One way to shut down a passing game is to close the pocket and pressure the Quarterback. Closing the pocket using defensive pass rush moves is the fastest way to sack the Quarterback. In this article, we will show you different pass rush moves.
A pass rush move is a maneuver done by a defensive lineman to get past an offensive lineman. Popular pass rush moves include a rip, swim, bull rush, and spin move.
Let’s learn more about pass rush moves that can be done from the defensive line position.
Defensive Pass Rush Moves
Pass rush moves from defensive linemen are the quickest because they start a yard away from the Quarterback. Having an effective pass rush from the defensive tackle or defensive end can stress the opposing offensive line and quarterback.
Rushing the passer is an art. Once you’ve understood how to line up and learned the gaps and techniques, mastering hand placement and body leverage will help you become a complete pass rusher.
Pass rush moves, along with the scheme, play a big part in a defense’s overall ability to get after the Quarterback.
Having a dominant pass rush is essential for a few reasons.
- It puts pressure on the Offensive Tackle
- It puts pressure on the Quarterback
- Makes the Offensive Coordinator question his play calls
We have a complete list of courses and interviews with professional pass rushers if you’re looking for a more technical breakdown of pass rush moves.
Adding Pressure On The Offensive Tackle
The first and most apparent reason is the added pressure on the offensive tackle, especially the left tackle (or the blindside tackle). Pass rush moves can help with both mental and physical application of pressure.
Playing tackle (especially in the NFL) is a challenging position. Not only do they have to worry about doing their job correctly, but they also need to focus on blitzes, stunts, and any checks that happen at the line of scrimmage.
Couple this with a good pass rusher, and it can be an offensive tackle’s worst nightmare.
Getting Pressure On The Quarterback
Quarterbacks tend to get into trouble when they hit the top of their drop, and their eyes drop from the receivers to the defensive rush.
This is why closing the pocket from the edge is so important. Once the quarterback goes into “panic” mode, it’s rare to get him back into his rhythm.
One hit from the blindside can not only fatigue a quarterback but can also make him shorten his timing and throw before he hits the top of his drop.
Creating Stress For The Offensive Coordinator
A good edge rusher forces offensive coordinators to call plays they typically don’t want to. In order to deal with good edge rushers, you can run away from them, pass away from them, or read them.
Young players should model their game after certain NFL players.
As Hall of Fame Tackle Will Roaf mentioned on our podcast, he hated facing pass rushers who could win with power. He much preferred the speed rushers.
Roaf states that the power rushers always had him on his heels. To defend against the bull rush, an offensive tackle must drop his hips and lean forward.
If caught leaning too much, a simple push-pull and rip could catch the tackle out of position. These pass rush moves make even the great tackles nervous.
Defensive Linemen Pass Rush Moves
We’ll be breaking down the videos below, as well as walking through each pass rush move and why it was used against the leverage of the offensive tackle.
Speed Rip
Win with the speed rip against slower offensive tackles.
This is one of the most common moves used among young defensive ends. The ultimate goal is simple: get around the offensive tackle and close the pocket.
Exploding off the edge is an essential part of this move. Gaining up-field leverage with speed, forcing the tackle to kick back, automatically gets him out of position.
The speed, coupled with a low rip, forces the tackle’s hand position to be out of place, which allows the edge rush to leverage himself upfield. The defensive player will then rip underneath the offensive player with their inside arm to win with leverage.
The key to winning on the speed rip is to time the snap perfectly. This allows defenders to get an extra step on the blockers to increase their chances of getting a sack.
Speed Chop
Winning again with speed but using a “chop” as the defensive end approaches the tackle.
Attacking the outside hand and outside foot is the goal here. The “chop” is when a defensive end chops the hand down toward the ground so he can get around the tackle.
The chop helps disengage the tackle’s outside hand to gain leverage around the edge.
This rush is similar to the speed rush, but we’re going to chop the outside hand and work tight to the hip this time.
The key points are chopping and bending to the football and getting the hips square to the Quarterback.
Bull Rush
If you’ve been winning with speed, now it’s time for the bull rush.
When the tackle is off-balanced, stick your outside foot in the ground and use that momentum to get under the tackle and push him back.
It’s essential to get the tackle kicking back or getting his shoulders to square to you.
The momentum of the tackle, including feet, hips, and upper body, is leaning back; there’s no possible way he can absorb the power of the bull rush without kicking his feet back, which then the defensive end can run around him.
Bull rushing is not just for edge rushers who are strong. Speed rushers can bull rush as well; they need to be crafty with how they set the tackle up.
Often, getting a vertical set and then coming straight down the middle of the tackle can get them on their toes.
Push Pull Swim
A few hand placement & footwork techniques to note for this pass rush move to be successful.
- The edge rush must maintain speed upfield – this will get the defender leaning backward
- Start to bullrush, so the tackle has to place his back foot in the ground and counteract the leverage. This will put the tackle leaning forward
- Once the edge rush feels the counter force from the tackle, pull his jersey/shoulder pads toward you and swim over the top
Notice the tackle’s weight changes from back to front at each point of contact.
Again, with pressing and influencing the tackle to get upfield, when the tackle leans forward to absorb the bull rush, we want to use leverage against him.
It doesn’t matter how big the offensive lineman is; it’s all about hand-fighting and leverage.
Spin
A quick spin can be mastered if a tackle is overextending with their hands.
Above, we’re seeing a great job using body leverage and foot placement to win against an off-balanced tackle.
Quickly rotating 360 degrees and using a move called an “ice pick” to swing the arm backward and clear the tackle. This move is hard to pull off and is typically used when the tackle is overextending.
This move is tough for younger athletes to pull off, but if there’s a tackle over committing to the speed rush up-field, planting the outside foot and coming back inside may make sense.
Fake Spin
The fake spin is a move used to make the player think the player is going one way and spinning back the other. This is used only if the tackle is expecting a spin move.
2 Hand Shuck
The 2-hand shuck is when you use your two hands and shuck their outside and inside hands away. This technique is useful when the defensive end has upfield leverage on the tackle.
It’s also a great pass rush move to utilize when the tackle has his hands extended, ready to absorb contact.
In the clip above, the tackle stops kicking his feet, which helps the edge rusher close the gap after attacking his hands.
Shucking the outside hand and attacking the outside leg can help close the pocket.
Stab
The stab works properly when the defensive end can get his outside foot in the ground and use one hand to power the offensive tackle back.
This move is a subset of the bull rush with more leverage than the power added.
The stab is often coupled with a swim or a rip move if the tackle can fight the power portion of the move. The stab helps set up numerous pass rush moves.
In the clip above, we see the tackle continue with the power portion of the move, strictly because he’s winning with it and doesn’t need to adjust to the swim or rip.
Inside our membership vIQtory Pro, you’ll find exact instructions and tutorials on how to turn average defensive linemen into run-stopping and pass-rushing terrors for the offense.