Running 'Targeted' Coverage from a Split-Field Structure.
Exploring the use of coverage rotations in the split-field schemes used by the Michigan Wolverines and Baltimore Ravens. This isn't your father's Cover 6.
When discussing coverage ‘rotations’ in split-field schemes, Vic Fangio of the Eagles often receives the most attention. However, he is not the only coach utilizing this concept. More teams across the higher levels of football are retooling their traditional Cover 6 or Quarter-Quarter-Half concept.
Last year, Michigan was one of the top college teams implementing ‘targeted coverage.’ Jesse Minter, currently the Chargers' defensive coordinator, employed a similar method to rotate the Cover 2 side to a desired position. The concept meshes well with a closed-post defense that functions with primary weak rotations (away from the Ni).
The traditional way to run Cover 6 was always to have the Cover 2 side away from the passing strength. For most of history, it worked well for teams. The Quarters side was to the Ni, who could still fit the run, and DBs capped both WRs. To the boundary, the defense could gain a ‘zone double’ on the X-WR while being able to get hands on him with the CB position.
When referring to ‘rotation,’ most will think of Cover 3. Typically, coaches refer to the ‘Down’ Safety (non-Post Safety) to indicate where the coverage is rotating. Strong or weak rotations indicate to or away from the passing strength.
Cover 3 is a ‘whiteboard’ coverage that plays out like Xs on a board. In basic terms, the DC indicates in which direction he wants the Safeties to rotate and where. Typically, the Safeties will drop into the Seam or Hook areas.
Fangio system coaches, Jesse Minter, and, by extension, newly appointed Seattle Head Coach Mike Macdonald use ‘rotation’ in split-field coverage. Like Cover 3, the coaches rotate their coverage to or away from the passing strength. Instead of dropping Safeties into specific zones, the defense places the Cover 2 side where they want it.
The NFL is quickly moving away from man coverage. As the chart above illustrates, Cover 1 rates have dropped from 30% in ‘19 to 19% this past season. The move away from man coverage has coincided with the shift to a more balanced coverage scheme. Currently, the NFL is 55/45 concerning middle-of-the-field closed coverage vs. middle-of-the-field open.
More and more, we are seeing highly curated game plans on the defensive side of the ball, something we generally saw from the offense. Modern defenses are multiple and carry a wide range of techniques and concepts. Very rarely is a defense good enough to play static schemes and win at volume. In that case, it is usually players over plays.
Minter and Macdonald use their targeted coverages to complement their Cover 3 base. Like Fangio, the weak rotation of Cover 3 pairs well with split-field strong rotation to the Ni. For this article, we will use the Fangio language. Cover 8 signifies rotation to the Nickel or Half-Quarter-Quarter. Cover 6 will be the traditional way of playing the coverage.
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