If so, you'll love my daily "Football Coaching" emails. Four players covering the short and middle zone. Whichever way the safety goes, the quarterback throws to the other seam route. It provides a good balance of short and … We had instances or situations where we would play a mixture of man to man and zone coverage. Cover 3 means there are 3 men back, each defending a third of the field, and is more successful against deep passes down the middle, where the reciever would have split the cover 2 in half. "The Ultimate Guide to Football Defense" Booklet (254 pages). In cover 3 defenses, the cornerback responsible for the deep 3rd of the field on the right gets distrcated by our B/circle receiver on the out route. There are multiple ways to get into different coverage looks but the defense is most sound when it is in some form of single high coverage. That’s all well and good, but the strong side receiver is running the deep post to a vacated area in the middle of the field, with great leverage against his deep corner. The quick hitches will draw the corners upward and can be hit right after the snap before the curl/flat defenders reach outside. […] are utilized more frequently in a Cover 4 defense than a Cover 3 or a Cover 2 zone defense because some wrinkles in the alignment could include subbing out one of […], Copyright text 2018 by Football Advantage. Another way to manipulate the deep free safety is to run hitch/seam patterns. ... What is Cover 3. Play action passes that draw linebackers close to the line of scrimmage provide a huge gap between the linebackers and the deep safety. These shorter completions aren’t much in any one particular play, but they can add up here and there to be enough to sustain a long drive for the offense. The strong side receiver runs a comeback to occupy the corner, and the running back would have a huge alley with the middle linebacker following the tight end’s route and the outside linebacker gaining depth on the weak side post. Texas concept, a very good route against man coverage, can also have its advantages against the hook zone defenders in a Cover 3 defense: We see the strong side running back with a bit wider split, to give him an extra step on his route. All told, the 4-3 defensive alignment is something every coach should have in his or her defensive playbook. Since those curl/flat defenders have to get lateral quickly, the inside two-on-one and three-on-two isolations really favor the offense. Cover 3 zone is a very standard defensive scheme for the secondary and linebackers. They are lined up either on the offensive tackle’s outside shoulder or over the tight end if there is one on the field. We have the most success … Since Cover 2 usually leaves a hole down the middle where neither safety is playing, Cover 3 is a different scheme so that the hole is taken away. Tagged. Cover 3 is a zone defense where three defensive backs ‒ typically two outside cornerbacks and a free safety ‒ divide the deep portion of the field into thirds, with four defenders (a combination of the strong safety, linebackers, and any nickel- or dime- backs) underneath. This week I would like to talk about the cover 3 zone defense. The Cover 3 relies on the pressure up front to be generated by the four down defensive linemen, while the other seven players on the field are asked to drop back into coverage on pass plays or be responsible for a specific zone on the field against run plays. Notice how our quarterback rolled slightly to the right to make the throw angle a little easier. Weaknesses: By dividing the field in half, you require two players to cover a lot of acreage. 1806 N Loop 1604 W; San Antonio, Texas 78248; 210.479.9700; Geoffrey Smith; General Manager; COVER 3 Round Rock. Cover 3 is a zone defense, which means defenders can be high-lowed and flooded, so these are concepts that will be utilized all the time against any type of zone defense. Essentially, it was a way to play Cover 3 and Cover 1 at the same time, but was predicated on communication and decisive decision making from the defense based on the routes run by the offense. Cover 3 has its advantages for sure, but a good, well-timed, offense can pick the underneath defenders apart, especially with the right route combinations to manipulate specific defenders; this is one of the many reasons why speed is so essential at the linebacker position. Defenses would do this against Odell Beckham Jr. constantly when he was on the Giants. Peyton Manning reads the leverage of the corners and the steps of the free safety. The entire secondary’s responsibility is to cover this deep zone and keep every play in front of them. At one time, it was thought of as only a defense that youth football teams and teams at the high school level would utilize often in a game. Yet another play that can exploit the continuity of a solid defensive structure. Corners could also make an “under” call if the receivers run a route underneath five yards, which will just turn the coverage into a true cover-3 zone. The corners play outside leverage and try to force the receivers inside towards the other zone defenders. It’s Easy to Adjust - Because of the way the strong safety lines up at the same depth as the linebackers, it’s easier to adjust to a running play than other forms of zone defense. Defensive linemen in a Cover 3 scheme are tasked with putting as much pressure in the backfield as they possibly can. This is an excellent way to gain an advantage, but the throw must be quick, since the deep middle safety can drive down on the seam once the linebackers get sucked up by the running backs. ur X/square receiver on the post has lots of space for us to make the throw. If you’re aware of the technique being played on a star receiver, then you can utilize your other receivers to take advantage of a coverage that is trying to take away the most dangerous threat. Lateral read routes are very hard to defend in a Cover 3 and they can really put defenders into conflict, especially those outside defenders. The biggest vulnerabilities of the Cover 3 are the flats, seams, and any route combinations that can hold certain defenders in place, while other offensive players manipulate the coverage. A gap that can be exposed by deep crossing patterns. This defense protects against the deep passing plays quite well, but it’s also good against the run because the strong safety lines up near the linebackers and closer the line of scrimmage than he normally does (as we’ll see later). In that case, the nickel and strong safety would be tasked to eliminate the curl/flat (remember curl/flat means curl to the flat, so the defender’s first responsibility is the curl and then the flat). 