Once the ball moves into the deep red zone (plus-15-yard line), Tampa 2 turns into Red 2 with the safeties and cornerbacks adjusting their technique to account for the short field and reduced throwing lanes. Back-side passes can break for long yards if defenders leave their zone⦠Time to get low, play with leverage and restrict that running lane. In 3rd-and-11-plus situations, the defense can play Green 2 to put a tent on top of the defense, protect the sticks and force the quarterback to take the checkdown. - Both cornerbacks play with a “soft squat” technique. With limited room to work and a reduced field, there is no need for the safeties to backpedal. Remember, play deep to short at cornerback and only react to the flat once the 7 route is eliminated. 1 wide receiver for their run/pass key and play “top-down” while overlapping any throw to the deep middle of the field. The cover two defensive strategy involves two defensive players (usually the two safeties) covering an area far down the field in an attempt to disrupt any attempts by the offense at a deep pass. However, they will play this almost as a “trail-man” technique down the field and react late to the flat route to cushion the 9 or 7. Cover 3 is a three-deep, four-under zone defense run out of both base and sub-package personnel at the NFL level. With the 3-2 zone, you can still cover the wing the same as in the 1-2-2 zone seen in diagram B. Each outside linebacker is responsible for the hook/curl zone. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The Mike has to show the athleticism and hip flexibility in Tampa 2 to redirect if the quarterback comes back to the open (weak) side of the formation. First, if your point guard can shoot the 3-pointer, he/she should get some open shots against this zone, since the middle defender is playing off the point. Four Verticals, Flat-7 and the deep dig are the top Cover 2 beaters NFL defenses see every week as the opposing offense looks to attack the top of the secondary and set some bait underneath to open up throwing windows. If they read pass, the cornerback sinks and protects the safety versus a possible 7 route from the tight end while reacting to any throw in the flat. I have not seen much cover 2 zone defense at the youth level. By rushing four, and dropping seven into coverage ⦠This creates that true “three-deep” coverage and eliminates a throw down the middle of the field. Join our Youth Football Movement today. The PSR is based on the alignment of the Cs on the wide receivers. In today’s installment of the “NFL 101” series, former NFL defensive back Matt Bowen breaks down the basics of Cover 2 to give you a better understanding of the game. Do not leave your zone until the pass is thrown. From a “plus-split” alignment (two to three yards on top of the numbers), Johnson takes a hard inside stem (create room for the 7 route) before pushing up the field vertically to stem to the corner. Both linebackers read the quarterback once they get to their zone landmarks and “cheat” to the throw (drive to opposite hash to step into throwing lanes). The route that is most typically thrown to this spot is the fade route from #1. They must widen versus No. The cornerbacks generally funnel the outside ⦠Cover 2 Man is played with two safeties both covering a deep half of the field, and the two cornerbacks playing man, or a press-trail technique. The straight 3-2 zone defense is similar to the 1-2-2 zone, except that the middle defender sags into the high post area. By comparison, the cover 2 employs the two safeties in deep coverage, each taking half the area, while the cornerbacks and outside linebackers cover the short pass routes in the flats. Understanding the Cover 2 Zone in Football Cover 2 can be a great coverage because it can break down playerâs responsibilities into clear roles. If the offense is on the hash the Safety to the short side of the field (the boundary) should play about 2 yards outside of the Offensive Tackle while the Safety on the wide side of the field (the field) should come in and play roughly in the middle of the field. Your pass responsibility is to cover the deep half of the field. - In Red 2, the defense is creating a “five across” look to protect the goal line using the two-deep half safeties, the Mike ‘backer and the two cornerbacks with the nickel/Will ‘backer playing the seam-hook drops. After the jam, both cornerbacks sink hard at a 45-degree angle to protect/cushion the safeties on a possible 9 route or 7 (corner) route while reacting to any throw in the flat. All children, especially those considered “high risk”, will learn life lessons from participating in youth football. You can trap the wing with the wing defender and the middle defender, while the opposite wing slides into the high post (Diagram K). We are probably one of the few youth football teams that use zone coverage. - In Cover 2, both safeties (free/strong) are responsible for the deep halves of the field and fill the “alley” (between cornerback and edge of formation) versus the run game. Linebackers can either play zone, or man coverage. Here’s an example of the Panthers' Green 2 versus the 49ers in a 3rd-and-11-plus situation from last season’s matchup at Candlestick Park. Sometimes called â2-Manâ or âCover 5,â this is a defense where the two safeties split the deep part of the field (as in Cover 2), but the linebackers and corners all match up in man coverage. With the safety in a position to drive top-down on the throw (and the cornerback sinking to protect versus a possible 7 cut), the nickel ignores the bait underneath (flat route) and drops directly into the throwing lane. In