Untitled - Fast and Furious Football

48 FOOTBALL COACHING STRATEGIES
FIOUHE 3 Weak OLB cheats on droplo
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Detensive Linemen Shade Weak! An Okie
noseguard aligns/shades weak to best conhol the
weakA gap. The strongside Okie DT aliFs head
up or on an jnside shade to best control the B
gap. The weakside Okie DT is in a heavy contain
alienment (see Fieure 4).
FIGURE 41 o.f.."i""ri**""h * ,
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Zone Coverage
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FIGUBE 5 2ieep zone coverage
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Two-deep zone, ev€n though there are two balanced
secondary defenders to each side, is treated
as a weak-oriented coverage. Field and formation
considerations force 2-deep covemges to get additional
crrll zone coverage liom the strensth./fi€ld
side ol the ftoni, t€st there be definite coverase
weaknesscs lFfr opcn ro exploir. And yel, its a
tilted umbrella coverage structure in that there
are two short zone defende$ covering tbe curl
and flat zones under a half-field safety aligning
near. or on. the hash to the fonnation/field side
(see Fisue 5).
The two safeties may do their best to disguise
the 2-deep look. However, by the snap ofthe ball,
they'll usually be aligned on the hashes. In 2-de€p,
the emphasis ofthe coverage sh'ucture i6 that the
nain perimeter support defender is weak, away
lrom field.4ormation side. Therefore. th€ front
must provide a curl zone defender to the strcne/
field side of the formation. To accomplish this, the
front must also work strong to provide a contain
def€nder to allow for such a drcp Wpe ouhide linebacker
so that the covemge and the perimeter
support can be balanced to both sides.
It is the squatted weak corner defender that
allows us to reliably predict that
. the stroncsid€ outside linebacker (O) is the
drop linebacker;
. the front will probably work strong in its gap
conhol efforts to provide a contain defender
strong (the Bame DT);
. the defensive line's A gap defender, if there
iB one (the noseguard), will work strong to
the strong A gap; and
. the rush outside linebacker will come from
tbe weak shor't side.
B€sides the squatted weak comer and the safb
ties alisned on the hashes, here arc some other
indicators that the covemge is a 2-deep zone:
. Reduced (Easle) alignment weak
. Less than a reduced (Eagle)look
. Drop outside linebacker walks out on sprcad
fwo-Oee p, M an.U nde r C ovetage
Two-deep, man-under coverage requires a coverage
structure designation ofits own even thoueh
it so thoroughly derived from what may look like
2-deep zone. Tlo-deep zone is pur€ zone with a
structure of 2-deep/halves coverag€ safeties and
s-under, short zone covemge defenders. Two-deep,
man-under plays normal z-deep/halves zone coverage
safeiies, but the s'under coverage defend-
€rs arc all mannedto specific receivers as shown
in Figure 6.
Two-deep, man-under is still trcaied as a weak
oriented coverage thai is lilled slrong. The main
perimeter supporl defender is weak away ftom
the fieldfonnation side. The ftont must plovide
a man coverage defender to the field.formation