Pincer

Description

The outside linebacker flats coverages employed by many of my Peregrine 3-4 plays are effective in disrupting wide recevier routes, but any technique that is overused gets stale and opposing offenses will eventually find ways to overcome it. One such technique I've discussed is to use runs off tackle, which slip inside these zones and attack the weaker safeties and cornerbacks for often easy gains. Pincer keeps thing interesting by bringing both OLBs in on blitzes that combine with looping defensive ends to shut down these off tackle running lanes in a hurry, turning what was a serious vulnerability in the formation into a major strength.

With five attackers Pincer also retains the classic Peregrine ability to be disrputive. WRs may be free to run their routes, but six zone defenders ensure that openings medium and deep are hard to come by. Openings are fairly easy to find in the short zone however, at least in the flats and a little ways up the sidelines. Running back swings can cause problems here; although the blitzing OLBs take away the passing lanes initially a quarterback who is patient and stays cool in the pocket will be able to hit these swing passes late, typically for 8-12 yard gains. Back on the positive side, Pincer's heavy hook zone coverage means it's better than most Peregrine plays against tight ends, another common weakness for other plays in the formation.

The one typical Peregrine weakness that Pincer does not address is the play action pass. Pincer is especially vulnerable to play action along the sidelines with the zone coverage concentrated deep and through the middle. Because a play fake can cause the deep zone defenders to bite and allow a fast WR to get by them this is about the only way that this play can really get burned deep with any consistency. This is not a huge flaw as long as Pincer is used a bit sparingly, but it might be smart to scout your opponent for at least a few plays to determine how large a part the play action pass takes in his scheme.

Player Assignments

See the Madden Playbook Guide for a description of these symbols.

Analysis

Pros:

• Very effective against all outside runs (including off tackle runs that most Peregrine 3-4 plays are vulnerable to
• Three defenders in deep zone prevent big gains by offense
• Fairly good at forcing tipped passes and turnovers

Cons:

• Vulnerable to play action passes, especially down sidelines but elsewhere as well due to pure zone coverage
• Blitz is a little slow to develop, forcing zone defenders to spread out wide as play develops
• No flats coverage means that late RB passes in flats are very effective at producing medium gains