How to Improve Your Offense with a Solid Defense – Flag Football Tips From the Ninja

Dear Ninja,
I have a 7 on 7 touch football team and we do not have a defense in place.  Our offense is not that strong and I think that having a stronger defense might help win games. What would be the best defense to IMPLEMENT?  I have thought of putting the CB’s in man coverage and the rest of the team in zone. This is my first season as manager and I am USUALLY an offensive guy and no one to help with defense.  Thanks!
                                                                                                                                                             Sincerely,
                                                                                                                                                             Anthony

“The best offense is a good defense.”

   – Very Original Saying Invented by the Ninja in his Wisdom

Anthony,

Your issue is a common problem in flag football.  The limited extra attention devoted to the team strategy is spent on offense, trick plays or updating stats.  But developing a consistent defensive scheme and flexible formations is key to taking your team to the next level.

A blend of man and zone defense can work great if you have the right personnel.  If the offense is showing a three receiver set, and if you have the athletes to man up on all three receivers, it gives you a lot of options to cover the dump off, run or scramble.  In that type of formation, lock down your corners and a safety an man coverage and use two rushers and two linebackers.  To give your team an edge, work on a blitz and rush scheme that mixes up the linemen and linebackers, occasionally sending three.  Be aware of leaking linemen (assuming they’re eligible) and a scrambling QB. 

Shadow Cover 3 Defense

Also consider what the Ninja calls “Shadow Cover 3” – A less aggressive true zone option with corners starting in the flats and drifting back into deep third coverage with a middle safety and two backers and two rushers. 

This is just a start to what you can do in a 7man league on defense.  If you haven’t already, visit my Dojo and pickup a 7man playbook. These all come with the Defensive Handbook and the Ultimate Strategy Guide which will propel you and your team to the next level.

“No mistakes. No mercy.”

                                -Ninja

Got Questions? Ask the Ninja.

Playing to Win: Regular Season Battles in the Shadow of Playoffs

QUESTION:

Hi. I play in a league with only 8 games per season (less with rainouts).  Our team has not played that much together, but we don’t want to take a lot of chances during regular season because losses might hurt our playoff seed. Should we take risks during the season or play defensively? Thanks     – Johnny

“Fear of the open road weakens both hand and head.”

                                                                                                           – Trileon’s  Adages for his Heirs

Johnny:

Playing “defensive football” all season is a surefire way to ensure mediocrity.  Particularly if you are a new team, you will have a very difficult time accessing the players’ true potential and tapping the pockets of talent in your team without taking risks and making mid-season changes as needed.  

 The two most important things to remember about playoffs are:

1. If your team makes it to the playoffs, you’ll have to beat the best team to win the championship.
2. If you don’t make it to the playoffs, you’ve already spent too much time thinking about it.  It’s time to re-tool and look to next season.  Your system doesn’t work.

The first question to ask is how likely is it that your team doesn’t make the playoffs.  Some leagues let all but the bottom one or two teams in the playoffs, but others only allow four teams.  Know your league rules before the season starts, but once you’ve got a general idea of where you need to be to qualify, ignore the playoffs for the first half of the season.  Sitting at the computer refreshing the standings screen multiple times a day is a mistake, and drilling into your teammates’ heads how crucial it is to win X games before you step onto the field is likely to have destructive consequences.  Play to win and play to improve, but don’t obsess over the win/loss count and where you stand in the rankings.  Your team will benefit much more by having worked out the kinks (through wins or losses) than it will from having so carefully tried to manage wins and losses (which may not work anyway) that half of the players could be adding more.   

That said, there may come a point with one or two regular season games left, where a win or a loss determines whether you advance to the playoffs. Play that game like it’s the championship game – nothing else matters that day except a W. 

 And as for the first issue, yes you may not have to play in the first round, and yes you might skip over having to play a strong second seed, but in the end, your team will win or not win the championship by virtue of being the best team out there.  Does it help to be the first seed? Of course,  but if you’re so focused on playoff berths that you’re afraid to experiment with a spread set of receivers or to try the guy who keeps reminding you he played QB in high school or to run man coverage with an extra blitzer, you missed out.

