Troubleshooting in Man Coverage techniques.

Wabash College, Defensive Backs Coach
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There is one intangible in today’s aggressive multiple front multiple blitz defenses. No matter how well your front seven and safeties are stopping the run, the one factor in truly shutting down an offense is good man coverage. To coach good man coverage, a coach must understand what the receiver is trying to accomplish versus different man-coverage techniques, and then coach his players to play the different ways a receiver will attack a specific technique.

Receivers and Quarterbacks both determine routes according to what is shown both pre-snap and post-snap.

Pre-Snap= Receivers will try to determine if the corner is playing:

1. Man
- Press (on the LOS)
- Peddle or bale (off of the LOS)
2. Zone
- 2-deep
- 3-deep
- 4-deep

At Wabash we use a variety of different man-cover techniques, but the two we will use most will be bump & run and a skate-peddle technique. Press= Corners will align with feet under the armpits on the LOS. Outside foot is aligned on the inside foot of the receiver. On the snap we will step-off of the LOS with our outside foot and “buzz” the feet until determining the release of the receiver. We will then use a parallel step & replace technique to reroute the receiver. This keeps the DB’s feet active on the snap, and allows us to press with our feet without reaching with our hands. DB’s will not look to physically “bump” with the hands unless the receiver is within the framework of the DB’s body. This re-routing technique allows us to shrink the boundary or the field on the snap, which will give the DB the advantage of identifying a vertical or fade release. (See Diagram 1.)

Diagram 1

Problems with Bump and Run=
1. Cannot see QB
2. Difficult to identify routes
3. Getting beat off of the line
4. If the corner finds himself in a trail position, it is difficult to recover.

Coaching Points:

1. In press coverage the DB cannot key 3-5-7- and sprint drops, which gives an advantage to the receiver.

Troubleshooting: The DB needs to know where he is most vulnerable versus different route combinations. For example, versus a 3-step route he will be most vulnerable to the fade. His inside leverage is a good defender versus the slant. The DB must always keep his inside position to eliminate the inside release. On an outside fade release, the DB must know that he must defend the deep route first and get to a point where he can make a play on the receivers hands working through his up-field shoulder.

2. It is difficult to read routes while in a press technique.

Troubleshooting: It is very important that the DB knows what the receiver will do versus a press technique while running his route. If a 3-step route threatens, it will usually be a fade or a quick slant. In order to run the slant the receiver will give a hard-release or single-move release at the LOS. If the receiver runs a fade, he will use a freeze or single-move at the LOS. The key to defending the 5-step route in press is determining whether the release of the receiver is an inside/outside vertical, hard inside (crossing), or outside fade release (Diagrams 2 & 3).

Diagram 2 & 3

We determine the release by our position on the receiver after the initial release. If we are on the hip of the receiver and not in a trail position after the initial release, we determine it to be a vertical release. This means the route will tend to be thrown at 12-16 yards. The DB will determine the outside fade release by his position on the receiver and the receivers distance from the boundary. If the receivers stem is towards the sideline, we play the fade by looking to make a play on the receiver’s hands and eyes. If the receivers stem is inside, the cushion he gained from his release will be shortened, the receiver will be “leaning” on the defender and the receiver will try to gain width from the sideline. We will play the comeback and deep out routes by leaning into the receiver and using an off hand jam technique.

3. Getting beat off of the line happens when two things occur:

A. The DB’s feet stop when he is reaching for contact at the LOS w/ the Receiver.
Coaching Point: The DB must take his step back and buzz his feet, always keeping his feet moving. The defenders feet will stop when he reaches to get a hand on the receiver. By doing this he has given the advantage to the receiver, because he has committed himself to contact with the receiver. What if he misses? By keeping the feet buzzing, he is able to take an extra parallel step to reroute the receiver without stopping his own movement and not committing his hips to an inside or outside move.

B. DB’s will over-commit their hips to a release while reaching for contact. This is commonly called “opening the gate”.

Coaching Point: Receivers will look to use a single or double-move release versus press. By doing this they want the DB to commit themselves to an inside or outside move by opening their hips only to release in the opposite direction.

When looking to “bump”, DB’s find themselves off-balance because they are trying to initiate contact with a receiver that is not within the framework of their own body. If a DB misses when he reaches to “bump” a receiver, he has missed because his numbers were not over his knees, they were probably over his toes or further. If a DB can keep himself from getting off-balance at the LOS he will usually be in great shape to step-and-replace and reroute the receiver. A DB usually is off-balance after trying to reach to create contact while the receiver is using a single, double, freeze release at the LOS, etc. This is why we teach our DB’s to never stop buzzing the feet and to only create contact if the contact comes to you. Some may call this a soft-press technique but it isn’t. We teach “press with the feet”. The DB works his feet to cut-off the receiver’s release. We do encourage contact, because the parallel step by the DB has been made after the release has been recognized, and because of this the contact will be created.

