Is there a way to prevent my guys from completely blowing a coverage like this?

[jello1717]

Less than 2 minutes left in the game, I’m up 14 (thankfully) and I call a dime cover 4 match play (I believe quarters, but it could’ve been palms). The 2 flankers runs streaks while the slots run shorter routes.

My CB on the left (deep zone responsibility) runs stride for stride with the streak for 15 yards, and then turns around (leaving his guy wide open and uncovered) to run to the underneath route (looks like it might’ve been an out, but the route was interrupted by running into a defender). The guy he’s running to is already completely covered by my nickel or dime back. So he isn’t even leaving his man to cover an open receiver as the guy he leaves for is smothered by another defender.

Is there anything I can do to prevent this behavior? I know I can’t use coverage adjustments as they’ll cancel out the match overage. Was it a bad play call? I thought maybe my user controlled guy (a LB) was maybe out of position, but even if he was (I don’t think so) it didn’t leave some receiver open to compel my CB to abandon his guy to cover the one I was supposed to.

https://youtu.be/DBRGLVMDHcU?si=sP7dhuyaLoO8WsQ7

[Feros Ferio 7]

Quote: Originally Posted by jello1717

Less than 2 minutes left in the game, I’m up 14 (thankfully) and I call a dime cover 4 match play (I believe quarters, but it could’ve been palms). The 2 flankers runs streaks while the slots run shorter routes. My CB on the left (deep zone responsibility) runs stride for stride with the streak for 15 yards, and then turns around (leaving his guy wide open and uncovered) to run to the underneath route (looks like it might’ve been an out, but the route was interrupted by running into a defender). The guy he’s running to is already completely covered by my nickel or dime back. So he isn’t even leaving his man to cover an open receiver as the guy he leaves for is smothered by another defender. Is there anything I can do to prevent this behavior? I know I can’t use coverage adjustments as they’ll cancel out the match overage. Was it a bad play call? I thought maybe my user controlled guy (a LB) was maybe out of position, but even if he was (I don’t think so) it didn’t leave some receiver open to compel my CB to abandon his guy to cover the one I was supposed to. https://youtu.be/DBRGLVMDHcU?si=sP7dhuyaLoO8WsQ7

Not exactly sure as what he was thinking but as simple to me as I'd say he was switching with the hook while passing the deep route to the next deep coverage guy and with the WR hitting the underneath defender it created a broken coverage.

My advice is as usual in late game situations is to play Cover 2 Man. Even if he stayed on the deep route you've essentially created a deep one on one route for the offense and they should hope for that this late in a game with that kind of defecit.

There are route combinations that will affect how cover 4 and cover 3 work so they aren't full proof coverages.


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[canes21]

Are you sure this wasn't Palms?

[pietasterp]

Looks like the right outcome to me - you love to see it!

In all seriousness, I'll let the defensive coordinators in this forum weigh in, but my understanding of Cover 4 Quarters is that the CB on the #1 receiver should have carried that route deep and not passed it off (MOD).

I think the Match rules for Cover 4 coverages break under varying idiosyncratic situations (as noted in the other defensive thread by Hooe), but from what I've read here, only Cover 3 Match plays stay consistently on their match rules under a broad variety of offensive sets.

[jello1717]

Quote: Originally Posted by canes21

Are you sure this wasn't Palms?

I’m not, but it’s my understanding that in general, you want quarters vs 2x2 and palms vs 3x1, so after seeing that formation I would normally call quarters.

Is the video expected behavior if it was palms rather than quarters?

[canes21]

Wouldn't say it is expected behavior, but I'd at least have a better idea of what may have happened. If it was quarters, it'd be more confusing as to what broke. If it was palms, it would at least "make sense" that there was logic making him break on the underneath flat route and it would show something is triggering incorrectly.

[lchronister]

I don't think the No. 2 WR is running and out and then runs into the slot CB. I think he's running an in-and-up (or whatever the actual/official term is). I don't remember the Quarters or Palms rules exactly, but I wonder if that route breaks the particular match coverage you called.

The outside CB on that side seems to come back toward No. 2 as soon as the WR cuts up, leaving the S on that side to cover the No. 1 receiver on the streak/go route. But by that point, the No. 1 WR is so deep that the S can't get there in time.

Again, not sure if that follows the exact match rules for either Quarters or Palms, but it might explain things, and show that double moves may break match coverage.

[pietasterp]

I might be getting out of my depth here, but whether it was Quarters or Palms, the CB on that #1 receiver should carry their guy deep Man-to-Man on a deep route by that WR. He ought to be either MOD or reading 1-to-2 in either coverage (?)