I’ve heard it called by different names:
Sting, Pick, Collision, Ricochet.
Either way, it’s a Blitzing technique you might want to experiment with this fall.
Let’s get into it.
What are we talking about?
Essentially, we’re just going to use some STUNTING principles, but with a Blitz.
We’re going to “Steal the Eyes” of a blocker, collide them, and then get Vertical.
But this time a Linebacker will be acting as the Penetrator on the play.
The Looper could be another Linebacker or a Defensive Lineman (or, of course, a DB).
The Looper
Even though they go second on the play, I’ll start with the Looper.
This is because the Looper must set everything up.
The Looper wants to threaten the blocker (in the example above, we’re talking about the Guard).
A common term for this is to “Steal the Eyes”.
After the Penetrator executes the Pick, the Looper should work tightly around the collision and get Vertical.
The Penetrator
The Penetrator is the one setting the Pick.
They should collide the Guard using their hands with aiming points of the shoulder and hip.
Note: As always, we want to keep the head out of the contact here. There’s no reason to “ear hole” the blocker. At the same time, Offensive players need to be aware of this technique and protect themselves (just like Defensive players need to be ready for a Trap Block).
Immediately after setting the Pick, the Penetrator must then get Vertical.
They are not “sacrificing” themselves on this play. In fact, it’s often the Penetrator who ends up coming free.
In doing this, we’re putting the Running Back in a bind (if we end up on the Big-on-Big Side of the Protection). Does the Running Back stick with their initial responsibility (the Penetrator), or come off them to block the free Looper?
In the clip above, it’s the Penetrator who comes free. The ball is gone quickly, but you can see that #34 has a clear path to the QB.
Final Thoughts
There you have it. A simple concept that may fit into your pressure plan this fall.
If you haven’t already downloaded it, check out the free Modern Pressures e-book, where I drew up 36 Blitzes from Week 1 of the 2023 CFL Season. Click here to find it.
All the best,
Jon Svec
Defensive Coordinator
St. Francis Xavier University
X-Men Football
IG: @jonsvecx
Twitter: @jonsvecx
To read more check out the Canadian Football Chalk Talk e-books series, which includes: Defensive Basics, Linebacker Toolbox, and Modern Pressures.