Total Defense and sixth out of seven in Scoring
Defense.
In 2005, Redlands finished third in the conference

in Total Defense. In 2006 and 2007 we finished first in
the conference in Total Defense; from sixth to first in just
two seasons. In 2008 we led the entire NCAA Division
3, in defense. From 2007-2009 we were consistently in
the top 5 in the Nation in Scoring and Total Defense, and
in the top two in Run Defense while playing the version
of the 3-5-3 that is in this book.
After Skip and I left Redlands (I needed to make

some money and couldn’t do it as a small college
assistant), Joey Mariani, a Linebacker for Skip on the
1987 Fohi team, took over and has run a similar package
ever since. Redlands continues to be one of the top
defensive teams in the West.
TAKING THE 3-5 TO THE HIGH SCHOOL

LEVEL
In 2010 I accepted the job as the Defensive

Coordinator at Carter High School (Rialto, CA) and we
adapted our 3-5 for the high school game. The previous
season Carter had surrendered over 30 points per game.
In our first season we dropped that number to 11.9 points
per game. In 2011 we led the California Interscholastic
Federation Southern Section Division, (about 50 schools)

in Scoring Defense, giving up just 10.2 points per game
and winning Carter’s first ever League Championship.
We have continued playing the 3-5 (modified for

high school players) through my head coaching stops,
winning a League Championship at Eisenhower High
School (Rialto, CA) and leading to a major program
revival at Ramona High School (Riverside, CA).
MIXING IT UP
We are not exclusively a 3-5 defense. We play

Even Front and Bear, but we are a Base 3-5 team and the
information that is in here is a healthy chunk of our 3-5
package. If you have any questions about our package or
anything else (especially our adjustments, since it’s hard
to answer all of the what-if’s in a short book) please feel
free to contact Skip or myself at any time. My email
address is [email protected]. There are a lot of
good ways to do things, this is just ours. Thanks for
reading!
CHAPTER 2
WHY USE
THE 3-5?
The original reason for the switch to the 3-5 was a

response to the growth of the Spread Offense. As
offenses attempted to get more athletes on the field, we
wanted to follow suit. We also liked the ability to be
balanced. Keeping the overhang strong safeties on their
side of the field prevents us from being put in bad
situations by teams using formation or motion to their
advantage.
Finally, we liked all of the blitz combinations it

provides. One way that we, as a defense, can put the
pressure back on the offense is to attack their protection
and run schemes with our blitz game. By taking the fight
to them we force them to worry about our attack instead
of thinking about ways to plan theirs.
Another thing we liked about the 3-5 is that,

particularly at the small college and high school level, we
feel like the strong safety and Linebacker type of players
are much easier to find than big, tough defensive
linemen. We always felt like we could find 5’10, 180
pound “swing” guys all over the place. It is extremely
difficult to find 6’4, 260 pound “war daddies!” We felt
that the 3-5 allowed us to get our best guys on the field.
Over the years we have made many changes, both

subtle and drastic, to our scheme. Often people ask us

why we do things the way we do them. Our response,
almost always, is “we have tried it the other way and this
way works better for us.” There is really nothing that we
haven’t tried with regards to the 3-5. This is what we’ve
found works best. Obviously, things change based on
your particular talent or skill and the types of opponents
you play, but everything that can be played out of the 3-5
look, we have played.
Watch this video of Coach Fazio answering the

question “Why the 3-5 Defense?”
CHAPTER 3
THE CORE
VALUES
THE CORE VALUES
1. Pursuit
2. Turnovers
3. Tackling
4. Spill and Vertical Defensive Ends
5. Point of Attack Reads
6. Split Verticals in Cover 3
We have six major defensive values. The first three
(pursuit, turnovers and tackling) are overall values that
every single defense must have to be successful. The next
three (spill/vertical defensive ends, point of attack reads
and split verticals in Cover 3) are things that we feel that
we must do well in order for our scheme to be successful.
1. PURSUIT
It is incredibly important to build a culture of
relentless pursuit and hard play. We make a point of this
in every drill we do. We will talk next about the
importance of tackling and turnovers. Pursuit makes your
tackling better. Pursuit creates more turnovers.
It is the hallmark of good defensive football. We

make our kids run to the ball and get a break in every
defensive drill we do, all year. We run with them. We sit
kids if they don’t do it. It is our identity. It is a very hard

culture to build. It is way easier for the kids to take plays
off if the ball goes away from them. It is way easier as
coaches to let this slide. But the only way you can build
an elite defense is to value pursuit. There is no other way.
You must first create the buy-in amongst your

staff. This is harder than it sounds because coaching
pursuit takes a ton of stubbornness. It is harder for the
kids to run hard to the ball every time. Kids will do the
easier thing if given the choice. They will test you over
and over to see if you will relent on this point. You
cannot give them the choice. You can not relent.
Watch Coach Fazio discuss the Pursuit Drill, a

staple of their defense.
2. TURNOVERS
There is, without a doubt, a little bit of luck in the
game of creating turnovers. However, if you create a

culture of effort and a culture that values turnovers, you
are more likely to get them. The first way to do this is by
getting your team to pursue. Relentless pursuit means that
when the ball does pop out, or a pass deflects up, you are
more likely to have a guy there to capitalize. We do
turnover circuits every week during the offseason and
twice a week during the season.
We teach how to strip the ball, catch the ball,

handle the ball, and recover the ball. Coaching turnover
technique helps get them but it also shows the players
that they are valued in your program. For the same
reason, if we have a player in practice who strips out a
fumble or gets an interception we as coaches go crazy for
them.
Positive reinforcement helps to build the culture

of turnover value for the players. You have probably
recently seen the growth of turnover belts, turnover
chains, and turnover planks. These are just fun ways to
emphasize turnovers. They are the difference in the game
most of the time.
3. TACKLING
We begin working on tackling in January and
work on it every time the defense gets together until the
season is over. All football schemes are designed to be
numbers based. The offense tries to get the ball in the
hands of a player with as few defensive guys around him
as possible. The defense tries to get as many guys around
him as possible.
The numbers game changes dramatically if the

defensive guys can’t tackle the offensive guys. This is
why teams like Corona Centennial (a Southern California
teams who is a perennial top twenty program in the
Nation, and usually in the top three or four of California)
are so effective offensively. They don’t have to get plus
numbers; they just have to get even or close to even.
Their number one athlete beats your number one athlete
most of the time. If the best defensive kid can tackle the
best offensive kid, they are more likely to win.
We work hard on tackling and we work on it all

the time. We emphasize pursuit so that if we do miss, we
hope to get other guys there to cover for us.
4. SPILL AND SPLATTER DEFENSIVE

ENDS
One of the most important principles of our
defense is our hard spill defensive ends. We never give
our End or Forcer contain on the run. We call this Force.
For us, we use contain to mean keeping the

Quarterback inside on pass plays and Force to mean
keeping the run play from getting around the corner. Our
Forcer and End will have contain, but will never have
force.
If they get an inside-zone, down, or pull read,

their job is to sprint down the line and catch anything
from the back side. If a kick out blocker shows up in their
face they want to use their shoulder and explode through
his inside number making the ball spill outside to our
strong side players and cutting off any other pullers.
5. POINT OF ATTACK READS

The Point of Attack Read is one that allows us to
be ultra-aggressive on run plays while still maintaining
gap integrity. The Linebacker will start off each play by
reading a lineman (usually his Guard, or Running Back to
guard for the Mike). When that Guard gives us a run read
(down, inside/outside zone, pull) then our eyes will go to

our key at the point of attack.
At the point of attack, we have what is essentially

a “color in the hole” rule. The main difference between
this color in the hole rule and the typical usage of that
term is that we are actually looking for our players’ color.
For example, if the Sam Backer reads an outside

zone from the Guard, he knows that his point of attack is
the play side Forcer. He will run hard downhill and see if
the Forcer plays vertical on the Offensive Tackle (C gap)
or goes backside of the Offensive Tackle (B gap).
Whichever lane the down guy is in, the Sam will

run as hard as he can through the opposite lane creating
vertical security and allowing us to go fast enough to beat
most combo blocks.
6. SPLITTING 4 VERTICALS WITH OUR

