Dropping Mugged Linebackers
Threatening to Blitz, then dropping out
Simulated pressures are tricky.
When called at the right time and executed properly, they can result in big plays for the Defence.
If you get stuck, however, it can put your players in a tough spot.
Here are some thoughts on dropping Mugged Linebackers into Coverage.
What is a Mugged Linebacker?
A Mugged Linebacker is a Linebacker who has walked up to the Line of Scrimmage before the snap.
Typically the Linebacker will align about two yards off the football, but they can also get right up to the same depth as a Defensive Lineman.
This is a great alignment to use when Blitzing or Stunting with a Linebacker.
It also creates an immediate threat for Offensive Linemen to consider, both in the Run Game and in Pass Protection.
Announcement
A quick pause here for a brief announcement.
On January 5 I will be releasing a Super Clinic titled Defending Zone Runs.
This video series will offer a deep dive into all the schemes and techniques necessary to defend Inside and Outside Zone.
After going through this Super Clinic you will be ready to design your plan against all Zone Runs and answer any questions your players throw at you.
I’ve had a great time putting this together and I’m very excited to share it with you next week.
Stay tuned for more details.
Now back to the article.
Threat of Pressure
This pressure look can do a couple things.
In some cases, if designed properly, you can get your opponent to make a check in their Pass Protection.
In the above look, for example, you might get the Offence into a “Big on Big” type of check or maybe a Full Slide. Knowing your opponent’s checks can be a great advantage when creating your Pressure Plan each week.
If you don’t create a check, you are at least threatening certain Offensive Linemen before dropping into Coverage. We call this “Stealing their Eyes”. If we can force them to take an extra second before finding the REAL threat on the play, we put ourselves in a good situation.
Sneak Attack
Often we are doing this in order to send pressure from somewhere else.
Here’s an example of two Mugged Linebackers Dropping into Coverage, and then two different defenders Blitzing off the Edge.
You can see how this creates some confusion for the Offence.
They must respect the threat of pressure from the Mugged Linebackers, only to have them drop off into Coverage while Blitzers are sent off each edge.
Clearly, however, the Mugged Linebackers have some work to do when it comes to executing their Coverage assignments.
They have to make up the extra 5 or 6 yards of Depth they would have had in their normal alignment.
There’s always a trade off.
Drop and Pick
Here’s an example of a Mugged Linebacker doing a great job getting Depth.
(And being rewarded with a pick.)
When a Linebacker is “hiding” in a Mugged alignment, the Quarterback sometimes forgets about them in Coverage.
Mugged Fake Drop
If you want to get really fancy with it, you could also fake a drop from a Mugged alignment.
Offensive Linemen are smart too. They know that Defences Mug and Drop, so they’re getting better at snapping their eyes to the true threat.
We can take advantage of this by executing a fake drop, getting them to look away, and then Blitzing.
(This is chess, not checkers.)
Final Thoughts
I’ve found some good clips here, but I’ll remind you one more time that this isn’t a bed of roses.
You can get caught dropping out versus a run play, for example.
Or you can get burned if the Offence picks up the Blitz and you don’t have enough Depth in Coverage because you were dropping from the Line of Scrimmage.
These can be a lot of fun, but handle with caution!
All the best,
Jon Svec
Defensive Coordinator
St. Francis Xavier University
X-Men Football
IG: @jonsvecx
Twitter: @jonsvecx
To read more check out the Canadian Football Chalk Talk e-books series, which includes: Defensive Basics, Linebacker Toolbox, and Modern Pressures.