I wanted to post a few answers on the main page that I thought more people could appreciate.  This one came via Rex who asked if I could explain zone coverage’s a little bit…I would love to.

Cover 2:

Cover 2 is a basic 5 under 2 deep zone coverage.  There are 5 underneath zones that are occupied by 3 linebackers and 2 corners.  The safeties play over the top providing coverage and help on the deep balls.  Zones are based on players’ positions on the field.  Corners cover the outside shallow routes, outside linebackers cover the hook/curl zones and the Middle backer patrols the middle of the field.  Defensive players first read whether the play is a run or a pass, if it is a run they cover their assigned gaps.  If it is a pass they should run to their assigned zones and then match-up to the receivers in their area.  In a basic cover 2 there will be 4 men in the rush, which means the offense can block every defensive player.  But it also means that one or two defensive guys will have a one on one match-up.  These match-ups need to be won in order to put pressure on the quarterback and help out the coverage.  (Cover 2 is better suited for passing plays but has soft spots from 18-22 yards on the sideline and 22-25 yards up the hashes.)

Cover 3:

Cover 3 is a four under and three over concept for one safety playing the middle third and two corners playing the outside thirds of the field.  The four underneath zones are covered by the other safety, the inside backers, and the weak-side backer.  With only 6 defensive players in coverage, this defense is better suited to stop the run, but also provides maximum coverage of the post route.  (The middle thirds position)  With 5 players in the rush one should be able to come loose, either by way of a stunt or winning their individual match-up.  As stated previously, this defense helps stop the run because it provides extra support to the players in the box.  It also leaves soft spots in the flats (short outside throws), and up the seams/hashes.

Cover 4:

Cover 4 is just as it seems, you simply divide the field into fourths with each DB playing a section.  There are different variations of cover 4 and that is why I like it better than the others.  You can play it with three underneath zones or you can play it with four underneath zones.  Also, in cover four the soft spots are significantly smaller, with the primary spot being the flats.  If run correctly the deep routes should be double covered.

With this knowledge I have armed every pop-warner coach in Utah with the knowledge to shut down their opponents passing attack.  But if the fans in the stands pay attention to the defensive backs they will be able to recognize what coverage is being played and if a “soft” spot is being exploited.  Plus, all the other defensive calls played on Saturday will be some kind of variation of these calls.  I hope that was helpful Rex.

For more questions and answers check the Q&A page.