CORNERS
One of the main spots that our opponents attempt
to attack is our base Cover 3 look. The book on single-
high Safety is to attempt to throw four verticals. We
counter that, in part, by splitting verticals with our
corners. By aligning our Corners three yards inside the
widest wide receiver, and having them key the

Quarterback we are able to get help from them on both
inside seam routes and outside fade routes. Our deep
three, with the help of hard dropping Linebackers to
make the throw high, can take away four verticals.
CHAPTER 4
DEFENSIVE
POSITIONS
Watch Coach Fazio discuss personnel.
THE NOSE GUARD
The Nose position is the primary interior line

position. The Nose must have good size and strength to
take on double teams and the run game. The Nose will
often be asked to slant or penetrate the gap making
quickness an essential element for great play.
THE END/FORCER
The End must be the most athletic of the front

three defensive line positions. The ability to edge rush
and pursue to the football are vital to the position. Size
and strength are still very important as the End must still
effectively play the run. The Forcer is similar to the end
but lines up to the strong side. He is typically the bigger
and stronger of the two defensive ends.
THE WILL LINEBACKER
Hybrid position with mostly Outside Linebacker

play. Depending on front called and opponent formation,
will become the weak side safety to play “out in space”.
Must be able to cover wide receivers man to man as well
as make all tackles on the perimeter run to his side. Must
be a consistent and disciplined player as he is responsible
for COBRA on many plays.
THE SAM LINEBACKER
Inside Linebacker to “strong” side of offensive

formation. Responsible for getting huddle (or muddle
huddle) organized before each play. Must give offensive
situation to players before Mike Backer makes defensive
call. Knowledge of opponent is usually highest on team.
Must be able to take on blockers and make tackles at the
line of scrimmage against some of the best running backs
in the country. Will typically be one of the top tacklers
on the defense. Will be asked to play consistent and
disciplined zone as well as cover running backs man to
man on pass.
THE MIKE LINEBACKER
The Middle Linebacker. One of the defensive

“Quarterbacks,” he is responsible for getting the call from
the sideline and calling the defense in the huddle. He is
also responsible for making all front stem calls and
checks. Must be able to play man to man vs running
backs in certain covers as well as make one-on-one
tackles on the best running backs in the country. The
Mike Backer will typically have one of the highest
performance ratios in every game and be one of the top
tacklers.
THE BULLDOG
Hybrid position with mostly Strong Safety

responsibilities. Will be called upon to become an
Outside Linebacker or Free Safety in some fronts,
coverages, or adjustments. Is responsible for making
formation strength calls and most formation adjustments.
Will be one of the most knowledgeable players each
week about our opponent’s offense. Typically has one of
the highest performance ratios each week.
THE HERO
Hybrid position with mostly Strong Safety

responsibilities. Aligns away from the Bulldog except in
man covers with 3x1 formation. Will be called upon to
become an Outside Linebacker or Free Safety in some
fronts, coverages, or adjustments. Is responsible for
making some formation adjustments.
THE CORNER
Lines up over the farthest outside eligible player

most of the time (except in “Switch” alignment with
Bulldog or Hero). A successful corner must have the
ability to stop a receiver with very little help on pass
routes and be able to get off of blocks to help stop the run
on any perimeter attack. Corners use speed, quickness
and courage to their advantage and are often ranked at the
top of the team in speed and performance ratio.
THE FREE SAFETY
One of the “Quarterbacks” of the defense. The

Free Safety must check our defense into the correct
coverage versus any offensive formation. Also, the Free
Safety must have the range (number to number) and
toughness to make a majority of the defensive “big”

plays. Many times the last line of defense, the Free
Safety must “make plays” in order for the defense to meet
its goals.
CHAPTER 5
BASE
ALIGNMENTS
DEFENSIVE ALIGNMENT NUMBERING

AND GAP LETTERING SYSTEM
RECEIVER NUMBERING SYSTEM

Eligible Receivers are numbered from outside to
inside. Running Backs can be different numbers (2, 3, or
4) to each side depending upon how many Receivers are
outside.
Zone drops for under covers are determined by

five factors*:
1. Quarterback drop (three or five step drop back,

sprint-out, or play-action).
2. Coverage called.
3. Blitz Package
4. Pass Key release and stem (inside, outside, on

or behind line of scrimmage).
5. Ball in the air.
*Blitzes will always change pass responsibilities. Know

what the adjustments are for every stunt.
BASIC PASS DROP UNDER ZONES

BASE 3 ALIGNMENTS
FORCER (F)
6 technique on strong side with his inside hand down in a
slight tilt
END (E)
6 technique on weak side with his inside hand down in a
slight tilt
NOSE (N)
0 technique - Head up the center in a 3 or a 4 point stance
SAM (S)
60 technique, stacked behind the F on the strong side
WILL (W)
60 technique, stacked behind the E on the weak side
MIKE (M)
00 technique, stacked behind the N in the middle
BULLDOG (B)
Aligns to strong side, if there is a single Wide Receiver or
no Wide Receiver, he aligns 4x4 off of the end man on

the LOS. If there are two wide receivers, he aligns 6x1
inside the #2 wide receiver
HERO (H)
Aligns to the weak side. If there is a single wide receiver
or no wide receiver, he aligns 4x4 off of the end man on
the LOS. If there are two wide receivers, he aligns 6x1
inside the #2 wide receiver.
CORNERS (C)
5 x 3 inside the widest wide receiver.
This may seem like it is way inside, however we do that
so he is able to split four verticals and help on both the
seam and fade in Cover 3
FREE SAFETY (FS)

With his heels at 9 yards, the FS will split the widest two
Wide Receivers without leaving the Tight End box on
either side
CHAPTER 6
DEFENSIVE
LINE PLAY
The next few sections will discuss the different

position groups in terms of their alignment and their
assignments within our scheme.
ALIGNMENT
The Forcer aligns in a six technique to the strong

side of the offensive formation. The Nose aligns in a
zero. The End aligns in a six technique to the weak side
of the formation. These alignments can change for
adjusted defenses. For example, if we want the Forcer
and End to line up in five techniques (head up) we will
call 3-Tight. But in our Base 3 defense they are in sixes
and a zero.
ASSIGNMENT
We have four techniques we use in our defensive

package: Hit Technique, Slant Technique, Read
Technique, Go Technique. Every technique has a
purpose. That purpose can be to either create movement
and penetration, gap penetration, or an up-field charge to
rush the passer. Each technique requires the Defensive
Linemen to establish a pre-snap visual and pressure point.
A Visual Point is what tells the Defensive Lineman
whether the play is run or pass and what type of blocking
scheme the offense is using. The Pressure Point is the

player, or players, attempting to block the defensive
lineman before and after the ball is snapped.
In Hit Technique, our purpose is to control our

man and then gain penetration. The visual we discuss
here we call ½ of a man. It means we are going to strike
and read the shoulder of offensive lineman.
In Slant Technique, we want to create movement

that will lead to penetration. As we slant, our visual
becomes the number of the offensive lineman that we are
slanting to.
Read Technique is similar to Hit Technique but

instead of attacking half a man, we are attacking the V of
the neck. This is usually because the lineman performing
Read Technique is aligned in a heads-up alignment (zero
or five) instead of in a gap or on the edge. The goal here
is still man-control to penetration. The defensive lineman
wants to strike towards the V of the Neck and aim to
strike the offensive lineman at a point behind his head.
We want to move the line of scrimmage backwards here.
If we have determined it to be a pass situation, we

may give the defensive lineman a “Go” call. Go
technique means that the Defensive Linemen do not have

responsibility for run and can immediately get in a pass
rush mode. They want to perform their pass rush
technique on half of the man and try to blow by him with
their initial get-off.
Our base technique is Hit Technique. Once we

have taught that, we teach the adjustments for the other
techniques. The following is the stance and assignment
rules in more depth for Hit Technique followed by some
of the adjustments we make when we play our other
techniques.
STANCE (HIT TECHNIQUE)
A. RIGHT-HANDED AND LEFT-HANDED

