COVER BLUE

BY MIKE EVANSOffensive Coordinator - Brownsville Veterans Memorial HS

In the 4-2-5 scheme, Blue Coverage is a staple; especially against passing teams. It is one of the things you have to hang your hat on. In order to commit to running it, you have to be willing to play your safeties in a flat foot read. This is hard for some people to buy into. It is not complex and does not need to be taught in a complex manner. Simplicity is key. It is best described as a soft read of #2. The coverage develops and adapts as the #2 receiver runs his routes.

This is a pattern match concept. You will have zone eyes at the snap of the ball; and upon reading the pass, the eyes shift to #2 to determine the distribution of the patterns. After the pattern distribution, the coverage turns into a man concept.

Base Rules

Safety:

1. #2 vertical past 5 yards play man to man. Make a “push” call.

2. Non vertical-give a “wheel” call and cover #1 deep to short. (Fade to curl)

Corner:

1. Man #1 if #2 is flat now, play #2...You have wheel of #2.

I am not going to go over the rules in detail, there are plenty of resources on this already. I am going to get into some of the adjustments and particular situations that require special care in order to run the coverage effectively.

Cover Blue vs 2x2

Away-Side Coverage

The away-side is where the coverage is most vulnerable. Offenses that understand what you are doing will direct their attack here. The inherent weakness is that your 3rd cover guy is an inside linebacker. He will not be able to help you on the pass as easily as the strong safety can on the read side.

If you want to commit to running Blue Coverage, you have to decide how you will handle the late out route by the #2 WR, because the speed out and bubble routes are easy.

The problem occurs when #2 runs an out, but not right away.

If your safety is playing aggressive coverage on #2 then he might have trouble getting on top of #1. Many people alleviate this by back pedaling the safety, but this is not what you want. Sure he can play this route better from a backpedal but what do you give up in the process? Blue coverage is designed to cover routes aggressively and allow your safeties to fit-up on the run quickly, from a flat foot read. By backpedaling, you lose those benefits. You are better off playing a true squats and halves concept. None the less, this is an issue that needs to be addressed.

Here is how you can address it.

If #2 is out late, the safety has to make a decision. We give our safeties the ability to make this choice, and the corner is tied to the choice the safety makes. If the safety gives a “wheel” call, he plays over #1 and the corner sinks with #1 and makes the QB bring him up to the late out. This gives the safety more time to get in position. We do not want to jump the route now, because that puts too much pressure on the safety.

Option #2 is the safety can make a “Push” call, which tells the corner to stay with #1 because the safety is playing man on #2. We treat a 10 yard out the same way. We never make a wheel call past 5 yards; it is always a “push” for us.

To assist with outs, we have change-ups. The primary adjustments are “Bronco” and “Lock.” Bronco is a man concept; the corner is locked up man-to-man and the WS aligns in soft outside man (4-5 off) and plays anything vertical or out man-toman. If his receiver runs a shallow under, we let it go because it is running into zone coverage on the read side.

The other call is a “lock” call, which puts the safety and corner in straight man coverage. This is an effective adjustment for teams trying to use quick game towards the away-side.

To summarize: In away-side Blue Coverage, you must understand that the 5-10 yard out can be a weakness. You have to drill proper technique to put yourself in the best position to play the routes. However, the offense will have success if they execute the play. My father is a long-time defensive coordinator/head coach, and one of the big lessons he passed on to me was that, “There is no perfect coverage, the key is to understand your weaknesses and have change-ups built in to answer the problems you are having. If you don’t have change-ups you ain’t got a chance.”

Bronco puts you in a position to cover the 5-10 yard out. Lock puts you in a position to take away quick game routes, while giving you the flexibility to play zone on the read side. There are a bunch of different things you can do on the away-side to compliment Blue Coverage on the read-side, but these are the primary things we do to answer the problems offenses will try to give us.

Read-Side Coverage

The read-side is much easier to play than the away-side, because the read-side involves three defensive backs as opposed to two. Having the extra guy allows you to play the coverage a little different and avoid some of the issues that you would have on the away-side (i.e. 5-10 yard out). The quick outs and bubbles play the same; however, the late outs are played with a “me” technique from the strong safety.

“Me” technique involves the SS taking any late out route by the #2 WR man-to-man. This keeps the corner locked up on #1.

Another important point about read-side blue coverage is that you want to play it to the field. 8090% of the time, the ball is on or around the hash. It is easy to align to 2x2 formations when you keep your SS to the field. You don’t want to stick your away-side into the field. It doesn’t make sense to play in more space with one less coverage guy. Setting your SS to field has added benefits when motion and 3x1 formations come into play.

In conclusion, mastering the 4-2-5 scheme with Blue Coverage requires attention to detail, adaptability, and a deep understanding of both the strengths and weaknesses of the defensive strategy. While the away-side presents challenges, particularly with the vulnerability to 5-10 yard out routes, coaches and players can implement adjustments like the "Bronco" and "Lock" calls to counteract offensive tactics effectively.

Remember, as my father, a seasoned defensive coach, always emphasized. "There's no such thing as a perfect coverage." What matters most is recognizing your weaknesses and having the versatility to address them with well- practiced change-ups. By leveraging techniques like the "Me" technique on the read-side and strategically aligning defensive backs to the field, teams can optimize their Blue Coverage strategy and stand strong against passing teams. So, embrace simplicity, drill proper technique, and be prepared to adjust on the fly. With dedication and strategic thinking, Blue Coverage can be a game-changer for any defensive unit.

Remember, as my father, a seasoned defensive coach, always emphasized. "There's no such thing as a perfect coverage." What matters most is recognizing your weaknesses and having the versatility to address them with well- practiced change-ups. By leveraging techniques like the "Me" technique on the read-side and strategically aligning defensive backs to the field, teams can optimize their Blue Coverage strategy and stand strong against passing teams. So, embrace simplicity, drill proper technique, and be prepared to adjust on the fly. With dedication and strategic thinking, Blue Coverage can be a game-changer for any defensive unit.

Read the entire January 2025 Issue of Texas Coach here: https://issuu.com/thscacoaches/docs/jan25upload?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