Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Coverr 2 Roll is a zone coverage call out of the Penny 3 High set in the 3-3-5 Nickel 5-1-5 personnel. The diagram shows two deep half safeties bracketing the field, with the two outside linebackers or slot defenders rolling into short curl/flat zones and the underneath defenders spilling into hook and flat drops to wall off the middle. Four defensive linemen rush the passer while the coverage rolls to a two deep, five under shell, making this primarily a zone beater killer against spot and stick concepts rather than a blitz or man beater.
Defensive Reads
Watch the safety depth pre snap, if both safeties are sitting at 10 to 12 yards this confirms the two deep shell and tells the offense you are rolling coverage Key the underneath linebackers, if they widen quickly to the flats post snap that signals the hook zones are opening up in the intermediate middle This shell struggles against high low reads on the outside numbers where a corner route stacked over a flat route can put the flat defender in conflict Look for offenses attacking the seams between the deep half safeties and the underneath zone defenders, that soft spot around 15 to 18 yards is the primary vulnerability Beware of four verticals concepts since the two deep safeties can get stressed horizontally if the offense spreads the field with four receiving threats
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs when you expect play action or quick game concepts from the offense since the two deep shell takes away vertical shots down the seams
Use pre-snap motion to identify if the offense is trying to flood one side of the field, then shift your zone drops accordingly using the strafe technique post snap
Pair this play with Tampa 2 in your play calling sequence so quarterbacks cannot key on the middle of the field safety depth and get comfortable throwing deep crossers
Sim the pass rush or spy the quarterback on obvious passing downs to prevent scrambles up the middle since the underneath zones are focused on shorter routes
User the flat defender to jump underneath routes when you diagnose trips or bunch formations since the flat zone is the most vulnerable landmark in this shell
