Origin of Simulated Pressures

The Simulated Pressures have been all the rage this off-season as the newest innovation in football, but how new are they?  I dug deep into some old film and many old playbooks to investigate this question.  I will veer off and talk a little football history along the way, so I hope you don't mind.

What is a Simulated Pressure?  It is pressure that brings a non-traditional rusher (a LB or DB) in exchange for dropping a traditional rusher (DL).  They are generally 4 man pressures, although they can also be 5 man pressures by "adding" the rusher assigned to cover the Running Back when he blocks.

New Website Logo

I have been meaning to update my website logo for a long time and I have recently been inspired by the courage and selflessness of a man who gave his own life, Coach Aaron Feis.  I wanted to write a bit about these coaches that have inspired me to try and follow in their footsteps.

Top row: left to right

Aaron Feis – Stoneman Douglas HS (FL) – I started my coaching career at Deerfield Beach HS in south Florida and Douglas was in our District.  Coach Feis is an amazing hero.  John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

DL Stunts - Part 2

Part 2 of the Defensive Line Stunts series will look at stunts where the Defensive Tackle works in tandem with the Defensive End.  DL Stunts - Part 1 looked at stunts with just the Defensive Tackles.  Blitzes and Fire Zones are great for applying pressure, but the easiest and safest way to get pressure is from the guys up front.  It is nice to be able to play your favorite coverage on 3rd and Long and still get pressure from the front 4.  If a defense can do that, it has an opportunity to be great on 3rd Down.

Creating DE Conflict

Dubber just had a great post here on this subject that you need to read if you haven't already. He says, "In football terms, keeping a defense 'off rhythm' is the name of the game."  He is correct.  This post will focus solely on the Defensive End position and how to put the DE in conflict in order to keep him off-rhythm. 

Urban Meyer talked about how much of what they did with their Spread offense at Florida was designed to control the DEs, because they are such tremendous athletes that they can take over a game by themselves.  These freaks of nature can really wreak havoc on an offense if allowed to get into a rhythm.  DEs that are strong and can run as fast as most RBs are a nightmare for an OT to try to block.  An Offensive Coordinator must  have plays designed to confuse and slow down the DE in order for the offense to have a chance and for his QB to survive.