Attacking Coverage (Part 2: Man Coverages)

In part 1, I touched on the idea that coaches need to understand the strategies that defenses employ in order to combat them and win. Unfortunately, many coaches think they can re-invent the wheel by running the same concepts against all coverages. But the reality is that it just won’t work unless your talent is infinitely greater than your opponent’s.
Let’s review:
There are 4 types of coverage: Man coverage, Zone coverage, Combination coverage and Split coverage. From there, we can divide the coverage into 3 categories: No deep defenders, Middle of the Field Closed (MOFC = 1 deep defender in the middle) and Middle of the Field Open (MOFO = 2 deep defenders or more, but each outside the hash)
So, now the Man Coverages:

Cover 0
Type: Man
Classification: NO Deep
Key Words: Middle, Deep, Mismatch, Quick Rub or Crossing routes
QB Needs: Good-to-Great Accuracy, Touch on deep throws and time to steady feet
QB Don’ts: Throw late, Panic
The first coverage is Cover 0. It is primarily a high pressure coverage designed to get to the QB before he can throw, to change his rhythm so much that the pass cannot be completed or to bring as many defenders up to stop the run as possible.
Identifying Cover 0 is usually fairly easy. Besides the No deep defender look,
1. The cover men will creep close enough to keep all receivers from getting too easy a release.
2. The eyes of each cover man will be locked onto the receiver.
3. Most or all cover men will have inside leverage on each receiver
Once it is identified, the strategy is now on.
Ask yourself, what is the DC giving me and what is he trying to take away?
The defense is probably banking on their pressure to get to the QB before he can set and throw a deep pass. They are also giving up quick out patterns if the use inside leverage.
So how do you attack it?
First, let’s think of personnel:
Do you have a solid pass blocking O-Line and 6th Blocker (RB, TE, etc…)? (Always think of protection first)
If you do, then consider simply protecting with 6 to give the QB time to setup and throw. Time is not on the side of the defense running cover 0. The longer it takes to get to the QB, the better the odds are that a receiver will be open.
Are the blitz schemes difficult enough or is your O-Line average or below average pass blockers, or do you have good receivers who can get open quickly?
In that case, remember some key words to speed up your decision process:
1. Middle – in cover 0, the middle of the field will be open if a receiver can “break the leverage” of the defender. Slants, Shallow Crosses and In routes (5 yard) are nearly impossible to cover man to man. Breaking the leverage is a matter of footwork and hand violence.
One of the most effective routes to run versus Cover 0 is an Angle route from the RB. You must have a RB who can catch out of the backfield and you must be quick enough to throw “hot” that is with an unblocked rusher (unless you have 2 RB or a TE to stay home).
2. Deep – because the cover men are so close to the LOS, their ability to cover deep throws is limited. A good route runner can create enough space that even without a speed advantage, he should be able to get behind a close defender. As long as the throw isn’t late, the receiver has a chance.
The other tactic here is to throw a back shoulder fade. In that move, the receiver gets behind the defender but because the defender’s back is to the QB, he cannot play the ball until the receiver shows. The QB simply identifies that the defender has his back to him and slightly underthrows the ball to the outside. The receiver then plays the ball, slowing up and making a play while the defender tries to recover and find the ball. It takes practice, but can be a very effective play against man coverage.
3. Mismatch – when all else fails, attack the coverage by attacking a defender who is at a disadvantage covering one of your receivers. Because Cover 0 is a man coverage, the QB can “stare down” the receiver until he comes open if necessary, although it wouldn’t be the best habit to get into.
4. Quick Rub – having two receivers run routes that nearly intersect can be difficult for man coverage, especially if they lock down and do not switch. The QB simply has to see which receiver comes open first and deliver the ball quickly.
Of course, any double move routes are devastating to Cover 0. Blade routes, Hitch & Go, Slant Corner (or Sluggo) and out & Up are nearly impossible to defend.

When you are likely to see Cover 0:
Most likely, defenses will bring heavy heat and play Cover 0 on 2nd and 3rd and short. Gambling to stop the run and expecting to get the QB before the throw fit the situation of short yardage. Goalline scenarios from inside the 10 are also spots where defenses will play straight up man with no help.

