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- Nov 3, 2011
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I'm back with another installment of "Overweight Musician With No Appreciable Athletic Skills Rambles About Football"! Excited yet?
Basic Coverages
Okay, so, from what I've gathered (and as always, those that know more please correct my errors), coverages from the 3-4/4-3 under are basically similar to those in a standard 4-3. You can run Cover 0 all the way to Cover 4 and beyond, it all depends on your personnel, as I mentioned in my last post.
The two most prevalent coverages in this scheme seem to be Cover 1 and Cover 3. In Cover 1, one safety (often the SS) is responsible for the deep middle while the FS and corners play man. In Cover 3, as you might expect, the corners and safety divide the deep portion of the field into thirds.
Combinations
Where things get interesting is when you combine these basic coverages with the responsibilities of the front 7. The LBs can play shallow zone, man, or blitz as the situation warrants. It is the LBs job also to not only know their own zone responsibilities, but where and when to "pass off" their man to the next zone. This is where we got into HUGE trouble last year with the inexperience of our defense and unfamiliarity of our LBs with this scheme. It's also why the most senior LBs will most likely start the season.
This scheme also allows for some nifty CB and safety blitzes as well (see Carrol, Pete). In a Cover 3 zone-blitz situation for example, the WDE and LB are often responsible for the "hot" receivers while the SAM and MIKE rush the passer. Another option is to keep all LBs in coverage looking for the hot receivers while the FS or CB blitzes the edge. Again, the formation is designed to be able to bring pressure from multiple locations without tipping off where it's coming from.
Personnel
One of the nice things about the 4-3 under is that, from a coverage standpoint, it doesn't ask too much from the CBs and safeties. Most of the heavy lifting (literally) is done in the front 7. The safeties must be able to cover ground quickly, particularly the one responsible for the deep middle. They must also be quick enough to man up in spread formations, and strong enough to blitz the edge. Bush and Jenkins should be just fine in this role, provided Deon is healthy. One of the things we still don't have yet is an Ed Reed-esque centerfielder, though Bush or Carter could develop into that - hopefully sooner than later.
Our CBs last year were bailing out more than Snoopy in a Sopwith Camel. I think you'll see less of that, but zone is still a large part of the CB responsibility in this scheme. IF we see improved LB play in the curls/flat game, I think it will mitigate a lot of the issues we have with Cover 3. Either way, Crawford, Howard, Gunter and Co. should be able to take advantage. I was encouraged by how much man coverage I've been seeing in recent practice videos. I would like to see it on Saturdays as well, because I think that's where our CBs strong suits lie.
As always, I welcome the thoughts and insights of the board.
Basic Coverages
Okay, so, from what I've gathered (and as always, those that know more please correct my errors), coverages from the 3-4/4-3 under are basically similar to those in a standard 4-3. You can run Cover 0 all the way to Cover 4 and beyond, it all depends on your personnel, as I mentioned in my last post.
The two most prevalent coverages in this scheme seem to be Cover 1 and Cover 3. In Cover 1, one safety (often the SS) is responsible for the deep middle while the FS and corners play man. In Cover 3, as you might expect, the corners and safety divide the deep portion of the field into thirds.
Combinations
Where things get interesting is when you combine these basic coverages with the responsibilities of the front 7. The LBs can play shallow zone, man, or blitz as the situation warrants. It is the LBs job also to not only know their own zone responsibilities, but where and when to "pass off" their man to the next zone. This is where we got into HUGE trouble last year with the inexperience of our defense and unfamiliarity of our LBs with this scheme. It's also why the most senior LBs will most likely start the season.
This scheme also allows for some nifty CB and safety blitzes as well (see Carrol, Pete). In a Cover 3 zone-blitz situation for example, the WDE and LB are often responsible for the "hot" receivers while the SAM and MIKE rush the passer. Another option is to keep all LBs in coverage looking for the hot receivers while the FS or CB blitzes the edge. Again, the formation is designed to be able to bring pressure from multiple locations without tipping off where it's coming from.
Personnel
One of the nice things about the 4-3 under is that, from a coverage standpoint, it doesn't ask too much from the CBs and safeties. Most of the heavy lifting (literally) is done in the front 7. The safeties must be able to cover ground quickly, particularly the one responsible for the deep middle. They must also be quick enough to man up in spread formations, and strong enough to blitz the edge. Bush and Jenkins should be just fine in this role, provided Deon is healthy. One of the things we still don't have yet is an Ed Reed-esque centerfielder, though Bush or Carter could develop into that - hopefully sooner than later.
Our CBs last year were bailing out more than Snoopy in a Sopwith Camel. I think you'll see less of that, but zone is still a large part of the CB responsibility in this scheme. IF we see improved LB play in the curls/flat game, I think it will mitigate a lot of the issues we have with Cover 3. Either way, Crawford, Howard, Gunter and Co. should be able to take advantage. I was encouraged by how much man coverage I've been seeing in recent practice videos. I would like to see it on Saturdays as well, because I think that's where our CBs strong suits lie.
As always, I welcome the thoughts and insights of the board.
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