We first started using and developing our zone blitz package with our Tampa Bay Buccaneer team in the late 70ís. At that time the basic concept was to bring as many different people from as many different angles as we could against the offensive team we were facing.

CLINIC SUMMARY

In our consideration to move to a zone blitz package there were seven basic questions that we wanted to consider and answer before we spent the time designing and integrating this style of defense into our base defensive scheme.

1. The first thing we considered was the personnel that we had on our team. If we had not had linebackers who could effectively rush the passer and penetrate the line of scrimmage we would not have considered embarking on this style of defense.

2. We wanted to make certain that any zone blitz package that we used would create confusion for the offense and in some way disrupt their normal blocking schemes.

3. It was very important for us to know if this was a package which we could develop and run from both of our three and four defensive linemen alignments.

4. We wanted to determine if this style of defense was one that we could run using both two and three deep coverages and not just a defense that locked us into one or the other.

5. In using this style of defense we had to ask ourselves if we would be willing to design and include a zone blitz package where we vacated a zone in our coverage that would normally be covered by a linebacker.

6. We also felt we needed to evaluate our defensive line personnel to determine if there were individual players in this group that we could, on occasion, drop into coverage.

7. Finally, it was very important that this style of defensive package be effective against the run as well as the passing game.