Pre-Snap Blitz Recognition
You have to admire how New York Giants defensive coordinator (and former Ravens secondary coach) Steve Spagnuolo came out slinging against the Baltimore offense last Sunday. He often dropped safety Landon Collins into the box and deployed his corners on blitzes to disrupt the Ravens’ blocking scheme. He also dialed up plenty of Cover 0 pressures (playing man across the board without fear).
What made the all-out blitzes really work was the delayed action in the pre-snap stage. The defensive backs that Spagnuolo sent would charge their gaps right before the snap, and Joe Flacco failed to recognize those blitzes in time.