Most of the defenses you will see in high school and colleges football will show a 1 or 2 saftey look.

If the defense shows you a 1 saftey look the coverages they could be in are a cover 1, cover 3, or all around man. Your eyes should now look at the corners.

If the corners are playing more than 4 yards off then it is most likey a cover 3. In a cover 3 the corners and safteys have the deeper coverages.

If the defense shows you a 1 saftey look and the corners are pressed up on the recievers they are either in a man cover 1 or a all around man with no safety help.

The 1 saftey will tell you what they are in depending on his movement towards mo- tioning the running back out. Usually if the defense is in a all around man the saftey will be close by or shift towards his man before the snap of the ball. If the defense is in a man cover 1 the saftey will not move to motion and will play the same coverage each play.

Lets look at a 2 high saftey defense. If a team is playing with 2 high look it is either a cover 2, cover 2 man, or cover 4. The cover 4 is almost never ran unless it is 3rd and 15+. The cover 4 is to cover the deep ball or to force to throw under.

The cover 2 defense has 2 safteys deep and usually the corners have flats or un- derneath routes. The cover 2 is more popular than the cover 2 man and cover 4.

The cover 2 man is the same as cover 2 but they are defensive backs/linebackers that man up the wide recievers/running backs. You can test the defense to see if they are manned up in anyway with motion.

After reading the saftey and finding what coverage they are running you should then look and count the box. The box refers to the ammount of defensive line and linebackers. The first number is the down linman, the second number is the line- backers, and the third number is the defensive backs. For example a 3-3-5 defense would have 6 int he box. A 4-3-4 defense would have 7 in the box. The reason you need to understand the box is because if the defense is in a very deep coverage like a cover 4 the week point in the defense might be a run off the tackle.

Playing against a cover 0 (man) can be intimadating before the first snap because the box is stacked and the recievers are pressed. Look for your best match up and test them. pick routes work wonders if timming is right.

Playing a Cover 1is just like man cover 0 but they took a man out of the box and are playing him at free saftey. Slants, fades, and pick routes are going to be your bestfriend. looking off the saftey is key to beating this defense.

playing a Cover 2 means the corners are most likey playing flats. When completing passing in a cover 2 you are going to have to throw ‘whole shots’. Whole shots are going to be thrown right over the coners or linebackers.

cover 2 man is simular to a all out man. The key to completions are going to your match-ups. The 2 safteys are free to play wherever so be sure to not telegraph your passes down field.

When playing a Cover 3 there are a lot of players playing zones. learn what players are playing what zones and send 2 people at them. make them choose what player they will play and make them wrong.

Cover 4 is the same concept as cover 3. Depending on the front they give you. jail break screens will work with time. The quicker you can learn your match-up/zones the quicker you will be able to beat them.

Reading the box is very important. If you glance into the box and they have a 3-2 (5 in the box). If you have 5 down lineman + 2 Tight ends then you should audible to a run play. My favorite run play to check to was read option.

If the defense out numbers your down lineman then audible to something that work attack there weak points like a quick screen. Be sure to have your calls/signals down so there is no confusion on the field. There is nothing worse then wast- ing a timeout or getting a delay of game penalty. If the defense is playing man an audible to fade is always a 50/50 ball.