Armed Forces Bowl Review: Part VIII: Defeating the Cover 2 (Again)

by HydroTech on Jun 30, 2008 12:19 PM PDT in Football Comment 11 comments

In this eighth installment of approximately a 12 play analysis, we're going to look at a touchdown pass to Robert Jordan against a cover 2 defense. In case you missed the previous installments, here is Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, and Part VII.

Let's begin.

Here's the situation. Cal is in the redzone with a first and 10. Cal is using base personnel (2 WRs, 1 TE, 2 backs). The formation is a strong-I formation with twin WRs to the opposite side of the strength (the strength is right because the TE is right). Air Force is defending with their 3-4 defense again. Note the AF SS (strong safety) appears to be playing man coverage on the Jordan the slot WR.

Here's the playcall. The play is a pass with the Cal flanker (the WR at the top of the screen) running a fade. Jordan, the SE and slot WR, is running a post. TE Craig Stevens is running a corner. Air Force will blitz their 3 DL men and their WLB (weakside linebacker).

Air Force is showing a cover 1 formation with one deep defender (seen above). But just before the snap of the ball, we see the FS (free safety) move over towards the twinned WRs, and the LCB drop back to play the left deep half of the field. Air Force had masked their coverage in hopes of tricking Riley into thinking the defense was a cover 1.

But Riley isn't confused. Below is the post-snap picture of the defense. They have shown their unmasked cover 2 defense. They are defending with 5 underneath zones and two deep zones. The Air Force LCB is playing deep coverage along with the AF FS (free safety).

Riley looks right down the middle at Jordan running the post (represented by the green vision cone). One of the holes in the cover 2 defense is the deep middle between the safeties (and over the underneath coverage). Riley knows that the AF LCB will be preoccupied playing deep coverage over TE Stevens to his side of the field and the AF FS will be shading his coverage towards the twins. This will create a deep hole between the deep halves that where Jordan will be open.

Riley passes the ball (below) aiming for the deep middle area behind the AF LB. I've shown the area that Riley is aiming for with the green box.

Although it's pretty much impossible to see from these screenshots because they do not represent how fast the play happens and do not show what happens between the screenshots, the AF FS was nowhere near as close to stopping the pass as he looks in the picture below (the AF FS is the defender on the "F" of "CALIFORNIA"). Because the FS was unmasking his coverage just prior to the snap, he turned his back to the middle of the field to run towards the deep half of the field to the defense's right to cover the twin Cal WRs. Riley saw the FS turn his back to the middle of the field and knew that he would be unable to stop his momentum, turn around, and close the gap on Jordan in time to stop the pass. In fact, the AF defender with the best chance to stop the play was the deep LB in that middle zone. Fortunately for us, he couldn't get his mitts on the ball and/or alternatively, Riley put the ball where he couldn't get it.

The picture below shows Jordan about to catch the ball in the hole of the cover 2 defense. As you can see below, the was plenty of open space for Riley to make the pass. Riley could have even passed the ball further out to the "R" of "CALIFORNIA" because the AF LCB was so far off the screen covering TE Stevens.

Jordan catches the ball in the endzone for a touchdown! "O" marks the spot.

Again, I want to draw your attention to the 3rd and 4th pictures (above). Notice the great pass protection. In earlier parts of the series, we were seeing the Cal OL losing the battle in the trenches on runs and passes. But now, the OL started providing flawless protection. I think the reasons were because they felt energized by the team's offensive outburst and/or because of Riley's presence, and because the AF DL was becoming more worried about a QB who could scramble.

So far we've seen AF playing a lot of zone coverage. So far we've been seeing them get beat by the Cal offense when they were in zone coverage. Are we going to see them switch to man coverage?

Check back in a few days for Part IX.

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Thanks HT. These breakdowns are always interesting. To what extent does Cal utilize its tight ends as far as passing?

by Itchy25 on Jun 30, 2008 12:27 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Not so much with Stevens in 2007. Seemed like Tedford would rather he blocked.

In other words, Go Bears!

by royrules22 on Jun 30, 2008 1:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well...

In the past (the early Tedford years), the TEs caught lots of short hitch passes. They’d catch short 7 yard passes then sort of fall backwards for the first down. During the Dunbar year, it seemed like the TEs took a much much much greater role in pass catching (deeper routes, being split out as WRs). Then, during the Tedford year, as RoyRules22 pointed out, Stevens mostly blocked. Some fans speculate that Stevens was kept in to block to protect Longshore because of his immobility, but I disagree. I think Stevens mostly was kept in to block because he was a better blocker than pass-catcher. Tedford and staff have always have utilized players in the manner which they are most suited. It makes more sense to have Stevens block more often than not since he’s better at that, then catching passes. I think we’ll see Morrah (assuming he’s our #1 TE this upcoming year) go out more on passing routes since he’s a superior pass-catcher than blocker.

by HydroTech on Jun 30, 2008 9:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Hydro

a grateful nation thanks you.

Stanfurd Delendum Est.

by Olsonist on Jun 30, 2008 2:11 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Wikipedia has a really good page on American football strategy with a section on Cover 2. A couple of points:

Teams that play Cover 2 shells usually subscribe to the “bend-but-don’t-break” philosophy, preferring to keep offensive players in front of them for short gains while limiting long passes.

Is that a good idea down in the Red Zone? Even faking a Cover-1 seems suicidal.

The main weakness of the Cover 2 shell occurs in the middle of the field between the safeties.

Evidently Riley reads Wikipedia.

Stanfurd Delendum Est.

by Olsonist on Jun 30, 2008 3:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't think there's a problem with the Cover 2 in the red zone

If only because the possibility of long passes is eliminated as the field gets shortened. The zones that each defensive player has to cover become much smaller, which is why passing in the red zone in general becomes more difficult, regardless of the scheme being played. If anything, defenders can be more aggressive in the red zone, even if they are playing Cover 2.

I'm still wondering why the Nets didn't draft Leon Powe.

by yellow fever on Jun 30, 2008 5:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think the Cover 2 is fine from about the 10-25 yardline (when we’re talking about the redzone). But any closer to the goalline than 10 yards I think you have to switch to more aggressive plays/formations. Within the 5 yardline, the defense should probably be in a goalline formation (unless the offense is in an unconventional formation or something). YellowFever does bring up the good point that with the closer you get to the endzone, the smaller area of grass the defense has to cover. As you get closer to the endzone, I think some defenses will play more underneath zones rather than playing lots of over the top safety coverage. This protects against short passes and the defense can sort of get away with not covering the deep areas because the short field demands that if the offense does pass deep, they have to pass in between windows (between zone defenders) or over the underneath zones but not so high so that the pass goes out the back of the endzone.

by HydroTech on Jun 30, 2008 9:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs