Cover 3 - PGaither84's Blog - Operation Sports

PGaither84's Blog

Cover 3

Posted on October 3, 2012 at 12:09 AM.

In this blog I will talk all about the Cover 3, which I find to be the most interesting to work with. Especially so in Madden, where people love to go deep and attack the middle of the field.

This basic cover 3 shell is great on first downs. You can use the "Show Blitz" feature to bring the SS into the box for run support. You can also feel free to shift and maybe even crash the D-Line left to help protect against the weak side run. This is a really good play to user control the SS. Feel free to user blitz, or just roam free. Remember, you are responsible for the flats though, so at the snap you have to respect your assignment first!

This is a mirror of the previous play, but it's more than that. For one thing, if you use "Show Blitz," it will put the SS in the Box again, and you don't want that, because he is responsible for the deep middle and being up in the box takes him out of position to cover that. However, similar to the prior play, if you don't do anything, the FS should put himself in the box. This is also a good play to user the FS instead and do the same thing as before.

At first glance this play might look the same as the last, but it's not. Specifically, the Jack [RILB] is responsible for the flats while the FS is supposed to cover the middle [yellow] hook zone. A little change, but how you play it changes too. Where I recommended usering the FS on the last play, this time I Suggest using the ILB. Your first job is to respect the flats, but a delayed blitz or help over the middle is useful too. With all three of these plays, it's a good idea to keep an eye on the WR Curl. Against the Curl Flat combo, play the curl first. You have help over the top with your deep CB, and if the offense completes the flats pass, you will be there to tackle the receiver fora short gain.

Now, this play is not in many 3-4 Play Books in Madden 13, but in Madden 12 you can create a custom play book and add it. Also, you can create it out of one of the above cover 3 plays by simply changing the flats defenders to purple buzz zones. The weakness of the earlier cover three plays are the mid range sidelines and curl routes. This play tries to take that away, but gives up the flats like screens. No play can cover everything, but if you are okay with giving up a shorter pass, then that's okay.

Also, while we are talking about changing plays, keep in mind that you can quickly swap a blitzing and either MLB's assignments to mix it up.

Don't let the name confuse you, this is just another cover 3. Instead of dropping both corners into deep thirds of the field and one safety to cover the middle, this play has the two safeties roll over and has one corner dropping while the other is in a flat zone. It's nice on it's own, and I tend to call it when the offense is on the left hash, and flip it when they are on the right hash. That helps condense the sideline area you ask the flat defender and deep safety to cover. I will typically either user the flats corner or the purple buzz zone defender depending on the offensive formation I see.

This is a good base play to make user adjustments to because it is the only cover three play where both safeties are asked to cover deep in all the cover 3 plays. We will look at this play again later in the blitz section.

Cover 3 Blitzes

Well, as we talked about earlier, sending four pass rushers isn't a blitz. Sending 5 or more is. With the 3-4, just the combinations of linebackers alone is nice. Mix in the defensive backs and you can have a lot of fun blitzing out of the cover 3.

As the name implies, this is a Will/Jack blitz from the Cover 3. I recommend using the D-Line Crash Left to help free up the Will and user control the Mike over the middle. That, of the LE and try to protect the edge on a run.

Also called Sam Mike Fire 3. this is another good play to use the "show blitz" feature to bring the SS into the box. Cash the D-Line right to help the LOLB get free and beware of a weak side run. I would user control the Jack here to cover the middle and help protect against the weak side run.

The last two plays blitzed off of the right and left. This blitz is up the gut. Now, I would re-blitz the Jack and Mike in Madden because the Cross Fire is not going to trick anyone, but it will waste precious time when they occasionally run into each other. Again, I would use "show blitz" to put the SS in the box and this time I would shift and crash the line left to protect against a weak side run. I user the SS here and have the same responsibility as the Mike in the first play I wrote about.

Another blitz up the gut. I wouldn't change a thing. the play is set up and works well. Feel free to flip it and again, leave it alone if you want to send the Mike and SS instead. I would again user the Mike here, or Jack it you flip it simply because I don't trust the AI to cover the middle of the field properly. Also, it helps to user the middle so you can react faster/better than the AI to outside sweeps.

Another option is to tell the D-line to crash left, blitz the Will and user The Jack to cover the Will's responsibility... or flip that for the SS and Sam. These are two "missing" blitz combinations in EA's playbook that are both nice and easy to set up.

Now I want to come back to this play for creating a "missing blitz," the Sam Will 3. If you tell the Sam to Blitz and user the Jack to cover the weak hook zone area [he is already supposed to cover the weak flat] you will have a Double OLB Blitz. Or you can flip this play, tell the Will to blitz, spread and crash the D-line left to help free up the Will, show blitz to put the SS in the box and user the Mike to cover the Strong hook zone. I wish EA had both of these blitzes, but they don't.

Remember when I said we would talk about this play? Well, think back on all blitz combinations we talked about earlier that you can quickly re-create out of this play [because EA didn't, and we don't have a play editor.] We can tell the flats corner to play a yellow hook zone and do the following: Tell the Jack to blitz and user the Mike; tell the mike to blitz and user the Jack; or tell the Sam to blitz and user the Mike. We can also tell the CB to blitz and user the Jack. Then you can also flip the play and reverse these instructions. All of these set ups are very easy and fast. Just two player adjustments and select/user a third player.