STANCES
It is important for the Defensive Lineman to be
able to use both his right and left hand in his stance. The
hand closest to the man he is shading should be down.
The term Hand to the Man!
B. FEET SHOULDER WIDTH APART

This places a Defensive Lineman in an athletic
position in his stance.
C. INSIDE FOOT BACK

The toe of the foot back should be to the instep or
heel of the front foot. The hand that is down should be
the same as the foot that is back. Hands and feet tied
together.
D. KEEP THE SHOULDERS SQUARE

It is important that his shoulders stay square in his
stance so that when he comes off the ball he remains
square to the line of scrimmage.
E. KEEP THE BACK FLAT

It is crucial to keep his back flat in a hit stance
because it insures a low get off. If the Offensive
Lineman’s butt sinks he will raise up out of his stance
and if his butt is too high, he will lose his power.
F. DOWN HAND FINGERTIPS ON THE

GROUND AND OUT IN FRONT
This will allow a Defensive Lineman to get off the
ball faster than if they were just on the knuckles. It also
allows a Defensive Lineman to put more weight towards
the line of scrimmage than if he were in a two-point
stance. A Defensive Lineman’s hand should be placed
out in front of him in order to better distribute his weight.
G. KEEP THE HEAD SLIGHTLY UP

Allowing the Defensive Lineman to see the V of
the neck and more importantly keep the helmet/head out
of contact.
H. WEIGHT SLIGHTLY FORWARD

The weight should be distributed 60/40 to the
front of his body. This forces the Defensive Linemen
straight forward out of his stance.
I. OFF HAND READY TO STRIKE

The offhand of a Defensive Lineman should be
ready to strike the numbers of a Defensive Lineman.
ATTACK AND ASSIGNMENT
(HIT TECHNIQUE)
A. EXPLODE
a. Six-inch power step with both feet almost

simultaneously, the step should be straight ahead.
b. Run the feet with short choppy steps;

continually keep them moving while engaged with a
blocker.
B. BUST ‘EM
a. Explode using the hips, roll the hips through.
C. SHOOT THE HANDS
a. Thumbs up, the elbows should be in.
b. Lock out the arms by bench pressing the

offensive lineman away from the body create space and
use his shoulder pads as a steering wheel.
D. REACT AND PENETRATE
a. Feel the pressure from the Offensive Line
b. Dip appropriate shoulder and get vertical

penetration
E. SPILL AND SPLATTER
See the description in the defensive values. We

drill this every single day and it is a hard adjustment for
many ends. Particularly because most of their life they
are used to having force on run plays their way. We never
give the Defensive End force on the run. Ever. We want
them to spill and cut off kick out blocks. We want them
to catch the ball from the backside on run away.
ADJUSTMENTS FOR:
SLANT TECH
Use same stance, yet distribute weight more

evenly to allow for a 45-degree angle step either
direction. Focus is on movement and penetration only.
Avoid contact w/ Offensive Line.
READ TECH
Use same stance, put comfortable hand down in

head up alignment. Focus is on avoiding stalemate by
taking a side and penetrating quickly.
GO TECH
Stance should be narrow, 90% of weight should

be forward. Focus is on pass set of Offensive Line.
PASS RUSH
One of the keys to our success over the years has

been our ability to rush the Quarterback. At the
University of Redlands, we were consistently in the top 5
in the Nation in sacks and led the Nation in that category
in 2008.
At Carter High School we led the State of

California in sacks in 2011. We take pride in our blitz
package and its ability to create pressure, however the
bread and butter of any pressure package is the ability of
the Defensive Linemen to get to the Quarterback.
KEY EMPHASIS AIMING POINTS
It is the Defensive Lineman’s job to get to the

Quarterback and create pressure. We do that by getting to
our aiming points and disrupting the Quarterback’s
vision, causing hesitation, leading to possible sack,
knockdown or interception. Pass rushing is a group effort.
All rushers must focus on their aiming points to achieve
success. We must have great push up the middle as well
as containment by the outside rushers to achieve
maximum pressure of Quarterback.
The Nose Guard’s aiming point on a pass rush is

not to get outside either of the numbers on the
Quarterback’s jersey. It is very important that the Nose
does not vacate the middle as this opens up throwing
lanes and, against mobile Quarterbacks, makes us
susceptible to a scramble up the middle.
The middle push out of the Nose is also what

allows our edge rushes to have more likelihood of

success. With Kenny Clark at Carter he got several sacks
of his own. But he made the edge rushers way better
because he prevented the scramble and collapsed the
pocket allowing them to get home.
For the End and Forcer, the aiming point is the

near shoulder of the Quarterback. The End and Forcer do
have contain on the pass so they cannot allow the
Quarterback to get outside of them. A Quarterback
running outside our contain is a major problem for any
defense. This allows for cheap scramble yardage, but
more dangerously the Quarterback can buy time to throw
the ball down the field. Because the End and Forcer have
contain, they can counter inside but must make sure they
are always able to get to that shoulder of the Quarterback.
We tell them that they must be even with the Quarterback
before countering inside.
PASS RUSH PROGRESSION
Some key points of emphasis: down and distance,

aiming points, work half man, stay at Quarterback depth,
always keep momentum going towards the Quarterback.
The edge rushers have to know the defense and the blitz.
Especially when there is a guy coming off the edge to

their side. If another defensive player is coming off the
edge outside on a blitz, the defensive end no longer has
contain responsibilities. It is also important that the end
doesn’t run too far outside with an edge blitz coming. We
want to put pressure on the offensive tackle and not run
into each other by both being in the same lane.
On a three step drop the defensive lineman wants to

drive his man back into the Quarterback. Often it is
difficult to get a sack on a three step drop, so the goal is
to disrupt Quarterback vision by staying in pass rush lane
and throwing inside hand or both hands up for possible
knockdown.
On a 5-step drop we have a better chance to get to

the Quarterback for a sack. If it’s a pass situation the
Defensive Line should already have one move in mind
with counter move ready. We want to get the Offensive
Lineman’s shoulders turned perpendicular to the line of
scrimmage before we make our counter. Speed rush
outside shoulder for outside guys, aligned shoulder for
inside guys, maintaining the proper aiming point.
ALWAYS RUSH ½ A MAN.
On a sprint out towards the Forcer/End, they are

almost always going to get a reach block. We want to

fight to the outside and get up field to cut of the
Quarterback’s path and make him pull up sooner to create
a sack for the backside rushers. The sprint-out can be a
challenge because we want the Forcer/End to keep
contain. We do have a method of secondary contain
(what we call a Linebacker Boom) that helps us keep
contain if the Quarterback breaks outside. The Boom is
where the outside Linebacker breaks out of coverage and
attacks the Quarterback. We want to get him pulled up
and not allow the Quarterback to prolong the play or run
for yards. The edge rusher needs to be aware of a
potential secondary block by fullback or tailback. On
Sprint Out away the backside end should get as deep as
deepest back and look to make sack with relentless
backside pursuit.
The final thing the Defensive Line needs to be aware

of in a pass situation is the potential for Screen/Draw. We
work hard to train our players to read through the
influence block by Offensive Line and recognize the
continuous Quarterback’s drop step. The only way to get
good at this is to do it a ton of times. We rep this all the
time in our individual and group settings and guys get
better as they play more. Once they recognize
Screen/Draw they should retrace their steps and look for

