Cover 3 Defense
Feb 07, 2024Cover 3 defense is a balanced zone coverage that defends well against short, intermediate, and deep routes on the field.
Imagine the field split into three equal pieces.
Three defensive backs (DBs) are responsible for covering the three deep parts of the field in this coverage.
They are the last line of defense in this defense, meaning they cannot let an offensive player get behind them, or else it will result in an easy touchdown for the offense!
Imagine the field split into three equal pieces. THREE defensive backs (DBs) are responsible for covering the three deep parts of the field in this coverage.
They are the last line of defense in this defense, meaning they cannot let an offensive player get behind them, or else it will result in an easy touchdown for the offense!
The purple zones in a cover 3 defense are called curl/flats.
They are responsible for defending all the short and intermediate passes thrown from the sideline to just beyond the numbers. Their goal is to help out the outside deep thirds with all the short passes thrown beneath their zone.
A curl flat can get 5 - 12 yards of depth while defending.
Alternatively, these curl/flat defenders can be called into a light blue zone called a hard flat.
A hard flat has the same responsibilities as a curl/flat except they will only defend 0-5 yards off the line of scrimmage.
This is similar to the zone you learned in your cover 2 sections, except this zone is being played by OLBs and not CBs.
The two middle linebackers (MLBs) will be in yellow zones called hook curls.
They are responsible for defending short and intermediate passes thrown over the middle of the field. These zones are intended to help the deep middle third who is defending all the deep passes thrown over the middle of the field.
Hook/Curls defend from the hashmarks to the middle of the field. They can get anywhere from 5-12 yards of depth while defending.
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