Trust, technique, talent and unpredictability.
That combination maximizes the ability of an NFL defense to successfully execute a blitz against a quarterback. The early season version of the 2017 New Orleans Saints appeared lacking in all four elements.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen called several blitzes vs. the Vikings' Sam Bradford and the Patriots' Tom Brady. The two passers brushed most of those attempts aside and sliced up the Saints' defense. It was almost laughable how poorly the Saints implemented the scheme in Weeks 1 and 2.
Three games later, the Saints have become one of the NFL's most successful pressure defenses.