Football Football 101...Training Camp for the Fan.

**Iowanian** · 07-01-2005, 01:44 PM

http://www.answers.com/topic/america...ensive-schemes

I was going to try to start a discussion on basic pass coverages....man, zone, press, cover 2, but this site explains it pretty well.

"Basic pass coverage
Even in obvious running situations, the defense must be able to account for the eligible receivers on offense. There are two general schemes for defending against the pass:

Man-to-man, where each eligible receiver is covered by a defensive back or a linebacker.
Zone, where each linebacker and defensive back is assigned an area on the field which they are to cover.
In most cases, man-to-man coverage is more effective against short passes, while zone coverage is effective against long passes.

Advanced pass coverage
To create a shorthand, most defensive schemes use the term "cover" (for pass coverage) and a number to describe a combination of schemes. As in American Football there are only five eligible pass receivers on a given play (technically the quarterback is also an eligible receiver, but passes to the quarterback, though known, are rare) while there are at least seven pass defenders in 3-4 alignment in man-to-man defence, some of the pass coverage personnel may either blitz (cross the line of scrimmage with the down linemen in an attempt to sack the quarterback), provide double coverage on a receiver, or help other defensive players with the pass coverage. In zone coverage, all defensive linebackers and backs have a pass coverage assignment.

Cover Zero - Strict man-to-man coverage with no help from free safeties (usually a blitz play with at least five men crossing the line of scrimmage)
Cover One - Man-to-man coverage with at least one safety not assigned a player to cover who can help out on deep pass routes.
Cover Two - Zone coverage with the safeties playing deep and covering half the field each.
Cover Three - Zone coverage as above, only with extra help from a cornerback, so that each player covers one-third of a deep zone.
Cover Four - As above, with the corners and safeties dropping into deep coverage, with each taking one-fourth of the width of the field.
Generally speaking, the effectiveness of a defense against short passes and the run drops as it goes from Cover Zero to Cover Four, but their effectiveness against deep passes increases."

07-01-2005, 01:44 PM	#11
Iowanian Supporter Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Utopia Casino cash: $1648454	http://www.answers.com/topic/america...ensive-schemes I was going to try to start a discussion on basic pass coverages....man, zone, press, cover 2, but this site explains it pretty well. "Basic pass coverage Even in obvious running situations, the defense must be able to account for the eligible receivers on offense. There are two general schemes for defending against the pass: Man-to-man, where each eligible receiver is covered by a defensive back or a linebacker. Zone, where each linebacker and defensive back is assigned an area on the field which they are to cover. In most cases, man-to-man coverage is more effective against short passes, while zone coverage is effective against long passes. Advanced pass coverage To create a shorthand, most defensive schemes use the term "cover" (for pass coverage) and a number to describe a combination of schemes. As in American Football there are only five eligible pass receivers on a given play (technically the quarterback is also an eligible receiver, but passes to the quarterback, though known, are rare) while there are at least seven pass defenders in 3-4 alignment in man-to-man defence, some of the pass coverage personnel may either blitz (cross the line of scrimmage with the down linemen in an attempt to sack the quarterback), provide double coverage on a receiver, or help other defensive players with the pass coverage. In zone coverage, all defensive linebackers and backs have a pass coverage assignment. Cover Zero - Strict man-to-man coverage with no help from free safeties (usually a blitz play with at least five men crossing the line of scrimmage) Cover One - Man-to-man coverage with at least one safety not assigned a player to cover who can help out on deep pass routes. Cover Two - Zone coverage with the safeties playing deep and covering half the field each. Cover Three - Zone coverage as above, only with extra help from a cornerback, so that each player covers one-third of a deep zone. Cover Four - As above, with the corners and safeties dropping into deep coverage, with each taking one-fourth of the width of the field. Generally speaking, the effectiveness of a defense against short passes and the run drops as it goes from Cover Zero to Cover Four, but their effectiveness against deep passes increases."
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