bllitzes

Question
what is a blitz and who blitzes and how does it work?

Answer
Rosemary, in general a blitz is when more than four defenders try and rush the passer.  The most common alignemnt in football is the 4-3 defense: 4 down lineman directly facing the offensive line, 3 linebackers behind them, and 4 defensive backs even farther back.  The four down lineman usually rush, and if one or more of the LB's or DB's join them (5, 6 or even 7 people rushing) that is a "blitz."

There is a variation called a "zone blitz" where the blitz isn't about how many, but where.  A down lineman will back up and drop into coverage, while a linebacker rushes - they swap jobs) and the blitz is now about this new rusher coming from an unexpected place.  

Blitzes are about bringing pressure onto the quarterback by being creative with the rush - something other than the four down linemen rushing.