Buster

1. Buster E T N A H Z S M C C F Buster Initial Pre-Snap Read. When the offense breaks the huddle and aligns in a trips formation, the defensive captain (Sa’mard) calls the Buster audible. To the offense, it still appears as if we are in our Base 42 look. The QB’s pre-read will, at this point, be a Cover 3 alignment.

2. Buster E T N A H Z S M C C F Buster Final Pre-Snap Read. As the QB sets (looks toward the center), the cornerbacks (CB) creep forward, the Zeus begins his backpedal, and the free safety (FS) moves to the strong side. These movements now create a Cover 2 shell look for the QB’s read as he is in cadence. The Hulk stems, aligning with the No. 3 (inside slot) receiver. The Hulk’s outside leg splits the No. 3 WR’s body.

3. Buster E T N A H C C S M Z F Buster Final Pre-Snap Read.The timing of the movement is important. From watching the opponent, here is a good rule of thumb: the moving defenders should watch the center. Centers tend to look through their legs to get an accurate reference point of snapping the ball to the QB.  Centers look up prior to snapping the ball. Between the initial QB cadence and the snap, the QB is seeing the defense shift into a Cover 2.

4. Buster E T N A H C C S M Z F Buster At The Snap. When the ball is snapped, the defensive line and the LBs blast into their gap (rush) lanes. Hulk hits the No. 3 WR, which prevents (or at least slows down), his route running. Hulk is in man coverage with this WR. The strong-side CB breaks into deep-1/3 coverage. The FS charges into the hook-or-curl area. The Zeus moves into middle-1/3 coverage. The backside CB plays press (and man) coverage, taking away the “hot” route or slant pattern. It is a 4 ½ -man pass rush. If the running back (RB) flares out, the Mighty Mouse prevents any flat pass. Superman is a B gap player and the low hole.

5. Buster H E T N A C C S M Z F Buster Vs. Trips (WR/TE). If the formation is TE Trips, there is a minor adjustment to Buster. The SLB aligns head-up on the TE (No. 3 receiver) and the Hulk blitzes from the outside position and the E will play man (hold him on the line).

6. Buster E T N A H C C S M Z F Buster Vs. Speed Option Weak. The Mike LB has pitch and rush end (A), Zeus and Superman are responsible for the QB. Even if the offensive tackle goes to the next level, leaving A as the option “read,” Mighty Mouse’s initial movement makes for a difficult block.

7. Buster Strength Strength A N T E H Z M S C C F Buster Oppo. The players stay put and are to perform the assignments normally run by the other side of the defense. It is one of the few instances where we do not follow our ‘flop’ rule. While it adds an additional learning step for the defense, it prevents the offense catching you out of position.Offensive coordinators may notice the constant shifting of the defense when running Buster and decide to set up in trips formation initially, only to motion into a 2-by-2 look. Check out of Buster and run the original call made in the huddle…or run Minnie.

8. Buster E T N A H C Z F S M C Minnie Check. Since Buster takes you to a Cover 2 shell, moving to Minnie is easy. Upon seeing a strong-side slot receiver motion to the weak side, both CBs move up into a press-man stance on the WRs. The Hulk LB stems to the LOS. At the same time, the FS and Zeus move into a Cover-0 look. The FS quickly stems back into deep zone. The QB notices the Hulk LB ready for the pass rush. The QB may think the strong-side slot receiver is the “hot” choice, as the flat is vacated by the Zeus LB.  The FS is seven yards deep again, and even the SLB couldn’t get to the flat in time. When this occurs, now is the time to dial up a zone blitz. At the snap, E takes an initial step toward to offensive tackle. He then backs off into flat coverage. The Hulk LB has taken his outside pass rush with the SLB blitzing the B-gap. The defense is still rushing 5, and it becomes a “cat-and-mouse” game with the QB — that’s why the zone blitz is named Minnie.

9. Buster Boundary E T N A H C C M S Z F Cincy CB Blitz. This is a seven-man blitz and it works best when the ball is on the weak-side hash mark. From the Cover 2 look, the weak-side CB stems toward the motioning slot receiver. He sets up on the LOS, on the inside shoulder of the slot. You can give a corner-blitz look to the QB and bail out (perhaps into Minnie) or the CB can come hard at the snap. While the CB stems, the SLB and Mike LB stem to a 30 look; lining up 3 1/2 yards from the guards. The FS stems to a 1-by-7 look on the strong side. On the snap, the nose tackle (NT) stunts to the weak-side B-gap. The SLB and Tackle blitz the A-gaps.

10. Buster Boundary E T N A H C C M S Z F Cincy CB Blitz.A delay blitz by the Superman LB may work best, depending on the direction the center takes. Mighty Mouse takes the flat coverage to look for the ‘hot’ route.  Zeus covers the weak-side receiver deep, with the FS jumping the “hot” route by the strong-side slot or wide out. For the empty formation (3-by-2 look with only the QB in the backfield), make a minor tweak.  

11. Buster E T N A H C C S M Z F Buster Vs. Empty Backfield. The strong side remains the same on the weak side, the CB takes an inside position as normal, but jumps the short zone at the snap. This defends the ‘hot’ read to the weak-side slot receiver. The Lance, instead of rotating to deep middle, plays a “loose” Cover 2 focusing on the WR.