21 Personnel can also assist the offense in taking advantage of the middle of the field. The strong safety will line up wide of the Sam but inside the cornerback on that side of the field, at a depth similar to that of the Will. We are one of the few teams that actually use cover 3 zone defense with our youth football team . For simplicity's sake, I'm going to keep the Broncos in 2-by-2 alignments throughout these diagrams, but as Andy Benoit pointed out, the Broncos can really cause matchup problems by going to 3-by-1 looks. He can also either shade to the third of the field to his left or his right if a deep pass is thrown near either sideline. They can blitz without the fear of getting beat over the top. They will be joined at this level – both in terms of where they line up pre-snap and where they go post-snap – by the strong safety. -  Designed by Thrive Themes A Cover 3 defense is an alignment that should be in every defensive coach’s repertoire, no matter what level of experience you’re coaching. This idea of being a solid defensive alignment against both the pass and the run is why many youth football teams have often incorporated it in their game plans. While blitzes can happen more frequently in a base Cover 3 alignment than they will in a Cover 2 base alignment for example, the four defensive linemen are often the only players on the field who are tasked with applying pressure on the offensive line. If an offense loves to control the intermediate middle of the field, then the linebackers can carry the routes further, forcing the quarterback into a tougher throw. This is to help with coverage against run plays that the offense might run. If you’ve decided to simplify your defense with a spot drop coverage, you’re probably looking at how to play cover 3 vs 4 verticals. Cover 3 Zone Defense. Similar to the curl/flat, a play like this forces the nickel back into conflict. Cover 3 is a zone defense, which means defenders can be high-lowed and flooded, so these are concepts that will be utilized all the time against any type of zone defense. Slant/flats essentially do the same thing and can even pick the nickel and create a barrier (and become a blocker) for the running back to gain extra yardage after the catch. It’s Great Against the Deep Ball - With three defenders dropping back to cover the deep zone, the Cover 3 defensive alignment is great at protecting against the big passing play over the top. Much like the inside zone play and if a defense is a zone cover team, the first zone scheme they usually put in is cover 3. The cornerbacks’ often take their first few steps back in a sideways, shuffle form in a Cover 3 defense, so they can identify whether the play is a pass or a run at the snap of the ball. As I stated earlier, the strong safety and nickel are put into a tough position to cover those curl/flat areas. Coverages in the 3-3 Defense. Could be Susceptible to Spread Formations - Offenses that run the spread formation with multiple speedy running backs and multiple wide receivers might be able to take advantage of the fact that all three linebackers will be asked to go out in coverage. The Cover 3 defense is one of the more popular zone-based defensive alignments in football. There are two defensive ends on the field in a Cover 3 defense. Their responsibilities lie in the deep third of their respective zones. Understanding the Cover 3 Zone Defense in Football Positions in the Cover 3 Zone. We went over the Yankee concepts in the Cover 1 article last week, the Yankee Concept is particularly effective against Cover 3, with a play action, because the deep crosser ends up in the vacated area left by the corner who is covering the 9 route. This is one major reason why Nick Saban had to devise RIP/LIZ as the defensive coordinator for Bill Belichick in Cleveland; he had to come up with a defense that could drop eight men in the box, to stop the Steelers’ rushing attack, while still being able to play Cover 1 if the Steelers decided to run four vertical routes. Quick game half field lateral reads are a very effective way to attack the defense. The corner is occupied with the vertical and the middle linebacker is too far away to make a realistic impact on the flood. In the passing game, they are looking to overload the 3 receiver side of the coverage or isolate their player in a one-on-one match-up on the single receiver side. Welcome to COVER 3 - it's service with social distancing. Cover 3 is still, and should continue to be, an excellent base coverage for many skilled NFL teams that have the necessary personnel. Also, by having your corners jam the wide receivers, you can slow up the deep routes with support over the top. However, college and NFL defenses have become more complex. In cover 3, the seam is usually exposed. That’s because it is one of the most basic zone formations around and one that’s good against both the pass and the run. Most notably, Shown below is a diagram of the basic 3-5-3 defense. But against off-man coverage, this is a good way to pick up easy yardage, if the timing is right. In that case, the free safety will be forced to cover the middle deep zone himself and won’t be able to chip in and help the cornerbacks. If a defense can stop you by playing Cover 3, you will never have an effective passing game.” If the defense can play 3 deep and stop your passing game, that means that they can keep 6 or 7 guys in the box to stop the run. It’s a defense that is often used in early downs on a drive because it’s good against both the pass and the run, and offenses are often less predictable on first and second downs than they are on third downs. The vertical slot has to be accounted for by either the deep corner or the free safety. The two defensive tackles in a Cover 3 defense will line up anywhere between the offensive tackle and the center. To the weak side, the slot runs a deep horizontal cross, which would be right behind the middle linebacker who is covering the tight end’s stick route.