Facing a great WR who can exploit one-on-one matchups can be a difficult challenge for a defense. Coordinators are often faced with the challenge of assigning more than one player to cover just one offensive weapon, which becomes particularly problematic when an offense couples this threat with the ability to effectively run the football vs. a lighter defensive presence in the box. Against a two-back offense with a dangerous single WR, half-field coverage can be an effective option to ensure that a defense is sound against the run while also honoring the need to double-cover the primary receiving threat.
When game-planning for this type of offense, it’s important to educate the players on what type of situations to expect and how to defend them. The half-field safety, as well as the hard corner and linebacker to that side, need to understand how they fit into the scheme and what their role is against certain individual routes. The deep half defender must understand that it’s his job to make sure nothing gets behind him. He can take comfort in knowing that the corner and linebacker will be playing short/intermediate routes aggressively. He must understand that the area of the zone where the defense is most vulnerable is deep and over the middle, so staying inside and on top of the post should be priority #1 (see Diagram below).
Generically speaking, the corner is the flat defender. However, he can make himself useful far beyond just playing short/outside routes. Since he has no vertical responsibility, he should be aggressive in defending the WR’s initial release, not allowing him to go straight upfield at the snap of the ball. This is particularly effective from a press alignment. After that, the corner’s eyes must be inside so that he can see any receiver that may threaten the flat. However, until that becomes a concern, he can continue to squeeze inside routes and trail vertical routes by the #1 WR, playing deep to short on anything to the outside. The linebacker to the half-field side is of course a run-first defender, but he will play an important role in defending certain routes once the pass has developed. As the curl-zone defender, his consciousness on a pass play will be on short/intermediate inside-breaking routes, such as the dig route across the middle of the field (shown in the Diagram below).
The next diagram shows how the half-field technique will play out against common three-step routes such as the slant and the fade. It should be noted that the CB must be very aggressive vs.the three-step pass, since the ball will be out quickly and the safety must protect against deeper routes. Defending the slant starts with pressing the WR and denying a clean release at the snap. As the route breaks inside, the corner should squeeze the route, becoming a factor on any throw that is at or behind the WR. The better the CB does this, the more the QB has to lead the receiver across the middle, which gives the LB more time to diagnose the play and defend the throwing lane. The safety should be patient in his pedal and rally to the throw. However, his focus is on making tackles. He must never undercut the route, as that would compromise his deep-half responsibility.
In defending the fade, or any outside-releasing vertical route, the CB will once again be a key factor on the play. After the WR’s initial release, the CB should open his hips inside and sink underneath the vertical route, keeping his eyes inside. The CB should treat the fade similar to how he would defend a “smash” combo, in that he will play deep-to-short on the outside, looking to make plays on any throws in the cover 2 hole outside the safety’s alignment. This puts the CB in a position to play the back-shoulder throw, ensuring that if the QB throws the ball at the WR rather than going over the top, the safety is protected as he works off the hash to play the deep ball. Should the WR shut down for a “comeback” route to the sidelines, the CB should be all over that as well. The safety must still be focused on playing over-the-top, and he should note the release of the WR as he gets in his initial pedal. If the WR releases outside and the QBs eyes are working that way, the safety must get width and defend the deep ball down the sidelines.
If the coverage is working effectively and the offense is having trouble getting the ball to their play-making WR, they may decide to take advantage of the perceived double-coverage and run the ball to where there is one less run defender in the box. Since the coverage is half-field and not man-to-man, the defense should still gain an extra man in run support vs. any outside run. The hard corner is technically responsible for run support, and should show up on the outside when the fullback presses the edge of the LOS. He should send everything back inside to the LBs while the safety continues to play pass first, getting involved only as a secondary support player if the CB gets blocked by the WR. This way, the defense is protected against play action with the safety over the top. The diagram below illustrates the DBs role vs. run to the half-field side.