Some Video versus Cover 0

Cover 1
Type: Man
Classification: MOFC (1 Deep)
Key Words: Under, Away, Mismatch, Quick Rub or Crossing routes
QB Needs: Good-to-Great Accuracy, Touch on deep throws and time to steady feet
QB Don’ts: Throw late, Throw near the safety in the middle, Panic
The second coverage is Cover 1. It is so named because there is one deep defender in the middle of the field. It is primarily a 5 man pressure coverage designed to disrupt the QB before he can establish rhythm, to give deep help in the middle and to have a deep run defender.
However, a version of Cover 1 actually only rushes four while leaving a deep defender in the middle and a short defender both playing a zone of sorts while the other 5 defenders play man to man. This version can be called Robber, Rat or Hole coverage. This version is a type of combination coverage.
Identifying Cover 1 is also fairly easy. Besides the 1 deep defender look,
1. The cover men will creep close enough to keep all receivers from getting too easy a release.
2. The eyes of each cover man will be locked onto the receiver.
3. Certain cover men will have outside leverage on each receiver to funnel them to the help in the middle, while the outside most receivers will be covered using inside leverage to help funnel them to the sideline.
Once it is identified, the strategy is now on.
Again, ask yourself, what is the DC giving me and what is he trying to take away?
The defense is probably banking on their pressure to get to the QB before he can set and throw a deep pass. They are also giving up quick out patterns if the use inside leverage. Remember that with only one deep defender, the defense is trying to match or outnumber the blockers/potential ball carriers in the box. This means matchups downfield and one-on-one coverage matchups.
So how do you attack it?
First, let’s think of personnel:
Again, do you have a solid pass blocking O-Line and 6th Blocker (RB, TE, etc…)?
Versus Cover 1, the most a defense can rush without leaving a defender uncovered is 5. If you decide to, consider simply protecting with 5 to put pressure on the defense to cover all five eligible receivers. Usually versus a Cover 1, you will find at least one defender who is NOT a solid man cover guy. This matchup can be exploited because the poorer the skills of a cover guy, the more of an advantage for the receiver, even if he himself is not a particularly strong receiver.
The QB needs time to setup and throw accurately. The longer it takes to get to the QB, the better the odds are that a receiver will be open.
Are the blitz schemes difficult enough or is your O-Line average or below average pass blockers, or do you have good receivers who can get open quickly?
In that case, remember some key words to speed up your decision process:
1. Under – in cover 1, the short middle of the field will be open if a receiver can release quickly over the middle while running across the field horizontally.
*One Warning here: There are coaches that will only rush 4 and leave the Robber, Rat, Hole defender sitting right where the Under Routes go. From the QB perspective, he must identify if this version of cover 1 is used so he can throw the underneath routes when the receiver clears or passes the “Hole” defender.
Shallow Crosses, Delays and In routes (5 yard) are nearly impossible to cover man to man, and can’t be stopped without a Hole defender to jump the route.
Again, one of the most effective routes to run versus Cover 1 is an Angle route from the RB. You must have a RB who can catch out of the backfield and you must be quick enough to throw “hot” that is with an unblocked rusher (unless you have 2 RB or a TE to stay home). His matchup on a usually lesser pass defender can be a critical advantage to beating Man coverage.
2. Away – because the cover men are so close to the LOS with some using inside leverage, their ability to cover out routes is limited. A good route runner can create enough space that even without a speed advantage, he should be able to get outside an inside leverage defender. As long as the throw isn’t late, the receiver should be open.
3. Mismatch – when all else fails, attack the coverage by attacking a defender who is at a disadvantage covering one of your receivers. Because Cover 1 is a man coverage, the QB can “stare down” the receiver until he comes open if necessary, although any throws near the middle of the field will have help from a defender who is reading the QB’s eyes.
4. Quick Rub – having two receivers run routes that nearly intersect can be difficult for man coverage, especially if they lock down and do not switch. The QB simply has to see which receiver comes open first and deliver the ball quickly.
Of course, any double move routes are devastating to Cover 1, particularly ones moving away from the middle of the field. Blade routes, Hitch & Go, Slant Corner and out & Up are nearly impossible to defend.


When you are likely to see Cover 1:
Some teams base out of Cover 1, like Nick Saban’s LSU and Alabama teams. They could simply play versions of it depending on the situation. The threat of a deep middle defender who can help stuff the run is appealing to coaches who like to play man. Run correctly, it is a difficult defense to beat. Patience is the key as well as not forcing throws near the Zone help defenders.

Conclusion:
Remember the key buzz words when choosing how to attack the versions of man coverage a defense can use against you.
One side note: Most teams that play man coverage also play Bump and Run or Jam coverage. It is imperative to spend time every day working on how to release off the line quickly and effectively versus a Jam.
In part 3, we will discuss the more common defenses, the zone coverages.