Getting an Edge on the Blitz

This past season at Emporia State University we finished with a 9-3 record ending our season with an overtime win in the Mineral Water Bowl. Our defense is based out of the 4-2-5 set. Our defensive philosophy with the eight-man front is to stop the run while having an aggressive blitz package. One of our most efficient blitz packages this past season has been our edge blitz game. Emphasizing the Blitz When teaching our blitz game to our athletes, we emphasize four main points: Two Second Blitz, Point A to B, Gap Integrity, and Reading the Quarterback. First and foremost, each player must realize the purpose and the aggressive mentality that goes along with the blitz scheme. We teach this by using a buzz phrase of “Two Second Blitz.” Meaning that in every blitz we need to get to the quarterback in two or less seconds. Our blitzers and defensive linemen have to realize that we are in