– NINJA

Visit my dojo for more

Youth Coaching Tips

This is my second year coaching a 9 yr old 4on4 flag football team and I need help. I’m looking for some basic or semi-advanced plays on offense and some defensive formations. We are allowed 1 rusher on defense. I’d also like some drills to run in practice to back up the above plays. Thanks. – Coach

Coach,

Thanks for the email.   The 4man package we offer provides 30 core passing and running plays that include both beginner schemes and more advanced plays.  The Base 10 supplements the Core 30 package with an additional core play set.   The feedback we have received from other coaches has been very positive.  Just remember, as you probably know it’s better to have 4-6 plays your guys know cold rather than 20 they can’t execute well.  Especially for youth teams, fundamentals and simplicity are king.

Included in all purchases from our site are the Ultimate Strategy Guide.  This should give you a leg up in some of the basic skill sets and coaching techniques to propel your team to the next level.  As for defensive schemes, with 4man football, you options are limited.  Check out our blog post that discusses this in more detail.

Also, you are about 30 days too early, but we are in the process of ramping up for the launch of our youth site, which will include coaching tips, drills, plays, strategy and more.  Go ahead and purchase one of our products, and the Ninja will send you some drills and practice ideas for your team.

Best of luck Coach.

Ninja

Coach,Thanks for the email.   The 4man package we offer provides 30 core passing and running plays that include both beginner schemes and more advanced plays.  The Base 10 supplements the Core 30 package with an additional core play set.   The feedback we have received from other coaches has been very positive.  Just remember, as you probably know it’s better to have 4-6 plays your guys know cold rather than 20 they can’t execute well.  Especially for youth teams, fundamentals and simplicity are king.
Included in all purchases from our site are the Ultimate Strategy Guide.  This should give you a leg up in some of the basic skill sets and coaching techniques to propel your team to the next level.  As for defensive schemes, with 4man football, you options are limited.  Check out our blog post that discusses this in more detail.
Also, you are about 30 days too early, but we are in the process of ramping up for the launch of our youth site, which will include coaching tips, drills, plays, strategy and more.  Go ahead and purchase one of our products, and the Ninja will send you some drills and practice ideas for your team.
Best of luck Coach.
Ninja

How to Beat the Zone, Man Defense in 4man, 5man, 6man or 7man Flag Football

What’s up man.  I purchased your 7-on-7 option playbook online and it is some great stuff.  Most of the plays are drawn up against what you call a “Rhino Base 2” I was wondering. what do you do if they line up differently in a different defensive look? If you could give me a response when you get a chance. Thanks.                            -Zeke A.

“It is not where the blade begins, but the arc of the slice and where it comes to rest that matters.”

“Tora – Master Swordhandler”

Zeke,

Thank you for your purchase of the Poison Dart Passing playbook from my Dojo.  You have already taken steps on the path to victory. All of the plays in the playbooks are shown against a shell defense, but do not be fooled by the simplicity.

Most of the plays can be run against a zone defense or a man defense.   That is, they are designed to find holes in a zone defense, but can be extremely effective against a man set as well.  The main differences between running against a man defense and running against a zone defense will be the way the routes are run.  Against a man defense, routes should be sharper and timing more precise.  An out pattern should show no hint of a cut until it’s too late and the receiver has made his move.  Against a zone defense, however, the receiver has a little more freedom to make the cut sooner or later, to round it or cut it hard, depending on the position of the zone defenders.  For example: if you are a receiver running a shallow flag route (straight, then a cut 45 degrees to the outside), if it looks like the deep safety is sucking up to jump the out route in front of you, cut a little later and a little deeper to get behind the safety.

Success against a (good) man defense will hinge on your QB’s ability and how you’re your timing is.  Practice is key to getting timing down. Otherwise you only hit your stride by the end of the season. In flag football, particularly with smaller teams (4man, 5man, 6man – even 7 man), it is very hard to play shut-down man defense against a good well-practiced team.  If every defender is a superior athlete than the receivers, this can happen, but good sharp patterns and well timed throws can pick apart almost any man defense.

Spend a little time with the Ultimate Strategy Guide that came with you playbook purchase.  Also, to really open up your options, consider upgrading to the Ninja package with 100 plays of all types.

The Ninja.

