Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 13 playbooks
Breakdown
Cover 2 Man is a five-man coverage shell out of the Dime 2-3-6 Will set that pairs press man coverage on the outside with two deep safeties splitting the field. The diagram shows both outside cornerbooks bracketing the receivers with tight man alignment while the two deep defenders (Xs at the top) sink into deep halves over the top. Underneath, four defenders (two linebackers and two nickel/dime backs shown with square icons) drop straight down on man landmarks against inside receivers and backs, giving you man coverage underneath with a two deep safety umbrella to erase the deep ball. This is a man beater killer against verticals and go routes since the safeties cap anything over the top, but it is vulnerable underneath to quick option routes and shallow crosses if your underneath defenders lose their man in traffic.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, identify if the offense is running vertical stem releases or stacked bunch looks designed to rub off your man corners at the top of their routes. Watch the running back and slot receivers for quick option or spot routes that settle in the shallow to intermediate zones where your underneath man defenders can get picked in traffic. Post-snap, key the quarterback's eyes toward the deep middle since your two safeties are responsible for splitting the field and taking away any deep post or double move that tries to attack the seam between them. This shell gets exposed by rub concepts and pick plays since there is no zone help underneath, so watch for crossing routes designed to run your man defenders into each other. Look for offenses attacking with fast motion or shifts pre-snap to identify your man defenders' matchups, since a blown assignment against speed in the slot can turn into an explosive play before the safeties can help.
Usage Tips
Call this on third and medium to third and long when you expect the offense to push the ball deep, since the two deep safeties eliminate big plays over the top while your corners lock up in man underneath.
Pre-snap, check for bunch or stack formations that can create natural picks against your man defenders, and consider shading your safeties toward the strength of a stacked receiver alignment.
User the deep half safety to the passing strength so you can jump any deep in cuts or post routes that try to split the two safeties, since the CPU AI safety can be late getting over the top.
Combine this with Cover 2 Sink or Tampa 2 in your play calling sequence so the offense sees a similar shell pre-snap but gets different underneath rules, forcing the quarterback to hold the ball an extra beat.
Avoid calling this against heavy run personnel or on early downs against a strong ground game, since your underneath defenders are locked in man and may lose gap discipline.