Running Back or Receiver. In the instance of a screen,
Nose continues to Quarterback while other Defensive
Line retrace.
CHAPTER 7
LINEBACKER
PLAY
LINEBACKER ALIGNMENTS
CALL PROGRESSION
About 2009 we stopped huddling on defense. The
defensive huddle is kind of a thing of the past now. The
way we get the call is through what we call a muddle
huddle. The Corners stay outside and the Free Safety
stays deep. The rest of the players have to sort of muddle
in the middle of the field. If the offense is not going too
fast, we require everyone on the defense to look to the
sideline to get the call. Once the offense gets in their
formation, we can get aligned. The Linebackers are
responsible to get the call and make sure everyone has it.
They will get the call and repeat it to the front guys. The
faster the offense is going, the more this responsibility
falls on the Linebackers. We don’t ask our Defensive
Line to look over if the offense is set and ready to go at a
hurry-up tempo.
MIKE
The Mike (or other) will make the call in the

middle. After each play he will look to the Defensive
Coordinator for the next signal. One of his most
important jobs is to get us in and out of the muddle as
quickly and efficiently as possible. The Mike is

responsible for making the calls at the line of scrimmage
with regards to the slant, Eagle, and blitzes. The
Defensive Line will call the stunts themselves.
The Mike’s base alignment is a 00 technique, 3-5

yards off the ball depending of the run-pass situation.
With all of our Linebackers we use a concept that we call
“intelligent alignment.” This means that they can move
over to the right or left to align themselves based on our
opponent’s strength of formation or wide/short side of the
field. We don’t want them to move too radically, but if
the Mike is in a 10 instead of a 00 due to field spacing or
formation, we are ok with that so long as he has a solid
reason for doing it.
WILL
Once the team is out of the huddle, it is the

responsibility of the Will to make the backfield set call.
(I-backs, split backs, single back, gun, etc).
SAM
The Sam will often make the calls at the line of

scrimmage if the Mike is out of the game. They have to
call the movement of the defensive front and often times

will make the decision on which side we want to stunt to.
These calls will be based on our game plan for the
individual game. All Mike/Sam backers should be ready
to make these calls.
LINEBACKER MOVEMENT CALLS
SLANT – (R/L)
The Defensive Line will slant one man over

reading the man they’re slanting to.
EAGLE (R/L)
The Defensive Line will slide to a gap. It is still

their responsibility to move the LOS.
The calls for slant and eagle can be anything that

dictate right and left. Ringo/Lucky, Roger/Larry,
Ray/Lou, Rose/Lily are all good options that we’ve used
at one point or another.
OVER/UNDER
We also have a number of stunt and blitz calls.

When we stunt and/or blitz we will go either strong or
weak. For these defenses we want to have calls that

dictate strong or weak.
LINEBACKER ASSIGNMENTS
DEFENDING THE RUN
GUARD READS
The Linebacker will most often begin the play by

reading the guard on his side. Occasionally we will ask
the Mike to read the step of the Running Back to the
guard. If he is not comfortable making this read, we have
him pick a guard. As far as the guard read is concerned,
we must be aware that there are basically five things that
the guard can do, three base run reads and two alarm
reads.
DOWN BLOCK
Point of Attack goes to the play side End for the

Sam and Will. The Mike will always POA the Nose on
run plays.
INSIDE ZONE
Point of Attack goes to the Nose or inside lineman

or we perform what we call a “stack” technique which is
basically just a short inside shuffle looking for a run-

through lane to open up.
It is important to notice the difference between the

inside zone and the down block. With the inside zone, the
Guard is trying to zone block the Nose Guard, usually for
a run play away or for a straight inside zone play.
On the down block, the Guard is trying to control

the Nose Guard, and possibly eventually get off to the
backside Linebacker. The play is probably
blast/iso/power/counter to the play side.
The easiest way to determine the difference as a

reader is to see pad-level and shoulder turn. On a down
block, the Guard’s shoulders will turn more and he will
keep his pad level down attempting to get movement on
the Lineman off to the backer. On Inside Zone the Guard
will keep his shoulders more square and his pad level will
be higher as he and the Center attempt to control the
down guy and determine who will combo up to the next
Linebacker. This determination takes a lot of film and
practice reps but isn’t that challenging once the player
has seen it a lot.
OUTSIDE ZONE
Point of Attack goes to play side end and we run

through as quickly as possible.
ALARM READS
PULL
Mike point-of-attack reads the Center and runs through,

usually the front-side A-gap. Sams and Wills stack on a
Pull read looking for an inside lane to open or possibly to
help on the Quarterback if he pulls for RPO or counter
read Quarterback run.
PASS BLOCK
Drop, it does not matter what action is going on in

the backfield. If the guard is giving you a high hat read
and setting for pass block then you should begin your
pass drop.
The alarm reads are easily noticed because in

order to perform them the guard has to either go high hat
(helmet comes up, weight shifts back) or horizontal hat
(guard’s helmet and eyes turn horizontally in order for
him to pull).
POINT OF ATTACK READS
We discussed this earlier, however I wanted to

stress a couple of finer points here. The outside
Linebackers in the 3 will always point of attack the
Defensive End on their side if they get a read that dictates
it is a run their way (Outside Zone, Down, Out). They
will always stack if they get a read that indicates it is a
run the other way (Inside Zone, Pull).
If you are running through on a POA it is

important to go full speed and stay downhill. We are
trying to secure all vertical run lanes while going so fast
that the offensive linemen are not ready to block us with
combo blocks. We want to be past them before they have
a chance to combo off.
On the stack technique, we will have different

rules based on what our opponent is trying to do to attack
us. For example, with more mobile running Quarterbacks
we may have our stack Linebacker pay more attention to
the Quarterback. Against an RPO team, we may assign
him to drop to a pass zone or cover a Wide Receiver in
order to control that part of the offense. Against a stud
Running Back, we may have him go more quickly in his
stack to limit the angels that the RB has to make his cuts.
These are game-week adjustments.
The big difference for the Mike Linebacker is that

we will not ask him to stack in the 3 defense. If he gets a
run read, he will always point of attack the Nose. The
only thing he’s looking for is if he’ll be in the front side
A-gap or the backside A-gap. Another nuance that the
Mike can pick up, is on down blocks he does not always
need to bury himself in the A gap. Sometimes on down
blocks the Mike can run through play side B-gap since
the opponent is generally pulling and trying to create
extra lanes on the play side. If the guard is down-
blocking the Nose, we will allow the Mike to go play side
B and then squeeze back vertical to make sure he’s not
burying himself in a gap that isn’t there.
DOUBLE GAP
One of the main things we are trying to avoid is

putting two of our players in the same lane or gap. We
call this a double gap. The double gap is almost always
the fault of the Linebacker. We tell the Defensive
Lineman that he can take either lane as long as he goes
fast. The only mistake the Defensive Linemen can make
is to get tied up with the Offensive Line or to not get

vertical quickly. Short of that, it is the Linebacker’s
responsibility to adjust his run-through lane to the
Defensive Lineman. We want the Defensive Line guys
to be able to play physical and fast with as little thought
process as possible. We’d much rather put the thinking
responsibility on the guys further away from the football.
DEFENDING THE PASS
DROP KEYS
There are four things that dictate the pass drop of
a Linebacker once he reads high-hat pass block.
A. QUARTERBACK: DROP/EYES/RELEASE
It is important to understand the depth of the
Quarterback’s drop as well as where he is looking.
Finally, we need to see when the Quarterback is ready to
release the football.
B. COVERAGE
Once the Linebacker reads pass and begins his
drop he needs to understand the coverage to know where
his drop will take him. Understanding the coverage will
also allow him to know who his pass key is and where his
eyes should go as he drops.
C. PASS KEY
The pass key can be a number of different people,
typically it’s the inside Receiver. The release of that
receiver will let the Linebacker know where he needs to
go as he drops. For example, if the inside Wide Receiver
releases outside, the Linebacker knows that he needs to
get depth and take a good angle to take away the seam. If
the inside Wide Receiver releases inside, then the
Linebacker knows he needs to get his eyes to #1 and be
aware of curl or crossing routes. Also, no Wide Receiver
goes across the middle unmolested so with an inside
release the Linebacker must be ready to get physical with
the Receiver.
D. THE BALL
The ball takes us to our final zone. Where is the
Quarterback throwing? We determine this by looking for
the Quarterback’s eyes and shoulders, and for him to give
us long arm action.
HEAD ON A SWIVEL
As we pass drop, whether we’re taking away the

