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 Thursday, September 30
Miami's corner blitz
 
By Sean Salisbury
ESPN.com

 

<img src="hhttp://espn.go.com/i/nfl/playbook99/wk4_bufmia_1.jpg" width=400 height=480 border=0>

About the play: The Dolphins have great defensive speed. They love the attitudes of their cornerbacks, Terrell Buckley and Sam Madison love to use the corner blitz to pressure opposing offenses. They will try to keep pressure on Doug Flutie and bring the corner blitz mainly off the three-wideout set. Because it puts the corner closer to the quarterback, he doesn't have too far to go to get to the passer.

Keys to the play: You must have a defense that can play man-to-man coverage well. It also must be able to run because when the Dolphins blitz the Bills, Buffalo will try to use three very good receivers against man coverage. Another huge key is having a defense that understands down-and-distance tendencies so you know the perfect situation in which to call the corner blitz.

Critical player: It is critical that the Dolphins disguise the blitz and don't give it away and let Flutie, a smart veteran, see the blitz early so he can audible out of a bad play. Free safety Brock Marion must stay in the middle until the ball is really close to being snapped. The longer Marion can disguise covering the slot receiver when the corner blitzes, the harder it will be for Flutie to see the blitz.

Offensive strategy: The Bills can combat the blitz by having a receiver and a quarterback who are on the same page. Buffalo must run its sight adjustment on time and prevent the hit and sack. A note to consider: This blitz will usually come from the quarterback's backside, which makes it tough to see.



 


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