Cover 2. Isnt even worth the trouble anymore?

[Housh]

I was talking football with a friend and we were discussing coverages and we both just hate cover 2. Yes theoretically with 2 safeties with high IQ your cover 2 is supposed to provide deep coverage on both boundaries while also crashing deep 3rd to make a tackle if you need to. I freaking hate the idea of having to run to a ball carrier in the middle of the field by design. Idk why its just my preference. If im at corner id NEVER be a slot CB. Any time I played ball in any setting I always asked to be boundary. If I were a coach id damn near never run cover 2. Cover 3 is so much better because now youve only gotta trust ONE guy to make decisions over the middle, and that guy knows his corners are deep on the boundary so hes just gotta decide which route to take. I also think 3 defenders in the middle on pass plays is crazy in today's NFL. Id rather have the extra deep coverage body or the extra pass rush body. Linebackers these days are such athletes they can cover whole halves of the field with ease. Also teams are playing safeties in that spot more so the speed is there.

I just feel like cover 2 will die out soon as the athletes in the NFL evolve. I mean cmon weve got freaking D lienman running 4.5 40ies. WTF.



Somebody please defend cover 2, because I know its the staple of defenses but i feel like that was when football didnt have these crazy athletes. That was when teams still had fullbacks. Back when tight ends werent catching go routes. Back when QBs werent passing 50+ times a game.

[THE PISTONS]

You make a lot of good points. The one about linebackers covering half the field though...I don't agree with in general. It's a small amount that are capable in coverage.

Might end up seeing safeties moved to lb in the future. And CB types playing Safety.

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(05-02-2022, 12:00 AM)THE PISTONS Wrote: You make a lot of good points. The one about linebackers covering half the field though...I don't agree with in general. It's a small amount that are capable in coverage.

Might end up seeing safeties moved to lb in the future. And CB types playing Safety.

Good luck to any safeties-turned-linebackers whose job is to tackle 220-250lb RBs 20 times a game, or corners-turned-safeties who have to tackle 260lb TEs 10 times a game. Gonna need a lot of depth to keep up with those small bodies breaking down.

Here's a preview...




Bengals have 238lb Gus Edwards, 232lb Najee Harris, and 227lb Nick Chubb in the division. If they have safeties for LBs and corners for safeties, it would be a bloodbath.

[CardCounterChris]

I think you bring up good points on how athletes are changing football over time.  However, I think we're seeing more adjustments via formations and sub packages than directly through "traditional coverages".  As far as traditional coverages go, Cover 3 gets destroyed by Smash concepts as the boundary cb is in zone on the curl route.

I think the true evolution in coverage is coming through new hybrid coverages. Here's an article showcasing modern NFL coverages:
https://zonecoverage.com/2022/minnesota-vikings-news/a-fans-guide-to-modern-nfl-coverages/

This is another reason why the Bengals draft looked awkward with Safety and Safety hybrids.  Players are filling multiple roles, and sometimes brand new roles for defenses.