seam, the hook, or the curl, it is important that we do so
with our head on a swivel. This means we are constantly
looking from our pass key back to the Quarterback back

to our pass key. It is important that we see the key’s
release and where he is settling so we understand our
angle. At the same time, we need to know the depth of
the Quarterback’s drop and where he is looking. We also
need to know when he goes “long arm action.” It is vital
that we work our heads when we drop for pass; however,
it is equally vital that we drop as hard as we possibly can.
LONG ARM ACTION
When the Quarterback wants to throw the ball, he

is going to have to “wind up” to throw it. His shoulder
will raise for a ball down the field and stay down for a
ball in the short/intermediate routes. The key to long arm
action is that the Quarterback will take his front hand off
of the ball to throw it, he has to. When the front hand
comes off, the ball is coming out.
CHAPTER 8
SAFETY PLAY
We consider our two overhang players to be

Strong Safeties. Our deep middle player is our Free
Safety. For the purpose of this book, we will discuss the
safeties all in one section however the Free Safety has
much more in common, practically, with the corners than
he does with the Strong Safety. Because of this, we often
will group the Free Safety with the Corners for our
practices and group meetings. If you have enough
coaches on staff, it is nice to have a separate coach to
work with the Free Safety and separate him from both the
Corners and the Strong Safety.
STANCE AND ALIGNMENT
A good stance is paramount to quick reaction. An

improper stance will almost always cause false steps,
which can delay movement towards your run
responsibility or pass zone. It will also make you more
susceptible to being blocked as you become a stationary
target rather than a dynamic defender.
A great Strong Safety stance incorporates several

key attributes:
• Bent knees “Z’s in the knees”

• Feet at armpit width
• Head up/Bowed Neck
• Shoulders Square
BASE ALIGNMENTS STRONG SAFETY

(BULLDOG/HERO)
The alignments of the Strong Safety and Free

Safety are much more complicated than that of the
Defensive Line or Inside Linebackers so I’ve listed their
alignment rules by bullet point for the purposes of
simplification. They are based on several variables
including the offensive formation, the defensive call, and
the coverage that we are playing. These alignment rules
can also change by game-plan depending on what our
opponent is trying to do and where their key guys line up
on the field. Our base Strong and Free Safety alignment
rules are as follows:
ZONE COVERS
• 4 yards back and 4 yards outside (inside foot up)

to an in-place TE.

when aligning to a Wing.

when aligning to an Offensive Tackle.
• 4 yards back and 1 yard inside (outside foot up)

of a “Slot” receiver who is at least seven yards outside of
the next receiver or Offensive Tackle (seven yard rule).
• 4 yards back and 1 yard outside (inside foot up)

of a “Slot” receiver who is less than seven yards outside
of the next receiver or Offensive Tackle.
• “Clamp” technique will move him up to the

LOS to play hard press.
• In zone covers we adjust to motions with our

coverage calls.
• In man covers we will adjust to motions/shifts

with “Run With/Bump” or “See-Saw”.
ZONE COVERS – FREE SAFETY
• Heels at 10 yards, splitting the widest two men

on offense. Never leaving just outside the tackle box.
• In zone covers we adjust to motions with our

coverage calls.
• In man covers we will adjust to motions/shifts

with “Run With/Bump” or “See-Saw”.
MAN COVERS STRONG SAFETY

(BULLDOG/HERO)
• Red Cover is 5 yards back and 1 yard outside

(unless split is less than seven yards from #1 receiver).
• Black Cover is 5 yards back and 1 yard inside

(unless split is less than seven yards from Offensive
Tackle or #3 receiver).
• Tough technique will put the Strong Safety on

the line of scrimmage using “hard man/lag” principles.
MAN COVERS FREE SAFETY
•Red cover keeps the Free Safety in his base

alignment at ten yards, splitting the Wide Receivers.
•Black cover puts the Free Safety in man-to-man

coverage. 5 yards back and 1 yard inside (7 yard rule is
the exception.
KEYS/READS STRONG SAFETY

(BULLDOG/HERO)
• After taking a great stance and completing his

communications progression the Strong Safety’s eyes
should focus on his snap key or read. When not in
“clamp” or “tough”, off of a slot, his key is the Offensive
Tackle or Tight End. When aligned to a Wing key him.
WE STILL READ THE OFFENSIVE TACKLE IN OFF
MAN COVERAGE.
• When in clamp or tough HE must key the

receiver entirely.
• On the snap of the ball in zone covers take two

quick read steps while reading primary key.
• On the snap of the ball in man covers begin slow

back-peddle while reading primary key.
• In Tough man cover strike at receiver’s chest

with inside/outside arm on snap.
BULLDOG/HERO READ PROGRESSION
Most Strong Safety keys will involve some type

of dual read. In zone or off-man coverage we will
usually key an Offensive Line to near defender at the

point of attack on run reads or Offensive Line to
Quarterback on pass reads. The Offensive Line read will
tell you if the play is run or pass, on side or away and
whether it’s going inside or outside. After reading run,
the point of attack defender read or “spy” will tell you
which gap to go through or inside through or whether to
“stack” on plays inside or away.
After taking proper alignment and a great stance

you should focus your attention on the eyes of your read.
If you can’t see his eyes, look to his face anyway as
eventually they will show.
“High Hat” by Offensive Line key equals an

“Alarm Read”: Trap, Counter, Pass, Boot, Reverse, etc.
Unless in man covers, Bulldogs and Heroes will always
be responsible for “COBRA”.
1. After determining the Offensive Line read

(Offensive Tackle/Tight End) the Safety reaction is based
on the following possible actions by him:
a. Base block - Play is inside. Be prepared to

stack.
b. Down block - Based on point of attack read, be

prepared to fill and leverage play or stack.
c. Outside Zone/Reach - Based on POA read, be

prepared to fill and leverage or stack.
d. Inside Zone/Cutoff - Stack for inside run spy or

key Quarterback for COBRA.
e. Pull (Alarm Read) -
• Pull towards and shallow equals inside play.

Fill and leverage or stack.
• Pull towards and deep equals fill and leverage or

Boot/Sprint pass zone.
• Pull away equals stack for COBRA.
f. Pass block (Alarm Read) - step toward pass

zone (head on a swivel to check for Quarterback drop)
and to locate receiver key or man responsibility when in
off-man.
STRONG SAFETY ZONE COVERAGE

TIPS
• ‘High Hat’ read from Offensive Line.
• Know Landmark Drop Area.

• Find and Identify Pass Key Release (if

applicable).
• Adjust Drop to Pass Key Read and look to

Quarterback.
• Know the Pass Key Progression (#2 to #1 etc.).
• Keep head on a Swivel from Quarterback to

Pass Keys.
• Maintain Proper Leverage (inside/outside, under

or over the top) to pass key. Deep defenders stay deep.
• Adjust Zone to Pass Keys and Quarterback.
• Always play “Deep to Short” with two receivers

in the same zone.
• If Quarterback scrambles, stay in the zone and

look for receivers that are crossing or going from short to
deep or deep to short.
• Break on Quarterback shoulder, eyes, and arm.

