Editor’s note: This is the second part of a three-part series looking at some basic coverage schemes Washington could implement on defense. In Part 1, Mark looked at Cover 1 and its variations. Mark explains the Cover 2 scheme.

Cover 2 is a zone coverage, with two deep defenders each responsible for a deep half of the field, while five more defenders split the underneath parts of the field into fifths. The two outside cornerbacks are tasked with jamming the outside receivers, forcing them to take an inside release before peeling off to their flat zone responsibility. The nickel corner and linebackers drop to a depth of about 10 to 12 yards, with eyes on the quarterback as they prepare to drive down on any underneath route.

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It’s a sound coverage system, but it does have some weaknesses that offenses like to attack.

There are a few major weak spots in a basic Cover 2 scheme, highlighted in blue above. The glaring issue is the hole in the deep middle of the field. As the two safeties drop back and gain depth and width, they vacate the middle of the field. A simple post route can attack that hole with ease and create big plays. But the safeties can’t afford to cheat inside to cover that hole, because the other weak point is on the outside, in the gap between the cornerbacks and the safeties.

To counter the weakness, most teams will run Tampa 2, a variation of Cover 2.

Tampa 2 only has one significant change from Cover 2. The middle linebacker will drop much deeper, filling the hole between the two deep safeties and allowing them to gain more width with the comfort of knowing they have protection inside. That allows the scheme to cover up the main weaknesses of Cover 2 in a relatively safe manner.

Finding a linebacker with the athleticism to turn and run with an athletic tight end or even a wide receiver up the seam can be difficult. However, the linebacker does have the advantage of starting from depth while knowing that the safeties should technically still be over the top.

One downside of Cover 2 and Tampa 2 is that they require two deep safeties, leaving the defense light in the box against the run. However, there are ways around that, with some teams getting creative in how they get to their Cover 2 or Tampa 2 coverages.

This coverage is often known as 2 Sky or 2 Cloud. The zones involved in the coverage are the same, but it’s who plays which zone changes the dynamic of the scheme. The free safety aligns in the middle of the field but nails out to his deep half post-snap. With just one deep safety required, the strong safety can be walked up in the box and help give the defense favorable numbers to defend the run. Instead of then asking the strong safety to turn and run all the way back to cover the deep half, he works to the flat, replacing the cornerback on the outside, who sinks back to play the deep half.

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Along with giving the defense extra run support, it gives the quarterback something extra to read and diagnose. It’s a simple coverage at its heart, but some different moving parts might catch a quarterback by surprise if he’s not ready. There are some defensive coordinators in the NFL who like to try to surprise the quarterback even more, with another variation.

Here we have 2 Invert. Like 2 Sky, this variation of Cover 2/Tampa 2 shows the offense a single deep safety pre-snap. The defense benefits again from having the strong safety in the box to help against the run but also gets to disguise the basic coverage even more. Instead of the free safety playing a deep half, he sits in as the Tampa 2 hole player, replacing the middle linebacker. The two outside corners are tasked with sinking back and playing the deep half of their sides of the field. The strong safety and nickel corner then work wide to cover the flat while the linebackers split and cover the hook-curl zones.

It’s a coverage with many moving parts, and if a corner isn’t quick enough to get back over the top, it can cause huge issues. However, it gives the quarterback a lot to process as it initially looks a lot like Cover 3, but is actually Tampa 2.

Cover 2 and Tampa 2 have been around the NFL for decades and are extremely common. Every defense will have those schemes in their playbooks. It could well be the coverage that Washington decides to lean on most. However, the issue with having to play with two deep safeties leaves the defense light in the box count shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s why the NFL, in general, relies more on Cover 3 now, especially after the Seattle Seahawks had huge success with it and made it increasingly popular.

(Top photo of Troy Apke: Scott Boehm / Associated Press)

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