No Mistakes, No Mercy.

get flag football plays

How to Handle a Quick QB

Ninja,

 I play in a passing league (so no blockers or rushers) where the QB can only scramble if someone rushes in.  What do we do about a really fast QB? Just give him all day?                                                                      – Jake, NM

“Swift is the flight of the chased. The samurai lies in wait.”

– Master’s Journal

Jake,

 There are many flag football leagues like yours, some with as many as 8 players, but mostly 4man or 5man style.  But you make an excellent observation about a tough decision made from the sand-lot all the way to the pros.  What to do about a quick QB?

 Cost/Benefit: If your league is 4man or 5man, there is a real cost-benefit analysis to be done before going after a speedy QB.  Leaving him alone gives you and extra man in the defense, but also allows him lots of time to make a throw. 

 How’s His Gun? The first question is what are the QB’s strengths?  Is he just fast, or does he also have a strong arm? How about accuracy?  If speed is far and away his greatest strength, you’re probably better off letting him try to thread the needle in your stacked defense than trying to flush him out.  Most passing leagues also have some sort of time limit to throw.  But if he is dangerous throwing the ball as well, the choice gets more complex.

 Man it Up:  By sending a rusher or blitzer after the QB (especially in 4man or 5man), you do a couple of things.  First, you commit to man defense. It will be extremely tough to run a zone defense with 3 or 4 guys while sending another. And second, in addition to manning up on receivers, you are manning up on the QB as well. 

 Managing Talent: Do you have the athletes to pull it off?  There are some teams whose best player is their QB, (plus rushing in fast after a quarterback gives him the upper hand to make a move and get free), so you may want your best athlete matched on the QB.  If you do that, will the result be a big mismatch on their 6’ 6” TO look-alike receiver?  Remember, though, that if you rush your best athlete, in theory, he should make the job of the other defenders a lot easier by putting real pressure on the QB.

 The Swivel:  Make sure that the other defenders keep an eye on the QB. If he makes a move past the rusher, you’re going to need support to keep him from funning for a huge gain.

The Mega Rush:  Also, sending 2 men will work only rarely.  If they have a completely useless receiver, or if their QB is not very good, you may be able to fake coverage on two bunched receivers, but with a QB who is even close to decent,

Making the Call: So if you think you’ve got the men to pull it off, rushing the QB will result in forced offensive errors, but remember it creates opportunity for the QB to make a big play on the ground as well.  If you try it and the QB gets free a few times, change personnel or abandon the rush.   If the QB is fast, but not a great ball slinger, let him sit back there and try to make a tough throw. 

By The Flag Football Ninja

Visit My Dojo:  www.FlagFootballNinja.com

Help with 7on7 Zone Defense: Linebacker Tips

Hey I play middle linebacker in a 7 0n 7 flag football league in Florida. I was wondering if there is any techniques you could provide me with. Our team plays zone defense about 99% of the time. also occasionally we will go from having 3 linebackers/ 1 safety to having 2 linebackers/2 safeties so if you could also give me some tips on outside linebacker as well i would really appreciate it. Thanks  – D.J.

Make Sure to Spy a Quick QB

D.J.,

“With its prey transfixed on its brightly colored tail, the fire lizard strikes from the flank.”

– Observations of a Predator

One of the best strategies for a dynamic and effective defense is to keep the quarterback and the offense guessing.  As soon as they have pinned down your defensive formation, any quarterback with moderate talent can pick you apart.

You should develop two or three formations that the team is comfortable with – these would probably include a 3 linebacker set to stop the middle threat, a cover-2 formation with two safeties deep, and maybe even a prevent look with the deep field split up into thirds.  You can jump between the formations depending on the situation – 4^th and long, you don’t want just one safety back.

But with just two or three formations, you can still give the offense dozens of different looks.  If you’re going to send two or three rushers, consider sending the safety and dropping a lineman, or blitzing a cornerback and filling his spot from the inside.  If your league allows blocking on the line, confusing the offensive linemen will translate directly into better pressure on the quarterback which means more rushed throws and more big plays.

There is no reason your defense needs to be set when the ball is snapped.  You can have guys shifting all over the filed. Backers showing blitz, safeties playing up off the line.  If you have decent athletes, they should be able to settle into their zones by the time the play develops.