High shoulder equal deep pass, Low Shoulder equals
short or underneath pass.
• Final Zone for ALL defenders is where the Ball

is thrown.
SAFETY MAN TO MAN TIPS
• Align and Maintain Proper Leverage.
• Be physical and get hands on the receiver.
• Keep eyes on the Wide Receiver throughout the

play.
• Break off routes and run thru the Wide Receiver

to the ball.
• On deep balls, chew the ear and attack the Wide

Receiver’s far arm when his hands come up.
• Combo/Triad all bunch formations. Called from

the outside-in.
• Be sure to communicate with each other on all

motions and combo/triad adjustments.
• In See-Saw, quickly turn the wheel and be in

position before the ball is snapped.
• Over the top players make sure you can vision

your threats and STAY DEEP.
CHAPTER 9
CORNER PLAY
STANCE
A good stance is paramount to quick reaction. An
improper stance will almost always cause false steps
which can delay movement towards the corner’s run
responsibility or pass zone. It will also make the player
more susceptible to being blocked as he becomes a
stationary target rather than a dynamic defender.
Just like with our Strong Safety’s a great stance

includes the following:
• Bent knees “Z’s in the knees”
• Feet at armpit width
• Head up/Bowed Neck
• Shoulders Square
BASE ALIGNMENT ZONE COVERS
All covers should begin with an alignment of 3

yards inside and 5 yards off of the widest receivers in the
formation. 3 yards inside is much further inside than most
teams align their Corners. A big reason for that is that we
want to allow our Corners to help on inside vertical
seams as well as outside fades. By aligning at 3 yards
inside and keying the Quarterback on all pass reads, our

corners are able to successfully play both. It also talks
teams out of throwing quick slants because the Corner is
standing where that ball should be delivered. The Corner
alignment will change if the widest Wide Receiver is less
than 7 yards from the next Receiver inside or the
Offensive Tackle (seven-yard rule)
If the widest Receiver (#1) is less than 7 years

from the next inside Receiver or the Offensive Tackle,
align 1 to 3 yards outside the receiver and 5 yards off.
This is so teams can’t pin our corners inside with a lot of
space to run or throw outside of us. We don’t want to be
outflanked.
When faced with a “Dead T” formation (#1 is a

TE), the Corner will use a 4x4 (adjust to wide/short side)
alignment off of Tight End.
When faced with a Wing formation we give a

“Switch” call to the Bulldog or Hero. He will align 4x4
outside the wing and the Corner will move to -1x5 over
top of the Wing.
“Clamp” technique will move the Corner up to the

LOS to play hard press. Anytime we play press technique
in a zone we call it “clamp”. Press technique in man-to-

man we call “tough.”
In zone covers we adjust to motions with our

coverage calls.
In man covers we will adjust to motions/shifts

with “Bump.”
MAN COVERS
Red Cover begins in base alignment and just prior

to the snap is stemmed to 5 yards back and 1 yard outside
(unless split is less than seven yards from #1 Receiver).
Black Cover is 5 yards back and 1 yard inside

(unless split is less than seven yards from Offensive
Tackle or #3 Receiver).
Tough technique will put the Corner on the line of

scrimmage using “hard man/lag” principals either inside
or outside leverage, depending on the cover call.
KEYS AND READS
After taking a great stance and completing the

communications progression, the Corner’s eyes should
focus on his snap key or read. When not in “clamp” or
“tough,” we key the end of the LOS (OT or TE).
When in Clamp or Tough the Corner must key the

receiver entirely.
On the snap of the ball he uses crossover drive

steps while reading primary key (unless a squat technique
is indicated and then he will turn and shuffle to outside
eye of receiver).
In Clamp or Tough covers we teach the Corner to

step with near foot and strike at receiver’s chest with near
arm on snap.
It is important to study film and get a ton of reps

so the player can learn possible actions by his read and
what his reactions should be to them for run and pass.
In most zone covers, on pass, we will read the

Quarterback’s eyes and shoulders. Deep zone players
don’t look at Wide Receivers. They just read the
Quarterback to know where the ball is going. We are
playing for interceptions in zone coverage and want to be
able to key the ball the entire way.
-Know where he is looking as this is your first

indication of where the ball is going.
If near shoulder is high expect a deep throw.
If near shoulder is low expect an intermediate-to-

short throw.
CHAPTER 10
BLITZ
PACKAGE
OVERVIEW
This defense, by design, is considered to be a
pressure package with aggressive vertical reactions based
upon assignment reads. We will always take the game to
the offense by moving the line of scrimmage towards
them with hard get off, disrupt blocking patterns using
gap security, and eliminate vertical running and passing
lanes with “up field” pursuit. In some instances,
however, we will wish to present our opponent with an
even more aggressive circumstance by overloading a man
or gap or side with Linebackers and/or Defensive Backs
coming from unexpected positions. We call this
aggressive pressure a “Blitz”. A Blitz will always
include a Defensive Lineman working with a Linebacker
or Defensive Back. This should not be confused with a
Stunt which is two or more Defensive Lineman or
Defensive Ends working together to disrupt blocking
patterns and create free hitters.
What you will find here is an introduction to our
Blitz terminology and our overall concept. Following
that will be some examples of the basic packages. All of
our Blitz packages may be run in combination with each
other to give us the ability to have anywhere from four to

eight blitzers. We have worked extremely hard to keep
our system simple and consistent with a short learning
curve.
CONCEPT
Our system will contain two types of Blitz Actions:
RUN-THROUGH
Both defenders involved attempt to become “free
hitters” by running through an offensive man’s shoulder
to get to the ball.
PEG AND WRAP
First man in the Blitz will “Peg” (block) an

offensive man to allow the second man to “Wrap” around
it and become the free hitter.
TECHNIQUE
RUN THROUGH
In a run-through situation proper technique is as
important as the Blitz itself. Successful run-through
blitzes are the result of two defenders, Defensive Line
with Linebacker/Defensive Back, attacking one man or
gap and overloading the blocking scheme. The action
must always be vertical. If one of the defenders runs

wide or “loops” it usually results in the Offensive Line
being able to “pick-up” the blitz. This is extremely
important because even if the blitz does not create a loss
yardage play, we must still maintain gap security and
prevent vertical seams. Big offensive plays against
blitzes are almost always the result of incorrect lanes by
the defenders, usually the Linebacker/Defensive Back.
PEG AND WRAP
Mike Linebacker goes first and will “Peg” the
outside shoulder of the first uncovered Offensive
Lineman past the Center and then continue to get vertical
though him. The next Linebacker out (Will/Sam) will
“Wrap” tight around the peg and get vertical as soon as
possible. The nearest Defensive Linemen will slant away
from stunt.
ARIZONA BLITZ WITH WONDER

Weak call, out of a 3 front
By adding the word “opposite” to the call, as in Arizona

Opposite, we switch the peg to the outside guy and the
Middle Linebacker becomes the wrap.
BLITZ TYPES
RUN THROUGH
X: Involves the Nose and either the Mike or Sam
RIP (Nose Right/Right Linebacker) call tells the Nose to

run-through to his right through the shoulder of the man
in front of him and the right Inside Linebacker (either
Mike or Sam) to run-through off of his butt.
LIZ (Nose Left/Left Linebacker) call tells the Nose to

run-through to his left through the shoulder of the man in
front of him and the left Inside Linebacker to run-through
off of his butt.
STRIKE: Involves either the Forcer and the

Sam or the End and the Will
STEVE (Strong) call tells the Tackle to run-through the

inside shoulder of the man in front of him and the Sam to
run-through off of his butt.
WONDER (Weak) call tells the End to run-through the

inside shoulder of the man in front of him and the Will to
run-through off of his butt.
EDGE: Involves either the Forcer and Sam

(Steve) or the End and Will (Wonder)
STEVE A Stevie call tells the Forcer to run through the

inside shoulder of the Offensive Tackle and the Sam to
run through his outside shoulder. A Wonder call tells the
End to run through the inside shoulder of the Offensive
Tackle and the Will to run through his outside shoulder."
WONDER tells the End to run-through the inside

shoulder of the man in front of him while the Will runs-
through the outside shoulder of the Offensive Tackle.
BOMB: Involves the Bulldog with the Forcer

