What is a Cover 2 defense?
October 3rd, 2008, 11:27 am · 1 Comment · posted by Dan Zeiger
In a Cover 2 defense, the safeties drop deep and the linebackers and cornerbacks man the underneath zones in an attempt to limit the quarterback’s passing options.
It is a term that Arizona State football fans have heard often since Nevada-Las Vegas used it to limit the Sun Devils’ offense three weeks ago: Cover 2 zone defense.
The formation has been a mainstay in football since the early 1970s, when then-Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Bud Carson, aware that his “Steel Curtain” front four could pressure the quarterback and defend against the run pretty well by itself, hatched a plan to curtail the passing game.
It called for the safeties to drop deep, cornerbacks to defend their sides of the field and linebackers, after looking for the run first, to cover the intermediate zones. The strategy has been tweaked in recent years by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whose “Tampa 2″ scheme, in which the safeties get deep coverage help from the middle linebacker, has grown in popularity.
Whatever one wants to call it, the formation has given the ASU passing game fits the last two contests. Simple math has worked against the Sun Devils.
“It’s tough,” quarterback Rudy Carpenter said. “Against Georgia and UNLV, they rushed three and dropped eight. We tried to keep our (running) back in to help protect, which means you have four receivers out on routes, and eight guys are covering them.
“That’s why we had to throw it underneath the coverage a lot. There are still ways to beat it. You have to hit on passes when you have the opportunity to hit them.”
How to combat the Cover 2? ESPN analyst Bob Davie, a former Notre Dame coach and father of backup ASU long snapper Clay Davie, covered that ground in an in-depth piece on the Cover 2 that is recommended reading.
A key for the Sun Devils, who will likely keep seeing the Cover 2 until they solve it, is to run the ball with consistency. That would help the offense limit lower-percentage third-down situations, where longer passes are necessary.
“For the most part, we have to do things differently,” wide receiver Chris McGaha said. “We have a game plan to deal with the Cover 2 this week (at California), and we’ll have to be good in executing it.”
October 27th, 2008 at 1:31 am
This is great analysis of the cover 2 and far above the heads of the average fan.