Three and Four Man Fronts vs. Multiple Pass Protection

Our base defense here at the University of Akron is primarily a 3-5 defense. We also have the ability to show some four-man fronts. In order for us to be successful against the pass in our three-man front our players have to be able to understand, recognize and react to different types of pass protections. They first have to know the different types of personnel groupings and what the favorite protections out of each grouping are – which I will explain later. Once they know what grouping is on the field, the next key is where the back or backs are aligned. Knowing the down and distance, knowing where the wide side of the field is will also help in reacting to pass protections.     I have drawn up some of the pass protections we have faced and will explain how we will react to them in our three and four man fronts with base calls, no blitzes or stunting: Diagram 1: Base protection -