The Bulldog will run-through the outside shoulder of the
Tight End or Offensive Tackle, while the Forcer runs-
though the inside shoulder of the same man (Tight End or
Offensive Tackle).
BASH: Involves the Bulldog with the Forcer
The Forcer runs-through the outside shoulder of the man

in front of him (Offensive Tackle / Tight End), while the
Bulldog runs-through the inside shoulder of the same
man (Offensive Tackle / Tight End).
HERO: Involves the Hero with the End
The Hero will run-through the outside shoulder of the

Tight End or Offensive Tackle, while the End runs-
though the inside shoulder of the same man (Tight End or
Offensive Tackle).
HUNT: Involves the Hero with the End

The End runs-through the outside shoulder of the man in

front of him (Offensive Tackle / Tight End), while the
Hero runs-through the inside shoulder of the same man
(Offensive Tackle /Tight End).
PEG AND WRAP
ARIZONA: Involves Mike and Will or Mike and

Sam
The Linebacker in the Mike Linebacker position (Mike in
3 4 or 6) will “Peg” or block the uncovered Offensive
(OG/OT) while the Linebacker outside of him “Wraps” or
runs-through tightly behind.
STEVE tells the Mike Linebacker to peg and the strong

side Linebacker (Sam) to wrap.
< STEVE OPPOSITE switches the assignments on the
strong side.
WONDER has the Mike Linebacker pegging on the

weak side with the weak Linebacker (Will) wrapping.
< WONDER OPPOSITE switches the assignments on
the weak side.
RUN THROUGH BLITZES
3X RIP
3X LIZ
3 STRIKE STEVE
3 STRIKE WONDER
3 EDGE STEVE
3 EDGE WONDER
3 X STRIKE LUCKY
3 X LUCKY
UNDER GREEN
35 STRIKE GOLD
3 X HERO GREEN 1
ZOT RED THROUGH

2 READ GREEN V. EMPTY

3 DOUBLE STRIKE GREEN

3 X HERO GREEN
3 STRIKE GREEN V. SEAM

3 EDGE STEVIE LUCKY

3 X STRIKE RINGO
3 EDGE STEVIE GREEN

3 HERO VS. EMPTY FLY

35 READ GOLD
GOAL LINE RED

3 X GREEN 1
3 X BOMB RED
3 READ PIRATE
3 HERO RED
3 EDGE STEVIE RED TOUGH

3 X HERO LUCKY
3 X GREEN
3 SHOW READ GREEN

3 BOMB EDGE GREEN

CHAPTER 11
COVERAGE
PACKAGE
DEFENSIVE PASS ZONES

12345
GREEN
3 deep vs Drop Back Pass
Rotation vs Sprint Out, Play Action, or Outside Run

CHAPTER 12
PRACTICE
SCHEDULE
Watch Coach Fazio talk about practice

CHAPTER 13
CALLING THE
DEFENSE DURING
THE GAME
Watch Coach Fazio talk about Sideline

Communication
The Pre-Snap Ready Process
• After Previous Play Hustle Back To Your Position At The

line of scrimmage
• Know The Situation (Down, Distance, Field)
• Look To Sideline and Get The Front And Cover Call
• Recognize The Offensive Formation/Set
• Get And Repeat The Coverage Call
Linebackers/Free Safeties/Corners
• Take The Correct Alignment
• Get A Great Stance - Be Ready
• Carry out Communications Progression
• Identify And Focus On Your Keys
After most plays the players should quickly get back to the
line of scrimmage in their positions and immediately look toward

the sideline for the defensive call and instructions.
The Mike will give a verbal front call and the FS will give
initial and check covers.
We will only Huddle on time outs or other stoppage of play

(injury, etc.) or when given the sign from the sideline.
1. The Nose will call the huddle on the ball, three yards back.
2. The Sam Linebacker will give the situation (down, distance,

field, etc).
3.Mike Backer calls the defense. Mike will say the defense, repeat
the defense, ready Hit!
- Example: “3 Slant, 3 Slant, Ready... Hit!” -
4. All players will stand tall to hear the call or information. Be sure
to give the speaker good eye contact.
6. If you miss part of the defense the word is check. The Mike will
repeat the call.
7. We must be ready before the offense, so this must be done

quickly and efficiently.
8. Nose should immediately align over ball, on a knee, even before

offense breaks their huddle.
9. After break you players should quickly take positions.

CHAPTER 14
HANDLING
EMPTY
FORMATIONS
Watch Coach Fazio talk about
Handling Empty Formations
Handling Empty Formations Using Man Defense

CHAPTER 15
HANDLING RPO
(RUN PASS
OPTION)
Watch Coach Fazio talk about handling the ever

popular RPOs.
Watch Coach Fazio talk about handling the 3 x 1

RPOs.
CHAPTER 16
HANDLING TRIPS
Watch Coach Fazio talk about how to defend trips.
Watch Part 2 of Coach Fazio talk about how to

defend trips.
CHAPTER 17
HANDLING THE
PRO STYLE
OFFENSE
Watch Coach Fazio talk about how to defend the

traditional Pro-Style offense.
CHAPTER 18
HANDLING
GOAL LINE
SITUATIONS
Watch Coach Fazio talk about how he handles

defending the Goal Line.
CHAPTER 19
DEFENSIVE
TERMS
Adjustment/Reaction - Movement and responsibility at the snap

based on your assignment read.
Alarm Read - High hat movement by offensive key. This usually

indicates some type of “different” play.
Alignment - Where you line up in relation to the personnel in the

offensive formation/set (see alignment numbering system).
Alignment Numbering and Gap Lettering System - The

Defensive Front will be aligned by its shade or relationship to the
offensive personnel. These shades are given a number that
corresponds to the shade on the particular offensive man you are
aligning to (see chart). Gaps between offensive linemen are
lettered A-D for alignment and/or responsibility.
Assignment - Who or what your read key is at the snap and your
responsibility on run/pass based on that read.
Boom (Linebacker) - Rush and Contain on Quarterback when

Play Action or Sprint to you.
Nighthawk Gap - Tenacious and consistent up field pressure

through a potential blocker or blockers.
Buzz (LINEBACKER) - Quick drop to the flat, reading #1,

getting width first before adjusting depth to Flat.
Bump (Defensive Back/Linebacker) - Used in Man cover with

receiver motion or shift. Moving out or in to next receiver and

covering him
Clamp (DEFENSIVE BACK/ Linebacker) – Call and technique

used to aggressively redirect a receiver at the LOS. Hard
funnel/press of receiver in
or out from close alignment. Used on Blue and rotation coverages
COBRA - Cutback, Counter, Bootleg, and Reverse Acknowledge.
Communication Progression - Verbal communication given to

teammates prior to the snap of the ball.
Combo - Technique used by two Defensive Backs or Defensive

Back and Linebacker to Man cover two bunched (close) receivers
where the inside Defensive Back or Linebacker takes the inside
pattern (of either receiver) and the Outside Defensive Back takes
the outside pattern (of either receiver).
Contain - Keeping the Quarterback in the pocket on drop back

pass. Maintaining outside leverage to pressure the throw on Sprint
and Boot.
Cross Face – To go across the face of a blocker.
Extreme Desire – Willing to do “Whatever It Takes” to make

yourself ready to contribute, at the highest possible level, to
Nighthawk success.
Football Position (also Athletic Position) – “Bend your knees,