addition to this the two Safety structure ensures that the defense is sound against any vertical route. Cover 2 Zone Coverage Cover 2 can be a great coverage because it can break down player’s responsibilities into clear roles. - The Mike ‘backer adjusts his alignment and will get to a pre-snap depth of 10 to 12 yards to play the inside vertical seam. Attention Youth Football Parents! That’s it. His priority is to protect against short outside routes first. The "Mike," or middle, linebacker is responsible for passes in the middle of the field. In addition to this the areas where Cover 2 is weak (down both sidelines from 17-20 yards deep) are very hard for youth league Quarterbacks to throw to, (New) Gun T Formation Playbook for Youth Football, 20 Personnel Playbook for Youth Football | Spread Offense, 3 Blocking Tags That Will Take Your Offense to the Next Level, 5 Great Run Plays for Mobile Quarterbacks, 3 Ways to Handle a Disruptive Defensive Tackle. Copyright ©2020 Youth Football Online. This is where we see NFL offenses occupy the safeties and create a one-on-one matchup inside with the tight end versus the Mike ‘backer. That puts them in a position to drive downhill on the 9 route or the seam. The Hard Flat player is responsible for protecting the outside short areas of Cover 2. This zone tends to be a hot zone for youth league teams since passes to this zone are relatively low risk and have a high completion percentage. - The Mike ‘backer will again open to the passing strength (three-wide receiver side in this example) and match quickly to the inside vertical seam. See where your team stands , Washington QB ‘could visually see the blood pumping out’ after he was cleated yesterday: ‘Never had one gush like that’, An early look at the best-available players in 2021 as the NFL season winds down➡️. They must be sound against the pass and rely on players understanding, and completing their role. This is the space from Tackle to Tackle. However, in Cover 2, the cornerbacks stay to the closed (strong) side of the formation. Cover 2 is a two-deep, five-under zone defense run out of both base and sub-package personnel (dime, nickel) at the pro level. They sink to a depth of 10 to 12 yards between the numbers and hash marks to cushion the inside vertical seam and react to any throw underneath. Brian Cook of mgoblog put up some photos from last weekâs game between Michigan and Indiana, where Michigan pulled out the victory but Indianaâs Ben Chappell threw for 480 yards and three TDs, by completing over 70% of his passes.Most of these yards came from underneath throws, but Chappell hit a few big plays, including a big gainer on third and 16. If the WR gets a clean outside release the playside Safety has almost no shot at covering the fade pass but if the WR is forced to the inside the Safety now has a chance to get off his hash and cover the deep ball. As it is now, pretty much anything between the hashes is wide open against cover 2 (any variety), regardless of safety ratings. It seems like the safeties in Cover 2 zone drop WAY too wide. DEFENSE COVER 2 ZONE Generally: Defender must always be the deepest man in his zone. NFL offenses will run the deep dig out of the Dagger and Sucker concepts (clear-out seam, dig combo) to remove the Mike’ backer, set some bait for the nickel and target the deep, inside breaking cut for a positive gain. 1 receiver to the closed side of the formation out of a 2x2 Doubles alignment with Posse/11 personnel on the field. While the Cornerback and Safeties are responsible for the outer parts of the coverage the linebackers are responsible for the areas that are closer to the ball. 1 receiver reads like an open book if the safety plays with eye discipline when identifying the initial stem and run/pass keys. Underneath, the Lions send the tight end to the flat (bait). In this video we show you how to determine if your opponent is playing Cover 2 Zone. Depending on what the defense sees, the 5 defensive back will play zone or play man to man. Playing Cover 2 Safety is one of the toughest defensive assignments in football. Cover 2 is often one of the first zone defenses taught in football. If you give an NFL quarterback time in the pocket, he can light up two-deep coverage. The off-season is an opportunity for your child to improve. Using an example from the Cowboys-Broncos matchup, let’s focus on the cornerbacks and the safeties. To get a better feel for Tampa 2, let’s look at a pre-snap example from the Bears-Steelers matchup this past season and break down the back seven of the defense. The main difference is that the 1-2-2 zone defense is a great defense against teams that score a majority of their points from the perimeter, whereas the 2-3 zone provides more inside presence. In addition to this the areas where Cover 2 is weak (down both sidelines from 17-20 yards deep) are very hard for youth league Quarterbacks to throw to. While not technically Tampa 2, the linebackers look first to help deep ⦠When you are playing a disruptive Wide Defensive Tackle it can be extremely frustrating for you as a coach and for your players. - If a defense is going to play Cover 2 in early down and distance situations, it is important to find cornerbacks who are willing to tackle, fill and defend the edge when the offense aligns in a slot formation. And versus the run game, the strong safety fills to the closed side “C” gap. Instead of dropping to the top of the numbers landmark (as we see from the free safety to the open side of the formation), he will drop inside of the tight end (safety always aligns/drops inside of the No. Here’s an example of the Sucker route the Ravens ran