4. If the DB is in a trail position it is difficult to recover.

Troubleshooting: This is most common with the inside release, and the press technique is most vulnerable to the post route. If the DB is in a true trail position, he can’t reach the hip of the receiver, he will look to sink to the hip of the receivers release. Often while running a deep post the receiver will stem his route outside to create space to catch the post. If the DB is in the trail position he will sink to the inside hip of the receiver and recognize the post pattern. By sinking inside, he will close the separation by taking a quicker path to the post while the receiver is taking the longer path by stemming his route. (The fastest way from point A to B is a straight line!) (Diagram #4) He will make the play low-shoulder because he cannot make the play over the receivers high-shoulder.

Diagram 4

The DB can play the same technique on an outside release. If he reads the receivers release as vertical while in a trail position he will look to sink to the outside hip of the receiver. While the receiver stems his route to create separation from the boundary the DB closes the receivers cushion by focusing on the release hip of the receiver. If it is a fade release the DB will focus on getting to the hip of the receiver and making the play on the receivers hands.

Peddle= The DB will align at a depth of 8-10 yards off the receiver and with his outside foot on the inside foot of the receiver. He will align with his field hip open slightly with a heel-to-relationship. On the snap the DB will take two “skate” steps with his eyes keying the QB for 3-step action. We do not coach our DB’s to read high-or-low hat because they are pass first, run-second players. Our “skate” steps will be two kick steps with our inside foot backwards. These two “skate” steps will key the three-step drop to enable us to drive on the 3-step route. (Slant, hitch) The DB will then snap his head to the belt of the receiver while back-pedaling . While in his peddle the DB will look to keep inside-out leverage on the receiver, always trying to collision the deep post.

Problems with Peddle technique:
1. Inability to defend short 3-step routes. (Slant, Hitch)
2. Receiver has the advantage if DB commits his hips early.
3. Inability to defend crossing routes,
and out routes.

Coaching Points:

1. By design this type of man coverage does give an advantage to the offense on the short 3-step routes.

Troubleshooting: Because of our inside alignment and by teaching our corners to key the 3-step while using our skate-steps, the DB is in good position to defend these quick routes. The DB will buzz his feet when he keys the 3-step or recognizes a “quick” tempo read from the quarterback. We characterize a “tempo” read on the QB by how quickly the QB raises the ball to his throwing position and how quickly he will set-up. (This knowledge of QB steps on a 3-step drop will vary from week-to-week depending on the QB.) The DB will then snap his eyes to the belt of the receiver looking to drive on the short routes, keep his inside leverage and collision the inside route, or flip the hip and run with the fade. (Diagram #5.)

Diagram 5

2. If the DB commits to a head fake or false stem of a receiver, the receiver will gain the advantage on intermediate and deep routes.
Troubleshooting: A receiver will usually run a route that consists of four phases against a defender that is playing an “off-the-ball” technique. These phases are:

a. drive-release (cushion breakdown)
b. stem
c. head-fake
d. route break

During the drive release phase the receiver is trying to reduce the cushion of the DB. The stem phase will consist of the receiver trying to gain a “route” advantage by gaining width from the boundary on an out or corner route with a vertical release, or widening the middle of the field for an inside route like the post or hook/curl. The head or shoulder fake will come when the receiver has broken the cushion down enough to get the DB to open or commit his hips away from the route the receiver is running. The route-break will usually occur after the head or shoulder fake. As a rule we teach that every route will be run within 16-yards. By our inside leverage we will be in very good position to collision the inside post, drive on the curl, and turn and run with the fade.

3. There is an inability to defend the crossing route, and a disadvantage to defending the out-route.

Troubleshooting: Because of our alignment 8-10 yards off of the ball it is difficult to defend the crossing routes. Fact is, without Linebacker help you cannot defend them. The out route is a very difficult ball to throw, and because of our inside leverage, we basically say “throw it!” It still has to be thrown well, and on time, and the out route is a much lower percentage pass that any routes run in between the numbers.

Knowing your vulnerability is key to running this technique. This technique is most effective in a four-across secondary that allows Linebacker or safety help versus crossing routes. This technique can get your safeties more involved in stopping the run, which makes your cornerbacks 1/2 field players versus some 5-step and all 7-step drops.

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