Bow your neck, and Move your feet”, Football theory and practice
says that if you will do these things you will never be injured
playing football. Proper two-point body position, for beginning and
ending a drill or play, in which you keep your knees bent, back
straight, shoulders square, and head up with dynamic feet.
Football Run – Also called Pursuit, it is accomplished by keeping

the shoulders square to the ball carrier/line of scrimmage while
turning feet/hips to run in the direction of the target.
Force - Keeping outside leverage on the ball carrier so that he is

forced to go shallow inside or deep and wide outside.
Gap Security - Ensuring that all gaps are accounted for in any
defense or stunt.
Hand Shiver – Use of hands to strike and neutralize a blocker

attempting to block below the waist.
Head-On-A-Swivel - Repeated action of moving head/eyes from

pass key to Quarertback on zone pass drop.
Hit Tech (Defensive Line) – Explosion off ball with six-inch

power steps to attack the Offensive Line while re-establishing the
LOS towards the offense.
Inside Through - Fill through open gap maintaining inside

position on blocker for “gap security”.
Jet (Defensive Line/ Linebacker) - Call for alerting DEFENSIVE

LINE and Blitzers for unobstructed vertical pass rush. Rushers will
get up the field immediately to Quarterback with secondary run
recognition.
Levels - Technique used for man coverage versus multiple

bunched receivers where defenders are at different depths and they
stay with initial receiver responsibility. Used instead of Combo.
Leverage - Your position on ball carrier. May be inside or side

depending upon pursuit responsibility.
LOS - Line of Scrimmage
Mental Toughness – Not letting anything stand in our way to

being the best Nighthawk team in history.
Pass Drop Zone/Landmark - Area of responsibility when pass is

read. Place to drop towards while securing pass key read.
Pass Key - Receiver read once pass is read to determine pass drop
angle, depth, and/or zone.
Peg - Stunt technique whereas “first man” you “peg” or

block/screen Offensive Line to allow a “wrap” or run through by
second man.
Performance Factor - A ratio of the number of points earned to

the number of plays you have in a drill, practice, or game.
Point of Attack (POA) – Area of defense (front or secondary) that

the offense is attempting to attack.
Post Control (Defensive Back) - Used mainly with Sprint, Boot,

Play Action away. Staying inside the post pattern of the backside
receiver.
Rip – Use of Forearm “Punch” Rip by Linebacker or Defensive

Line to neutralize blocker.
Run Through - Fill through open gap maintaining outside

“leverage” on the blocker to obtain “gap security”. Also used to
denote Blitz tech with free vertical run (not “peg and wrap”).
Run-With (Defensive Back/Linebacker) - Used with Man

coverage. Running with receiver motion across formation and
maintaining coverage on him.
Seek (F, DE) - Cover call used to give man responsibility on

running backs to Forcer and/or DE; i.e. “Red Seek”.
See-Saw (Defensive Back/Linebacker) - Motion adjustment in

man cover where Hawk or Hero stems back to FS and FS stems up
to Strong Safety.
Seven-Yard Rule (Defensive Back/Linebacker) - Alignment

parameter for Corners and Linebackers to determine whether to

align inside or outside of Wide Receiver. Seven or more yards
from next man inside equals an inside alignment. Less than seven
equals head up to outside alignment.
Shoulder Recoil - Using inside shoulder and arm to neutralize a

blocker, coming from the inside, to maintain outside leverage.
Slant Tech (Defensive Line) – Explosion off ball with a short

direct angled step to hip of Offensive Line outside/inside of you.
This is followed by a cross-over step with backside foot with the
goal of getting vertical. Offensive Line should only be engaged if
attempting to block you.
Smash (Defensive Back/Linebacker) - Used from Clamp position.

Very aggressive contact with receiver to prevent or delay release.
Squat (Defensive Back/Linebacker) – Technique for redirect of a

receiver in or out from normal alignment. Used on Blue and
rotation coverages.
Stack (Strong Safety/Linebacker) - Technique used by Hawk,

Hero, and Inside Linebackers when OL/POA read tells you the
play is inside or away from you and you have COBRA. Involves
you stacking over first Defensive Line inside looking for signs of
cutback, counter, bootleg, reverse, screen, etc. It also puts you in
good position to “spy” the ball carrier in case he is able to break
through initial defenders on inside plays.
Spill (SS/F/DE) - Forcing inside running plays to go outside.
Splatter - Technique used to “Spill” inside running plays by taking

on potential trap/kickout blockers to inside eye/shoulder.
Spy (Defensive Back/Linebacker) - Checking the position of

another defensive player before committing to fill lane or pursuit.
Stem - Late movement by players to correct alignment just prior to

the snap.
Switch (Strong Safety/Defensive Back) – An alignment

adjustment between the Hawk or Rover and a Corner. Used versus
Wing or “Dead T” (TE only) formations, the Outside Linebacker
will “switch” with the Corner to become the perimeter player while
the Corner will move inside and over the top.
Tough (Defensive Back/Linebacker) - Hard Man to Man Coverage

on receiver.
Triad (Defensive Back/Strong Safety) - Combo technique with

three defenders in man cover, versus three receivers clustered
(close). The Hawk/Hero will play levels versus the receiver on the
line of scrimmage, while the other two Defensive Back’s play
Combo against the remaining two receivers.
Vertical Pressure – Movement up the field and into the offensive

backfield by Defensive Line/Linebackers. Our goal is to “move the

line of scrimmage” backwards (towards the offense) on each snap
using Defensive Line Hit or Slant techniques and Linebacker Run
Thru/Inside Thru.
Vertical Veer (Defensive Back) – Vertically deeper than the

deepest threats then veering towards the thrown ball.
Wrap - Stunt technique whereas “second man” you “wrap” around

or run through “peg” (block/screen) of first man.

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THE 3-5 DEFENSE: SIMPLY

Simplifying your scheme to get your

Copyright © 2018 Eight Laces

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced

“Our mission is to prepare coaches to be hired

You can find more dynamite resources at EightLaces.org.

Who is Coach Fazio? 4

Welcome to the 35 Book 6

Chapter 1 Background on the 3-5………….. 7

QR codes can be accessed from any device, you just need

Here is how to watch the videos with the QR codes.

1. Find a QR Code Reader for your device. (With some devices,

Bingo! Your smartphone reads the code and navigates to the

Follow him on Twitter: @VFaz31

Coach Fazio spent 2014-16 as the Head Coach at

Coach Fazio was named 2012 Newcomer Coach

As an assistant, Coach Fazio had stops at San

Coach Fazio spent four seasons as the Linebacker

As a player, Coach Fazio was All-CIF and All-

Coach Fazio married his wife Jennie in 2010.

COACH FAZIO WELCOMES

THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING

My dad, Skip Fazio, was the Defensive

The Steelers were a famously nasty bunch known

and try to make yards. Few did either.

I was honored to earn a starting job at Strong

THE 3-5 IS BORN

In the year 2000 Skip took over as the Defensive

At Claremont, running a combination of the 3-5

ranked #1 in total defense both seasons, something that

It’s funny because you learn the most when things

IMPROVING THE BULLDOGS

FROM 6th TO 1st

Skip took over as the Defensive Coordinator at

In 2005, Redlands finished third in the conference

After Skip and I left Redlands (I needed to make

TAKING THE 3-5 TO THE HIGH SCHOOL

In 2010 I accepted the job as the Defensive

Federation Southern Section Division, (about 50 schools)

We have continued playing the 3-5 (modified for

We are not exclusively a 3-5 defense. We play

The original reason for the switch to the 3-5 was a

Finally, we liked all of the blitz combinations it

Another thing we liked about the 3-5 is that,

Over the years we have made many changes, both

subtle and drastic, to our scheme. Often people ask us

Watch this video of Coach Fazio answering the

THE CORE VALUES

It is the hallmark of good defensive football. We

kids if they don’t do it. It is our identity. It is a very hard

You must first create the buy-in amongst your

Watch Coach Fazio discuss the Pursuit Drill, a

game of creating turnovers. However, if you create a

We teach how to strip the ball, catch the ball,

Positive reinforcement helps to build the culture

The numbers game changes dramatically if the

We work hard on tackling and we work on it all

4. SPILL AND SPLATTER DEFENSIVE

For us, we use contain to mean keeping the

If they get an inside-zone, down, or pull read,