this past season versus the Lions to move the sticks in a crucial game situation. The Cover 2 has three linebackers and two corners playing in a zone defense, each taking one 5th of the field, on the line there are 4 rushers. This results in an interception, and Smith forces this ball into coverage instead of taking the flat route. Four verticals consists of two outside 9 routes and two inside seam routes. He will open his hips to the passing strength (two-tight end side in this example) and carry/match the seam route down the middle of the field. Youth Coaches: Even though, you CAN win more games, AVOID playing any type of zone Read More Apollo car covers are ultra robust outdoor waterproof covers that are treated with a Teflon coating ensuring that water droplets run straight off. What Is The Definition Of Cover Two Zone In Football? The Promotion & Instruction of Youth Football, Home / Coaching Defense / Pass Coverage / Understanding the Cover 2 Zone. Instead of sinking hard at a 45-degree angle to protect the safety on the 7 cut, he squats and takes the bait of the underneath flat route. Adding tags to your core running plays will allow you to multiple, while keeping things simple for your kids. 1. - Check out the strong safety. Cover 2 Zone Here is the zone variant of Cover 2. This is an area where many teams will try to hit quick slants or seam routes before the WR enter into the Safeties coverage area. This is can be a very effective zone defense, because it still covers the 3-point arc as well as the inside game. Using the All-22 coaches tape, let’s take a look at Tampa 2, Red 2 and Green 2 while also breaking down the top Cover 2 beaters and discussing some important keys for the safeties in their initial run/pass reads. - The safeties play with a “flat-foot read" technique. Today, we will introduce the basics of Cover 2 with a focus on the landmarks, zone drops and techniques that are vital to producing results—and limiting explosive plays. In the following, "cover" refers to the "shell" that the defense rolls into after the snap of the ball, more specifically the number of defenders guarding the deep portion of the field. Usually, these ⦠Give up the short pass to protect the against the deep attack. Cover 2 sets are typically utilized by teams with an abundance of athleticism but not much top-end size or talent. A route that should have resulted in Stafford dumping the ball to the tight end in the flat turns into a completed pass down the field because of poor discipline and technique from the Cowboys defense. The main reason for this is that the 3-2 zone hard denies the wings from the top of the key and forces the opposition to initiate offense with a skip pass to the corner or to play through the mid-range. Now look at the safety. We do play some cover 2 zone, but our base coverage is cover 3. In addition to this the areas where Cover 2 is weak (down both sidelines from 17-20 yards deep) are very hard for ⦠Now that the throwing lanes are reduced, the Jaguars' Mike ‘backer can match to Welker on the inside seam and drive on the throw to intercept this ball. Cover 2 is not a perfect coverage but it can be very effective in shutting down the quick passes to the flats that many offenses rely on. Click here for an introduction to the basics of Cover 1. Before we wrap up this Cover 2 breakdown, I wanted to give you my “cheat sheet.” A simple guide that every safety should follow in the deep half when identifying run/pass keys and wide receiver stems. The Cover 2 Zone is designed to give quick corner support against the run and to flood the five underneath passing zones with defenders in an attempt to stifle the short and intermediate passing attack. By putting one of the defense’s best pass defenders in this space the goal of the Cover 2 is to shut down this hot zone. There specific zone is the sideline flats. This means that he cannot allow him to have a clean outside release. 1 receiver). By rushing four, and dropping seven into coverage (with eyes on the quarterback), the defense can take away vertical concepts while forcing the ball underneath to the flat or check-down option. - In Cover 1 (man-free), the cornerbacks “travel” versus a slot formation and match to their coverage. 2 on the flat and cushion any intermediate throw that can threaten the safeties. It is less susceptible to deep attacks than Cover 1, but because thereâs no extra underneath defender it can be vulnerable t⦠1. This can be difficult at any level as players sometimes step away from their role in order to do the job of another player. Cover 2 Man / Man under two-deep This coverage is man-to-man with help over the top in the two (2) deep zones. Because of the restrictions the sideline puts on the receiver, there isn’t enough room to run outside breaking concepts such as the deep out or 7. Cover 2 zone defense is used a lot in Madden as a standard base defense. Here’s an example from the Cowboys-Chiefs matchup with Kansas City showing a slot formation to the open side of the field. Most teams that play Cover 2 are going to line up their CBâs outside leverage and either jam or strongly resist an outside release by the wideouts. Next Level; About. Want to contribute content and have it seen by thousands of coaches? Your email address will not be published. This means that they are responsible for any short pass from the sideline in to halfway between the numbers and the hash. One of the simplest and most common looks that you will see out of a 4-3 defense is a two-deep zone, or Cover 2 look. The Steelers fall in our latest rankings after Washington upset. 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