Advertisement
Advertisement

Breaking Down Defensive Attack

Advertisement

Michael Pallas| Aug 22nd, 2019 

In the last part of this series, we talked about the position along the defensive line. Now, we are on to Part 2: defensive coverages.

There are two basic straight forward coverages responsibilities in football. Man is when you’re covering a particular player and zone is when a defensive back or linebacker is responsible for a particular area of the field or “zone.” However, what about the precise defensive calls?

When it comes to the packages, it’s simple. 4-3 is four linemen and three linebackers, 3-4 is the reverse. Nickel is five defensive backs and dime is six.

When it comes to activity a blitz is specifically when a defense sends more than four rushers at the opposing quarterback.

Advertisement

When it comes to zone defense there are three main zone types teams will employ. The first two are the Cover-2 and its sister defense the Tampa-2. The basic Cover-2 is a simple zone defense in which the corners cover the short portion of the outside, the linebackers cover the middle of the field, and the safeties are responsible for 1/2 the field deep.

Advertisement

When it comes to the Tampa-2 defense, there’s an important difference: speed and athleticism. Often times, the players in a Tampa-2 don’t meet the prototypical standards for the positions they’re playing. The corners have to be better than normal tacklers — for their position — due to the nature of the expectation. Rather than covering the man, they’re covering an area. So more catches will be made, and then the corners have to make a stop.

The thing that makes both types of Cover-2 defense unique is that there is no blitzing from either. The team needs to get pressure with four players.

When it comes to Cover-3, it’s more of a deep pass/run preventing defense. It can really only be played from a 4-3 defense. The two corners are covering deep along with the free safety, exch responsible for 1/3 of the field. The strong safety moves down into the box and covers the middle with the middle linebacker, and the two outside linebackers are responsible for the short receivers.

Advertisement

Check out part one of the series: Defensive Line 

Questions and comments?
thescorecrowsports@gmail.com

Follow Us on Twitter @thescorecrow
Follow Us on Reddit at u/TheScorecrow
Follow Us on Facebook at The Scorecrow
Follow Us on Instagram at The Scorecrow
Facebook Group where you can read and post articles at The Scorecrow
Reddit Group where everyone can post without fear of being banned at The Scorecrow

  Follow Michael Pallas on Twitter @jubgpodcast

Main Image Credit: [getty src=”873401776″ width=”594″ height=”396″ tld=”com”]

Advertisement

Check us out on our socials:   
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk 
Instagram: @primetimesportstalk

Advertisement

Share this:

Mekhi Wingo - LSU, Detroit Lions, NFL Draft
Latest News

Why Mekhi Wingo was a Huge Draft Steal for the Lions

The Detroit Lions traded up in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft to select LSU defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo. One usually doesn’t expect a sixth-round pick to contribute much, but Wingo could be different. There is a reason why he was available that late, but there’s also a boatload of things to like about this prospect, and the pros arguably far outweigh the cons.

Read More
Cardinals 2024 NFL Draft Pick - Marvin Harrison Jr.
Latest News

Arizona Cardinals 2024 NFL Draft Recap

Monti Ossenfort and the Arizona Cardinals had the opportunity to turn their franchise around with the 2024 NFL Draft. Armed with 12 draft picks (including seven through the first three rounds), they needed to bring their A-game.

Read More
Advertisement
Browse by Category:
Advertisement
Advertisement

Visit ChiefsBlitz.com for
hard-hitting KC Chiefs coverage.

Advertisement