One tip to keep in mind for an outside backer (depending on the rushing and scrambling rules of your league), is to make sure someone is covering the QB.  This is where it’s important to know your opponent – on some teams the QB scrambling is their primary weapon.  If you’re relying only on your rushers, and a quick QB gets outside, the defense will give up at least a 10, sometimes a 20 or more yard gain.

The Highland Tiger

7on7 Zone Defense Formation

The formation: Two defensive linemen, two backers, two cornerbacks and one deep safety.

The Rushers: As mentioned above, switching up the rushing will prove much more effective than just sending two guys up the middle.  Also, match the rushers to the offense.  Sometimes you don’t want your biggest guys on the line, sometimes you want your fastest.  Depending on the offense, the line or spying linebacker may be the place for your best athletes (this topic is discussed in more detail in the Defensive Handbook, packaged with all FlagFootballNinja.com playbooks).

The Cornerbacks:  The corners will start out spread wide and only about 5-7 yards off the line.  They will defend against the quick out or flare into the flats.  But as the play progresses, they are going to drop deep and each cover 1/3 of the deep field.

The Linebackers: In addition to alternating their rush with the rushers, the backers will cover the short and short middle of the field.  Each one should pickup the QB rolling to his side.  They also cover releasing linemen (if eligible).  These guys have to work well together because if one steps up to cover a rolling QB, the other needs to pick up any holes behind him.  Also, as the cornerbacks drift deep, the linebackers will have to cover the flats.

Safety:  Safety should start about 10-15 yards deep in the middle of the field. He will have deep crosses or anything else behind the backers.  But keep in mind, on a long bomb down the sideline, the cornerbacks may be in a footrace, so the safety should get over and help.

Victory from a Ninja Understudy

Thanks for the Plays and Tips, Ninja.

Yo Ninja,

After playing together for a few seasons without a trophy, we started implementing the Ninja system. Now it’s a train that can’t be stopped. Thanks for the discipline and strategy we needed to take our first Chip! The Ridewood Frost beat the Teaneck Spartans 28-20 to capture the Atlantic Coast Football League Winter XI Touch Championship. -Anthony (Quarterback)

What To Do With Weaker Players

My flag football team purchased your 8on8 set and it’s absolutely been very helpful.

However, we have a dilemma that we’ve been trying to solve for a few games:

This season, some of our team’s veteran guys were replaced by more inexperienced and less physically-capable players. So now our team now has about 2-3 guys that we are having problems trying to decide where to play.

We want this to be a positive experience for everyone, so we do not want to bench any of our players or put them only on special teams, but we really do not know where to place these guys. Any ideas?

This is an 8v8 league, and we run separate offensive and defensive personnel. We run a pretty standard cover-2 zone on defense. I was thinking maybe putting these guys as WR (we normally have 4 WR), as this would still leave 2 veteran WRs. We’ve tried OL, DL, and CBs, but they’ve almost been liabilities in these positions.

Thanks for your help!
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The Ninja Speaks

Ken,

The problem you bring up of having a disconnect between the talent/experience/intensity of a couple of players and the rest of the team is all too common on a flag football team, and unfortunately, unlike some sports, even with teams as big as 8on8, there is really no place to “hide” a player, much less 2-3. On the one hand, as you mentioned, you want to make the game a fun, positive experience for all involved, because it’s “just flag football”, right? The other side of the coin is the intense desire to compete and win no matter the venue, and your players probably span the spectrum from “just being out to have fun” to “win at all costs”.   I have seen this before, and unfortunately, there are hard decisions ahead of you. A good first step would be to take a step back and try to determine which direction most of the team seems to be pulling. Does the overall vibe of the team (these 2-3 players excluded) lean towards serious competitive gameplay or towards just having fun. If it’s the latter, then you can take a deep breath and just accept the fact that you’re going to give it your best, but playing time and field equality is more important than winning, even if you yourself are inclined otherwise.

BUT, if you feel that the team really is built to win except for a couple of guys who are dead weight, but you don’t want to be a total jerk by having cuts from your rec league team, things get more dicey. Here are some thoughts:

1. Definitely slip one of them in at wide receiver. If you have 4, that’s a good spot. Make a point to start them in that position, but then encourage a healthy rotation after the first quarter. The fact is, they only become a serious liability if the QB throws them the ball (and they drop it, tip it up, etc.). Part of this will be on the QB. If these guys are truly that dangerous out there, don’t throw them the ball unless necessary. You could split the game, rotating two of them through one receiver slot, trading possessions. You may lose a superstar at that position, but immediately you’ve given two of them assignments. If you can pull off a spread set formation with 2 blockers and 5 receivers, you can definitely afford to have a weaker route runner out there.

