A cover three is a defensive football strategy employed by teams in the National Football League to help prevent the opposing team from successfully completing a pass. It involves three defensive backs playing parts of deep zones in order to force the offense to either use a shorter route or find an open window to complete their pass.
This defensive strategy can be used by teams with various combinations of personnel, as it is a versatile strategy that can be tailored to the specific defensive structure. When used effectively, the cover three can be a very effective way of limiting the downfield passing attack of the opponent.
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What does a Cover 3 do?
Cover 3 is a type of defensive scheme in football that splits the deep field into three parts with three defensive backs, creating a defensive triangle. The three defensive backs defend each of the deep parts, with two cornerbacks on the outside and a safety in the middle.
The coverage roles for the three defensive backs can be differentiated, with the cornerbacks playing a “deep third” coverage, meaning they try to keep their man in front of them, while the safety plays a “centerfielder” role, a deep middle zone coverage in which he is responsible for defending any crossing route or deep pass in his area.
The other two defenders can also be adapting to what the offense is doing, for example if the offense is sending two players deep, one cornerback may come up to defend the short area, with the safety helping out out in the deeper area.
Is Cover 3 the defense?
Cover 3 is a defense in American and Canadian football. It is a “zone defense,” meaning that rather than having each defensive player match up with a player on offense and follow them wherever they go, they each guard a specific “zone” on the field.
With Cover 3, there are three deep zone defenders. Typically, two cornerbacks cover deep along the sidelines, and a free safety covers the deep middle. There are also four underneath zone defenders, two linebackers and two safeties or cornerbacks.
Cover 3 works best against offenses that focus on short, intermediate, and outside passes.
Why do they call it Cover 3?
Cover 3 is a term used in football to describe a type of pass defense where all the defensive backs are responsible for guarding a specific area of the field, or “zone”. The 3 in Cover 3 refers to the three defensive backs who are assigned to defend those three deep zones of the field.
Typically, one deep safety is responsible for two of the deeper zones, while the two cornerbacks take responsibility for one zone each, usually the two outside or “flanker” zones. The safety and the two cornerbacks must work together to ensure that they effectively cover all three of the zones.
The point of Cover 3 defense is to provide general coverage over the entire field, and prevent the offense from taking advantage of single-man coverage with deep routes.
What is the weakness of a cover 3 defense?
A major weakness of a Cover 3 defense is that it can be exposed by athletic and skilled wide receivers. A deep passing play or a post route can be very effective in beating the Cover 3, as defenders tasked with covering deep thirds sometimes have difficulty reacting quickly enough to cover the deep route.
The Cover 3 defense also has difficulty covering well against deep crossing routes, as each defender has responsibility over his area rather than the specific receiver running across the field. As a result, there can be a gap or a void in the defense that an offense can exploit.
Furthermore, a Cover 3 defense tends to give up some yardage underneath, as backing off the line of scrimmage and playing off receivers can leave space for a quick throw and catch, or for a short run for a first down.
Finally, because three defensive backs must each cover at least one-third of the field, the short midsection of the field can often be left wide open and exposing the defense to potential quick hits by the offense.
In conclusion, the Cover 3 defense can be good for defending against the passing game, but it has some weaknesses that can be vulnerable to the skilled, athletic offense.
When should you run Cover 3?
Cover 3 is a very common defensive formation most often employed by teams in the NFL. It generally involves three defensive backs splitting the field into thirds and each defender playing deep, usually in a zone-style defense.
It is a great way to create natural pockets around certain areas of the field, limit the impact of the deep pass, and provide help over the top of certain routes.
Cover 3 is most effective when used in situations where the offense might be expecting something else, like a Cover 2 or perhaps a straight man-to-man defense. It can be useful in situations when the offense is spread out, such as when it’s in the Shotgun formation or runs three- or four-receiver sets, as it allows the defense to match up better with any potential deep threats.
It also helps in situations where the offense would be expecting a blitz, as it allows the defense to be in position to still provide coverage even if the blitz is broken.
When used in the right situation and executed successfully, Cover 3 can be a great way to limit deep passing plays, confuse opposing quarterbacks, and take advantage of pockets of weakness in the offense.
