Cover 2 Zone (7v7 flag football defense)
Two safeties split the deep field in half, four defenders guard the short area in four lanes, and one rusher chases the quarterback. With four short defenders, quick passes and screens have almost nowhere to go. The trade is that each safety has a lot of grass to cover deep.
Each defender's job
- RURusher. Start at least 7 yards off the ball in the middle, go for the quarterback's flag, and pull the back's flag if R gets a handoff.
- LCGuards the left flat, the short area next to the left sideline. Jam any quick out or screen to X and stay underneath anything deep.
- LBGuards the left hook, 4 to 8 yards deep between the flat and the ball. Take away short in-routes and anything thrown to C drifting left.
- NBGuards the right hook, the same job as LB on the right side of the ball.
- RCGuards the right flat, the same job as LC next to the right sideline.
- LSLeft safety. Drop to about 12 yards and guard the deep left half. Nobody on the left side gets behind you.
- RSRight safety. Drop to about 12 yards and guard the deep right half. Nobody on the right side gets behind you.
When to use the Cover 2 Zone
Use it against offenses that live on short passes, when the other team's receivers are quick but not very fast, and on downs where the offense needs 5 or 6 yards. This version has one rusher starting 7 yards back. Many 7 on 7 leagues play with no rusher and a pass clock, so check your league's rules.
Strengths
- Four short defenders take away quick passes, screens and short crossers.
- Two deep defenders stop the simple deep ball down the sideline.
- The flat defenders sit right on the sideline throws that youth offenses love.
Weaknesses
- The deep middle, between the two safeties, is a seam for a fast receiver.
- The sideline hole behind the flat defender and in front of the safety, around 10 to 15 yards, is open against corner routes.
- Four vertical routes put two receivers on each safety.
How offenses beat it
These plays from our playbook attack the soft spots of the Cover 2 Zone. Run them against your own defense in practice so your players learn what it looks like.
Y's corner route breaks behind the left flat defender toward the sideline while X's post splits the two safeties. The left safety cannot take both.
Four receivers go deep against two safeties. Each safety has two routes to guard, and the inside verticals run right into the seam between them.
H's wheel goes up the right sideline past the flat defender, while Z's post pulls the right safety toward the middle. That leaves the sideline open behind the flat.
Coaching points
- Flat defenders: stay low and wide, and never let anyone get outside you on a short throw. Deep receivers belong to the safety.
- Safeties: start at about 10 yards and backpedal at the snap. Stay deeper than the deepest receiver on your half.
- Hook defenders sink toward 8 yards when no one threatens them short, which closes some of the seam.
- Everyone rallies to the ball after the catch, because the whole point of Cover 2 is to make every catch short.
Common mistakes
- Both safeties slide to the side of the field with more receivers and leave the other half empty.
- A flat defender chases a receiver deep and the flat is wide open behind them.
- The hook defenders stare at the quarterback and let a receiver slip right behind them in the seam.
Adjustments when the offense attacks it
- If the seam keeps getting hit, switch to Cover 3 so a free safety is sitting in the deep middle.
- If corner routes keep beating you, tell the flat defender on that side to sink a few steps under the corner route once no one comes to the flat.
- If the offense runs four verticals, have the hook defenders run with the inside receivers up the seams instead of sitting short.