Playbooks
Quick Reference
In 11 playbooks
Breakdown
1 Double Wr1 is a Cover 1 man coverage look out of the Dime 3-2-6 package, built to disguise a five-under, one-deep shell against pass-heavy personnel. The diagram shows three underneath defenders dropping on vertical landmarks with straight downward arrows, a single deep safety rotating over the top (the diagonal line into the middle of the field), and press or trail defenders lined up on the outside receivers denoted by the two dots near the numbers. This is a coverage play with no route combo to read, so the primary "progression" for the defense is keying the quarterback's eyes and eliminating the first two options while the deep safety erases any shot play over the top.
Defensive Reads
Watch pre-snap safety alignment, if the single high safety cheats late or shows two safeties before rotating down, that confirms this is a disguised Cover 1 look. Key the underneath defenders' initial drop angles shown by the straight vertical arrows, they are reading run/pass first before latching onto any crossing routes. This shell is vulnerable to skinny post and dagger combos that attack the deep safety's leverage, so user the free safety and stay square on any vertical release from the slot. Green-dog blitzes and delayed linebacker pressure work well from this front since the underneath defenders are initially reading the backfield rather than dropping immediately. Beware quick out and speed out combinations against off-corner alignment, since press corners caught guessing can get beat on the release if they jump the route too early.
Usage Tips
Use this out of Dime personnel when you expect 11 or 10 personnel spread formations, since the extra DB helps match up on slot receivers and running backs in man coverage.
Press your outside corners pre-snap if you have the attribute advantage, since this look is designed to funnel receivers into the trail technique shown by the alignment dots.
Pair this with Cover 1 Robber Press and Cover 3 Buzz Match in the same set so opposing quarterbacks cannot key your safety rotation from pre-snap alignment alone.
Call this on third-and-medium or third-and-long when you want a single-high shell that can still bring a spy or a green-dog blitz off the underneath defenders.
Motion-boost your linebackers before the snap to confirm man or zone tags on the tight end or slot receiver before committing to press-man technique on the outside.