2. While I agree that just having them on special teams is only a short step above cutting them, make sure that they are emphasized on special teams. That at least keeps them involved multiple times a game. Can any of them kick? Tasking one of them as kicker actually brings them into the game quite a bit.

3. Rusher on defense is also a good position. If you pair one of them with a very strong rusher, you should still be able to pressure the QB. Again, rotate through these guys to minimize the negative impact.   If you do this a lot, it doesn’t look as much like you’re singling out a weaker player when no one else is rotating.  I would recommend against putting these players in your deep cover two or even at the corners or backer unless they earn the position.  Stopping a good team’s passing game is difficult enough without worrying about your guys being out of position and giving up big plays.

Hard Decisions, Continued
Back to the hard decisions theme… Simply put, you will not be the team you want to be (or used to be) if you’re saddled with inferior players AND you feel that it’s necessary to give them substantial playing time.  The game is just too demanding to have weak players on the field every game. Sometimes it’s good to have numbers to avoid being caught short handed on guys for a game, but often it’s the less desirable players who are the most consistent.  You probably cannot change that much this season, but you may think long and hard about your team ethos and what next season looks like.  It may be worth reevaluating then.  I have direct experience with having to cut a player between seasons.  It was an extremely difficult thing to do, but his attitude and gameplay were dragging the team down.  Our team was much better for having done it.
Alternatively, you can keep these players involved on the team and just make the hard decisions as they come up.  If it’s fourth and long and you need a big play, put your best team out there. If you’re under 2 minutes with a tie game and a playoff berth depends on a victory, put your best team in.  To do this you need one guy (or a couple) who is clearly calling the shots. When playoff games arrive (and every single member from the roster has suddenly found a way to clear the calendar), you have to make tough choices.  Most times a weaker player knows he is weaker and playing some role on a dominant team is good enough.   If you don’t want to address it so brashly, consider reducing the playing time of the weaker players. Let them make the decision of whether getting a few snaps is worth the trade off of a Saturday morning. This is sort of an economist’s approach; address it practically, and if they choose not to continue, that is their most effective way to voice their discontent. (Of course personal relationships must be considered as well).

Remember that a team is an organism made up of a dozen or more individuals, and while nobody wants to be the unpopular leader who takes the game too seriously by making cuts or limiting playing time, there are a dozen other guys on the team who are taking the game seriously and making it a priority. By catering to a couple of guys who really deserve to play at a lower level, you may be trading their contentment for the chemistry and strength of the team, not to mention the satisfaction of the other dozen guys who want to win.

How To Utilize My Receivers in our 5on5 Passing League

Lee (03:18:20) : edit

I am in a league that runs 5-on-5, no center. 98% percent of the time the defense we face is man. QB must be pressured to run. We do run the ball in our league and I have a fast powerful QB who loves to block.

I am hoping to get some plays, passing and running, to take advantage of my teams talent. I have two super quick WR/RB. I also have two huge Randy Moss like WR(6-3, 37′ inch vert).

Can you suggest some plays for me? I am also looking for a program to design plays or a blank playbook templet.

Can you help me out? We are a very good

_________________________________________________________________________________________
The Ninja Speaks
Lee,

Check out the 5man Core 30 Playbook for starters. If your league has no center, run the center release routes from a tight end, slot back or even half back position. You can mix this up with running plays, swings, options or quick hits. With your dominant receivers, work on isolating them and giving them the jump ball, crossing them deep, and, on occasion running them off as decoys for an under play. With a tight man defense, there will be a premium on tight routes and good timing between the QB and the receivers. A well-placed ball thrown to a timing route should be unstoppable.

As for a blank template, this is a gift from the Ninja to you.

How to Defeat Big Linemen and Fend Off a Monster Rush

Hello Ninja,
My team purchased your Playbook and – Offensive and Defensive strategy guides. We’re wondering if you could help us with how the blocking rules are set up relative to our approach on offense and defense.
I’ve never played in a flag football league that allows contact. In our league, the Offensive Line can block behind the Line of Scrimmage  with hands in the shoulder/chest area.

