Interesting Nugget today when we learned the Husker D is going to run Cover 3 this year.
Attached is an article, in layman's terms, on the differences and pros/cons of all the BASIC coverages, excluding all the numerous adjustments/derivatives that can be included. The Semi-Cliff Notes:
Cover 0 - "I simply don't respect your ability to throw the ball" coverage. Extremely vulnerable against the pass. (was the coverage the Steelers were in against Denver/Tebow in playoff OT when they got burned for 80 yd Tebow touchdown pass)
Cover 1 -"I want to be aggressive in stopping the run and short throws in any direction, while giving my team a last line of defense" coverage.Overall, Cover 1 is a good shell if you want to be aggressive without leaving your defense completely exposed without deep safety help. Every receiver gets assigned a defender, and it leaves a defensive player free to blitz or roam. However, against a team with at least 2 threats to go deep, leaving only 1 safety deep means only one of those threats can be contained with safety help. Because of that, some teams choose to play 2 safeties deep.
Cover 2 -"I want to free up my cornerbacks to be aggressive" coverage. By dropping both safeties deep downfield, cornerbacks and linebackers playing "underneath" can play zone, press-man, or off-man coverage, and they can be asked to be aggressive in trying to create interceptions since they have the "safety blanket" of not just one, but 2 safeties playing deep downfield. Vulnerability are the best defensive back against the run (the strong safety) is asked to play far from the line of scrimmage, limiting his ability to help on running plays. Also athletic tight ends who can run the seam are cover 2 Killers (unless you have a athletic linebacker like Urlacher who can drop into coverage)
Cover 3 -"I want to take away deep throws and runs up the middle" coverage. It may seem weird for a coverage shell to accomplish both, but once you see it in action, it makes sense.The advantage of cover 3 is that it asks the 3 best players in coverage (the boundary cornerbacks and free safety) to drop into deep coverage, while it has the defensive back who is best in run support (the strong safety) move towards the line of scrimmage to help stop the run. The disadvantage in Cover 3 is that it is vulnerable to quick wide passes near the line of scrimmage, unless you can play Cover 3 like Seattle (press cover 3) where you have awesome boundary corners who can press at the line of scrimmage before dropping back.
Cover 4 (or "Quarters" coverage), per former NFL coach, is a four-deep, three-under zone defense that uses man-to-man principles while creating opportunities for both the free and strong safety to double (or "bracket") the No. 1 wide receivers. Think of both cornerbacks and the two safeties in a standard four-deep look (cornerbacks align at seven to eight yards off the ball, safeties at 10-12 yards) with two underneath flat defenders and a linebacker playing the "middle hook" to wall off any inside breaking concept. A coverage that was a core scheme for multiple defenses during my time in the NFL, Cover 4 has been exposed to an extent versus today's NFL offenses. With play action to set the bait for safeties (leaving the cornerbacks exposed), plus spread looks that target the three underneath defenders in the short-to-intermediate route tree, I see much more Cover 6 (quarter-quarter-half) on tape compared to a straight "Quarters" alignment.
Which begs the questions to an insider - what about the team made Banker think that it would be better to run Cover 3 this year than "Quarters".
http://www.thephinsider.com/2014/8/15/6000113/football-101-coverage-shells
Attached is an article, in layman's terms, on the differences and pros/cons of all the BASIC coverages, excluding all the numerous adjustments/derivatives that can be included. The Semi-Cliff Notes:
Cover 0 - "I simply don't respect your ability to throw the ball" coverage. Extremely vulnerable against the pass. (was the coverage the Steelers were in against Denver/Tebow in playoff OT when they got burned for 80 yd Tebow touchdown pass)
Cover 1 -"I want to be aggressive in stopping the run and short throws in any direction, while giving my team a last line of defense" coverage.Overall, Cover 1 is a good shell if you want to be aggressive without leaving your defense completely exposed without deep safety help. Every receiver gets assigned a defender, and it leaves a defensive player free to blitz or roam. However, against a team with at least 2 threats to go deep, leaving only 1 safety deep means only one of those threats can be contained with safety help. Because of that, some teams choose to play 2 safeties deep.
Cover 2 -"I want to free up my cornerbacks to be aggressive" coverage. By dropping both safeties deep downfield, cornerbacks and linebackers playing "underneath" can play zone, press-man, or off-man coverage, and they can be asked to be aggressive in trying to create interceptions since they have the "safety blanket" of not just one, but 2 safeties playing deep downfield. Vulnerability are the best defensive back against the run (the strong safety) is asked to play far from the line of scrimmage, limiting his ability to help on running plays. Also athletic tight ends who can run the seam are cover 2 Killers (unless you have a athletic linebacker like Urlacher who can drop into coverage)
Cover 3 -"I want to take away deep throws and runs up the middle" coverage. It may seem weird for a coverage shell to accomplish both, but once you see it in action, it makes sense.The advantage of cover 3 is that it asks the 3 best players in coverage (the boundary cornerbacks and free safety) to drop into deep coverage, while it has the defensive back who is best in run support (the strong safety) move towards the line of scrimmage to help stop the run. The disadvantage in Cover 3 is that it is vulnerable to quick wide passes near the line of scrimmage, unless you can play Cover 3 like Seattle (press cover 3) where you have awesome boundary corners who can press at the line of scrimmage before dropping back.
Cover 4 (or "Quarters" coverage), per former NFL coach, is a four-deep, three-under zone defense that uses man-to-man principles while creating opportunities for both the free and strong safety to double (or "bracket") the No. 1 wide receivers. Think of both cornerbacks and the two safeties in a standard four-deep look (cornerbacks align at seven to eight yards off the ball, safeties at 10-12 yards) with two underneath flat defenders and a linebacker playing the "middle hook" to wall off any inside breaking concept. A coverage that was a core scheme for multiple defenses during my time in the NFL, Cover 4 has been exposed to an extent versus today's NFL offenses. With play action to set the bait for safeties (leaving the cornerbacks exposed), plus spread looks that target the three underneath defenders in the short-to-intermediate route tree, I see much more Cover 6 (quarter-quarter-half) on tape compared to a straight "Quarters" alignment.
Which begs the questions to an insider - what about the team made Banker think that it would be better to run Cover 3 this year than "Quarters".
http://www.thephinsider.com/2014/8/15/6000113/football-101-coverage-shells
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