A high reward/high risk defensive man blitz scheme that can be run in this year’s game without moving any defenders is the 3-4 Odd – Pinch Cover 0. In this Madden Tips breakdown we show who gets the pressure and why.
The 3-4 Pinch – Cover 0 sends 6 defenders (3 defensive men, 3 linebackers) after the quarterback, with five defenders playing man coverage.
With five defenders playing man coverage and 6 defenders rushing the quarterback, there no defenders playing deep coverage, hence Cover 0 coverage.
The defender we look to get pressure with this defense is the right inside linebacker, who’s blitz angle shoots between the center and left guard.
The other defender that might get pressure without making any pre-snap adjustments is the left outside linebacker.
Once the ball is snapped, look for the RILB to shoot through the A Gap between the center and left guard. If he is blocked, then the pressure will more than likely come from the left outside linebacker.
In the image about, the right inside linebacker sacks the quarterback.
Video Breakdown
[jwplayer config="myplayer" html5_file="http://xsos-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/34-odd-pinch-cover0.mp4video.mp4" file="http://xsos-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/34-odd-pinch-cover0.mp4video.mp4" image="http://xsos-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/34oddpinchcover01_thumb.jpg" width="614" height="420" autoplay="false"]
Final Thoughts
Just like any Cover 0 defense, the 3-4 Odd – Pinch Cover 0 brings pressure, but can be beat by big play deep down the field. The faster the inside linebacker is, the better chance of success with this man blitz scheme.