Flag Football Tips: How to Use Strategy to Beat the Rush

What we’ve seen is that the athletic guys that would have been pretty good
when you can only screen on the OL are getting thrown around. Not really.
But knocked off enough that the DL are getting to our QB in a second or 2.
We played some D-end’s last night that were a lot bigger than our biggest
guys – like maybe 30 to 40 lbs.

On D we aren’t getting much if any pressure with the D-end’s. We are
having to blitz. Our guys are getting close enough to the bigger O lineman
that they are getting tugged around.

This is our first year together – not many have played and ones that have
maybe have a year or 2 Flag Football experience. I’m the old man at 30 – played 6
years in college and right after I graduated so I’m rusty on the field (5
years away from the game).
Ok – enough background. Questions indicated by “=>”.

I read your guides and very much agree to have good/great athlete’s on both
sides of the line.
=>But in a league that allows contact and with big fat OL’s and pretty big
DL’s – how would you set up a team?
I’ve gotten our 2 strongest guys to the OL. I’m faster on my feet
than they are but they out weight me by 20 to 30 lbs so they are closer to
the D end’s we are facing.

We don’t really have any dudes more than 210 lb or so. No giants. So we
can’t even think about putting a giant on the OL to utilize strength/sheer
bulk. We could go quicker on the OL but not bigger is what I’m saying.

=>Given that – how would you optimize who plays on the OL?

=>Can you give us some stuff to do on the OL to give more time?
I think leaving an RB in that can read a blitz or chip a DL before he
runs a delayed route is an idea. Also bringing a WR in motion to help on a
D end getting a lot of pressure. Leaves us with 3 blockers. We can’t
get our center back really quick enough as we are struggling with the snap
so he’s almost a pure route runner.

=>Also – ideas on the DL to defeat bigger OL’s and get to the QB without
blitzing every play?
Since we always have speed but not size – start our DL’s 5 yards away
from the center?
Tell them to take off on a sprint on the outside and see if that big
OL can get out his stance?
We’ve tended to play pretty close to the center so the QB doesn’t
have a huge gap in the middle. I played some DL myself and realized I
should probably start further out.

I saw your idea on the swim move for the WR’s when they are up against bump
and run. Thinking we should get our DL’s to learn that.

Thank you very much for your help/comments. Plan to practice in 2 days and
game next Monday.

Take care,
J.
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“It is the patience and wit of the spider that earns him a meal.”
– Ahsi Fire Dancer

The Ninja Speaks

The Ninja will take your questions one at a time.

OFFENSE: BLOCKING AND BEATING THE RUSH

Blocking

It can certainly help to have quick and athletic players on the line.  Sometimes this will benefit the team more than having your largest guys blocking.  However, if your blockers are getting bowled over and your QB is getting hurried every possession, those men on the line are just taking up space (and not for very long period of time).  Here are a few things to think about as far as your blockers go: (1) Position: First of all, have your QB back up.  Give him a little room. If you’re having trouble snapping, find a new snapper.  It’s an important position.  Make sure the blockers  are in effective blocking positions. It is very difficult in flag football to stop an excellent rusher, especially when you are out of position.  Make sure your blockers are staying low. It is incredible what a difference this can make.  In many cases, it will be enough to turn the tables on an mismatch on the line.  (2) Discipline is important for your blockers usually, when a blocker gets beat, it’s because he gets juked, spun on or pushed out of the way.  If that has to happen, make sure your blockers get beat outside (unless you are rolling right or left). (3) Pyramid: If you are using a center and two blockers, keep them tight and offset the two side blockers into a pyramid shape.  You say you can’t get your center back fast enough, so he becomes a route runner.  Try to force the defense to run through your center, rather than giving them an opportunity to go around him. (With some exceptions) you typically won’t have such a mismatch that the defense is running through your blockers. Recognize that if you stack your blockers tight in a triangle, you are going to get more pressure from the outside.  Enter the next point…

The Quarterback:

You have not mentioned anything about your QB, however, he is likely the key to your success or failure this season.  What are his strengths? Speed? Poise? Great arm? Vision? The way your QB is able to adjust to the rush and the pocket, and whether he can play to his strengths will make a huge difference. With the triangle formation and the rushers taking wide angles, the QB should be able to step up into a real pocket.  But this takes significantly more discipline than you think.  He has to focus his attention on the receivers while “feeling” the rushers.  As soon as he pulls his eyes off of his targets and starts looking for an escape route, the play is basically done.  If your QB has poise, he should be able to step up into the pocket and complete the pass.  If one side of the pocket collapses, he should be able to make that read, step to the side and make the pass.  What if your QB is not a Tony Romo?

