The “Cover 2″ Defense
I mentioned late last week that beginning this week, Jesse and I would be tackling football strategies, formations etc. We’ll, of course, scatter other topics into the mix so as not to bore you all the time. But we thought it would be fun to do some in depth football analysis for awhile.
This week, the topic is the “Cover 2″ defense. The “Cover 2″, often called the “Tampa Two” because the modern rendition of the defensive style was made popular by Tony Dungy, the head coach of the Colts who used to coach in Tampa. Not surprisingly, Dungee has taken the “Cover 2″ to Indianapolis as well.
The “Cover 2″ basically yields short yardage pass and run plays in an effort to deny midrange and long pass plays. It is a zone defense that relies on everyone to do his part to be effective. There are two safeties who play deep (10+ yards) and divide the field in half behind the 10 yeard line. Additionally, there are 2 cornerbacks who play the flats (0-10 yards, on the outside perimeters) and try to stick the recievers coming off the line within 5 yards and mess up their routes. Generally, a “Cover 2″ will run with a 4-3 defensive formation with 4 defensive linemen up front and 3 linebackers in the secondary. Those three linebackers typically cover 3 zones that span the middle of the field.
Watch this videocast to find out more.
Tags: Analysis, Football-101, StrategyRelated Stories
POSTED IN: NFL Football
2 opinions for The “Cover 2″ Defense
Bald Man
May 17, 2006 at 7:36 am
Aaron, I had an idea for your vidcast. Try a clear sheet of plexiglass instead of the white board. You can set it up between you and the camera. That way you don’t have to turn around or look down to update the board, and the Xs and Os are always visible. With a bold marker and good lighting it should be plenty visible.
Squib Kick » The West Coast Offense- How to defend [football 101]
May 25, 2006 at 7:19 pm
Another defensive scheme that can have some success is the cover 2. …
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