Film Room: Highlighting Some of Gus Bradley's Creative Blitz Packages
Indianapolis Colts' Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley has built up a reputation over the years as being someone that is averse to blitzing. Bradley certainly earned that reputation in 2021 with the Las Vegas Raiders, as he blitzed just 12.1% of the time on the year (by far the lowest amount in the league).
That being said, Bradley's defense with the Raiders was still one of the best in creating pressure. The team finished 12th in the NFL in total pressures and tied for third in quarterback knockdowns. Bradley understands how to affect opposing quarterbacks, even if he does this by not blitzing.
The other notable aspect of all of this is that Bradley's blitzes, albeit used sparingly, are fairly effective when called. He has a great understanding of when to time up his blitz calls, and he mixes some really unique designs on such calls. In today's film room, I dive into a few of these blitz designs that Bradley found success with in 2021.
Snake Blitz (Nickel Corner Blitz)
Gus Bradley, much like former DC Matt Eberflus, understands the hardship that a well-timed nickel corner blitz can be for an offense. Bradley may not use this call as often as Eberflus did, but his calls are arguably even more effective.
In Bradley's scheme, these nickel corner rushes are typically called "snake" blitzes. He likes to sneak the nickel corner as the contain blitzer from the passing strength side of the formation (ie. the side with more pass catchers).
In this clip below, the Raiders are in an odd-front, with defensive ends Maxx Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue aligned next to each other on the right side of the screen. Slot cornerback Nate Hobbs (off screen to the right) is aligned in man coverage on the strong side of the offense. When the ball is snapped, both Ngakoue and Crosby crash inside, drawing the attention of the right side of the offensive line. This gives Hobbs the perfect lane to slip in and come away with a pressure on the play.
A more basic look for this blitz came against the Colts in week 17 this past season. The Colts are aligned in a typical 11 personnel look, with two receivers to the left of the screen and a receiver and a tight end to the right. Nate Hobbs aligns over the slot receiver to the left and comes flying off of the edge at the snap. Running back Jonathan Taylor does a great job of halting the rush momentarily, but the blitz is still enough to impact the overall play.
MIKE Wrap Blitz
For all of you wondering if Darius Leonard will still be involved in blitz packages, yes, Bradley does have a few of those up his sleeve. This particular call involves the MIKE linebacker, but it can also be substituted for the WILL in certain looks.
This wrap blitz is a super interesting design. The defense starts with just three down defensive linemen, with the WILL linebacker serving as another edge rusher off of the left side of the screen. Once the ball is snapped, the left side of the defensive line crashes down to create a lane for the MIKE linebacker. The MIKE backer swings around the opening and has an easy lane for a pressure on the quarterback.
This next clip is more of a typical look we would get on wrap calls. The linebacker starts this snap on the line of scrimmage to simulate pressure across the front. The left side of the defensive line crashes down off of the snap while the linebacker to the right of the screen loops back around up the middle. On this particular play, the left tackle loses Ngakoue in all the confusion and he is the one that ends up with a QB hit on the play.
Tiger Blitz (Strong Safety Blitz)
Another way that Bradley likes to bring pressure is with his safeties. It isn't used a ton, but he did bring strong safety Johnathan Abram on blitzes 21 times this past season.
In Bradley's scheme, these pressure plays are called "Tiger" blitzes. On these type of calls, he likes to bring the strong safety that is aligned over the tight end on the play side. It is an easy blitz to hide, as the strong safety is selling man coverage on the tight end at the snap.
This clip below is a good example. The Raiders are in a typical closed look with Abram aligned over top the tight end. As soon as the ball is snapped, though, he shoots off of the edge, causing the hurried throw. This is a well timed blitz against a quarterback that typically struggles against extra pressure.
Smash Blitz
The final blitz I want to talk about today is a smash blitz. This isn't a typical blitz in Bradley's scheme, but it is one that he will roll out every now and then.
Smash is a concept we saw quite a bit last year with Matt Eberflus. On these blitzes, one side of the line brings pressure while the defensive end on the other side drops off into coverage.
This clip below is actually just a four man pressure, so it technically doesn't even count as a blitz. WILL backer Divine Deablo shoots the 'B' gap on the left side while defensive end Maxx Crosby drops into coverage. This confusion causes just enough space for Deablo to create pressure in the backfield.
Final Thoughts
Even with former Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus in Chicago, the Colts are going to stick to being a defense that rarely blitzes. The true change that is coming is how Bradley attacks offenses with his defensive line. He may rarely bring blitzes, but when he does, they typically get the job done.
These clips are just the barebones of the calls in his playbook. Each call has multiple variations and adjustments to attack offenses. With Bradley's ability to scheme up these calls, and the unique way that he designs them, I wouldn't be shocked to see a few linebackers and defensive backs finish the season with decent sack numbers.
Need your fill on daily Colts' content? Head over to the Locked On Colts' YouTube channel where Jake Arthur and myself hit on all the major topics surrounding this team. Hit that subscribe button while you are there!
Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.
