[edgevoice]

Quote: Originally Posted by stinkubus

Base Calls would be Quarters vs 2x2, Palms vs open Trips, Cover 6 or Cover 3 Cloud vs. Trips sets where the #1 to the weakside is an in-line TE, and Cover 9 against bunches. These are *not* hard and fast rules. They are, IMO, the best default options to keep yourself safe deep without giving up too much underneath and all of them can be played with anywhere from 5 to 9 men in the box. This allows you to match up with any offensive formation in the game. Take Bunch for example. Cover 9 is great until they start hitting you with comebacks and out routes from their solo receiver. If you want to stay in this defense now you *must* press him and expose yourself vertically because that CB will be 1-on-1 on sideline routes. If you can't safely press you can play Cover 6 (to bracket verticals - always change the cloud to a soft squat) or Cover 6 Invert (so the FS will muddle the read on anything out-breaking) instead. Some formations like Gun Trips TE or good tight 2x2 sets (there's more than a few) are almost like 5 dimensional games of Rock, Paper, Scissors because you could either want to be in a certain defense on any given snap or also pay dearly for it. Quick example - Against most tight 2x2 Quarters does an amazing job of locking up Bench all by itself - you get the luxury of playing the checkdown and spying the QB. The corner route gets bracketed. If they run china or smash off that corner instead you're cooked because the safety is 1-on-1 with him and literally cannot line up in a good position to play it.

Great examples of the fact that there's a coverage to combat a specific pass concept and a pass concept to defeat a specific coverage.