When Rushing Four Works Like Blitzing

NJ.com talks about how rushing four out of the Jets' disguised fronts worked just as well as blitzing against Houston.

The Jets' "simulated pressure" worked from the first snap. Translation: Ryan's group gave the Texans offense the appearance that five, six or even seven guys were going to rush, but dropped several of them into coverage and only brought four or five.

Case in point: On the Texans' second play from scrimmage, the Jets gave the illusion of a blitz before just bringing four. The result: Bart Scott got a free run and clean hit on Houston QB Matt Schaub.

It's not exactly easy to block four guys if you don't know which four guys are coming. This is the concept behind the zone blitz Pittsburgh runs to perfection and Dom Capers took to Green Bay with much success last night. It's what makes the 3-4 effective.

That's what I never got about Eric Mangini. He never seemed to understand the element of surprise his defense could bring if executed well. With only three down linemen in the 3-4, an extra rusher could come from anywhere. He seemed content to rush only three too often and the fourth coming from the outside. He never consistently showed the confusing fronts the Jets ran up in Foxborough to such perfection in 2006 and 2007 with guys walking around before the snap and linemen only getting set in their stances right before the quarterback called for the ball.