How to Attack Cover 2

Finding the voids and stress points of 2 deep zone coverage.

There are three ways to attack any zone defense.

Attack the voids. Overload a zone. High/low a defender.

Cover 2 gives you two clear targets: the middle of the field and the space above the corner. Everything below is built around stressing those two areas.

Here’s how I work through it.

Quick Game

Key Screens

Screens are hit or miss against Cover 2. It depends on how tight the overhang plays to the box.

If he’s hugging the box, we attack the slot with a now route immediately. The corner is pressed, so we tell the slot not to work toward the sideline, so the corner doesn’t blow it up.

Get the ball out fast and make the safety make the tackle coming from depth.

Double Slants

The one quick game concept I run consistently against Cover 2 is Double Slants.

The corner is out-leveraged for any inside-breaking route and the safeties depth keeps him from driving downhill quick.

If you can manipulate the Mike with your QBs eyes or an RPO, there is a window to overload the outside linebacker.

Rules:

Inside Slant: The slot runs a one-step slant. His job is to get inside the outside linebacker fast and attack the middle of the field. The speed of that route creates a reaction from the defense. That reaction is what we’re reading.

Fin Route: The outside receiver doesn’t run a true slant. He runs what we call a Fin. Five yards and work flat. The angle is different, but it attacks the same void.

We made the switch because slants are hard to throw consistently. Every kid plants slightly different. The Fin gives us a longer, flatter route that’s more repeatable at the high school level.

Dropback Concepts

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