Beating the Rush Like a Jedi

As my grandfather used to say: Theres’ is more than one way to skin a cat.  If you are getting pummeled at the line, and have implemented all of the tips above, it’s time to change tactics. First and foremost, you’re going to have to toss the 3 move routes and your visions of the deep bombs (for the most part).  These are some more…creative ways to handle a tough rush: (1) In the huddle, make a rollout call.  Your blocker towards your rolling side has to bite hard to the outside to create an inside gap and force his rusher inside.   If possible, have your QB hesitate for a moment before rolling to make sure the rusher bites.  Then clear out and make a play.  (2) It’s unclear from your post whether you are getting blitzed or only rushed two.  If you are ever consistently faced with more than two rushers, something is open.  As soon as they rush three, you start releasing blockers for the quick 5-10 yard pickup.  If your blockers are quick and athletic, this should be a very legitimate option for your team.  (3) You mentioned bringing a WR to block.  Depending on your leagues rules, you can do better.  Send one of your blockers out into twins with the WR, bring him in motion and have him crack down on the outside rusher.  This should give your quarterback a free rollout lane.  You can’t do this every play, or the other team will pick up on it, but as soon as they do, you can start mixing it up.  Finally, there is the yet unmentioned alternative…

The Spread Set

If your team’s strength is speed and agility, it’s time to consider abandoning the three man blocking set.  If your QB has good vision and decent poise, you should have more than enough time with 4 receivers to find openings.  Make sure your QB is back deep and consider using a blocking back.  I will tell you that if run right, the 4 man set is nearly impossible to stop.  Again, you have got to run concise, sharp routes. Most of them will be quick-hit plays, but this is an option you simply cannot ignore.  Any defense that still brings 3 rushers against a spread set is simply insane.  A decent QB should be able to pick them apart play after play.

DEFENSE

Unpredictability:

Defense is a bit more straightforward, but takes similar discipline and practice.  The key for a successful defense is to keep the blockers and the QB guessing.  If you line up a small rusher over a big blocker and play after play just let them pound it out, guess what…that QB will look like a superstar.  Regardless of whether you want to blitz three or not, you should be walking safeties up to the line, showing blitz from the corners, having backers walk up.   The point is that as a blocker, the first step out of the stance is one of the most important as far as position goes.  If you make it in the wrong direction, you’ve got problems.  Keep mixing it up. Send two guys from the right, then two from the left. Send three, send one and spy the QB with one. Keep the offense guessing.  Remember, if you can get a big blocker to lunge and bite on a fake rusher who drops into coverage, you should have opened a lane to the QB for someone else.

The Wide Blitz

Starting far outside is a fine idea, but if you do it every time, the QB will roll away or step inside.  Try starting far outside and pulling back into coverage while your linebacker blitzes. Next time actually blitz from out there.   Try to keep right handed QBs running to their left and vice versa.

Rusher Moves

You ask whether your D linemen should implement the swim move.  Absolutely.  You played college ball, you know that those defensive linemen should be pulling out every move possible to get separation and get around the blockers.  If they are quick and athletic, they should be using their best jukes and fakes to miss the mezamorph blockers miss. Jab, spin, rip, swim.  Keep separation and keep fighting to the QB.   It’s not over when the rusher and blocker make contact.  Make your guys play to the whistle.

Observe and React

Watch the offense.  Do they routinely release a lineman into the flat? Then that’s your alley to the QB.  Is the center slow to get his head up? Flood the middle. The more you can pickup and adjust, the better you will do. Make it a habit for your rushers to report back what they’re seeing and then exploit the weakness.

Use the tips and strategy above, and before you know it, your quick athletic rushers will be making big plays and your offense will be marching down the field.