Storm Blitz out of the 53 Defense

The Storm Blitz out of the 53 Defense is a very effective blitz  in youth football. It is pretty much an overload to one side of the field. The storm blitz sends the cornerback off of the edge, sends the outside backer (S) through the off-tackle gap, and the defensive end (E) slants down. This blitz will confuse the offensive linemen. This is a very difficult blitz to pick up. This play completely takes away one side of the field. This blitz stuffs inside plays, off-tackle plays, and sweep plays. The outside backer (S) will almost always be unblocked. We love to call this to the strong side of the offense’s formation. You can execute this blitz out of any defense with great success.

You can play man to man coverage or roll into a cover 2 behind the blitz. I would recommend rolling into a cover 2 because it will at least give you two players deep to defend against big plays or long passes. I will usually only call this blitz to the wide side and/or strong side of the offense’s formation. We love running this to the wing-back side of the offense’s formation. This blitz really neutralizes the WB advantage.  This blitz is very effective on every level of football. On the younger age levels where the threat of passing is minimal, this play will be a complete nightmare for offenses.

Storm Blitz out of the 53 Defense Diagram:

Nose (N): Slant blitz side A-gap.

PS Defensive Tackle (T): Slant B-gap.

BS Defensive Tackle (T): Slant B-gap.

PS Defensive End (E): Slant to C-gap, ripping across the face of the tight-end.

BS Defensive End (E): Containment player.

Middle Backer (M): Backside A-gap, pursuit to football.

SAM/Strong Backer (S): Attack D-gap (blitz right past the TE’s outside shoulder). On pass- cover TE (man to man) or cover flat zone (zone coverage).

WILL/Weak Backer (W): Secure backside C-gap, pursuit to the football.

PS Cornerback (CB): End man on the line of scrimmage, blitz the edge- must hold outside leverage and force play inside. Contain player.

BS Cornerback (CB): Deep half coverage (zone coverage) cover TE or widest eligible receiver (man coverage).

Free Safety (FS): Blitz side deep half. The safety must cheat over to the wide side of the field. Do not line up over the football! At least 12 yards deep.

Weaknesses: This blitz is very vulnerable to play-action passing plays. If you get caught in this blitz and your players don’t get there, they can potentially hit a big play. This Storm Blitz out of the 53 Defense is sending an entire side of the defense. This doesn’t leave my defender left to cover. If the offense picks up the blitz or slips someone into the flat he will probably be wide open.  Ideally, the (S) would have the blitz side flat if he reads pass. However, if the offense fakes run, then the (S) will probably bite up. Also, the (S) will have to cover a lot of ground in order to get to the flat.

This blitz is a high risk, high reward type deal.

See Also: Youth Football Blitz Plays 

See Also: Overload Blitz- 53 Defense