Base Calls to Defend 3x1

I was blessed to have some great mentor coaches that taught me early on in my career that you can't stop everything. Play callers must not only understand what the offense is trying to do with their formation sets but also the strength and weaknesses of their defensive play calls. It's our job to have play calls that attack where and what the offense is trying to do out of each specific set. I believe that, to be successful, you have to have several answers for each offensive set built into your base defensive calls. Creating too many specific calls each week is a quick way to get beat.

In this post I am going to show you the three base coverage's we work against 3x1 sets. We will also examine the strengths and weaknesses of each call and how we can use that knowledge to switch up the looks we give the offense. Think of them as "companion calls". Again, we can't stop everything so we need to have an idea, through film work, how the offense will likely attack us.

If we break the offense down to it's simplest form as far as how they can attack defenses it comes out to six things. This over simplification of offense is where I came up with the idea of defending "the six". It of course has a double meaning in that we are trying to keep six off the board. So what are the six? Offenses can attack you via perimeter run game, inside run game, quick game, intermediate passes, deep shots, and read option plays. They can use these to attack you from the weak or strong side of their formation. We can't stop all six options with one coverage, however we can have answers for all six built in all our base calls.

Before we start it is important to understand that we are a 4-3 two high Cover 2 team. We do have the ability to be multiple up front and get into our odd package calls but here we will maintain a four down front. The key to any good coverage a 4 down team runs is understanding where and who is the conflict player. We can decide where our conflict player is based on where we set the 3 tech, as the LB responsible for the B gap to the opposite side, or shade side, is the conflict player. There are many valid points to playing your 3 tech to the back, away from the back, the boundary, or the field. That is a topic to be addressed in later posts, so to keep this post somewhat short we will set our 3 tech to the boundary or single WR side for consistency sake. Without discussing stunts this leaves the MIKE LB as our conflict player to the trips side in these three coverage's.

SOLO Coverage:

The first 3x1 coverage we run allows us to continue to play our Cover 2 principles to trips with a simple check on the backside. Our weak SAFETY will make an "X" check which tells the backside CB to move to an inside shade and play man vs his #1 receiver. This also notifies the WILL that he must relate to any #2 weak. If #2 releases flat on a swing route the WILL must work laterally through the slant window of #1 and only gain ground when the QB's hand comes off the ball. If #2 runs a quick out WILL jams #2 and runs with him flat, he will stay with #2 if he continues on a wheel route. If #2 goes vertical down the seam then WILL jams and will carry #2 vertical. If #2 stays in the core to block he may drop to his zone responsibility which in this case would be hook to curl, which is his normal Cover 2 responsibility.

With the CB and WILL maned up this allows the weak SAFETY to work laterally and play the vert of #3 in a "poach" technique. If #3 goes away he will work #2 to #1. It's important that the weak SAFETY not immediately work laterally as he may need to fill the alley on any run to the weak side. We teach him to not go until he knows, his first step must be correct!

On the trips side MIKE will play the underneath of #3 on any route except out. Understand that with the MIKE being in conflict, getting a good jam on #3 will likely be difficult as he must honor all true ball fakes. We coach him, and all LB's, to read "ball in belly" so if he does not get a ball in the belly of the RB he does not have to honor the run. It's also important to teach your underneath zone players to read the drop of the QB; if he drops then I drop, if he doesn't drop then I don't drop. With bracket coverage on #3 we are able to play palms vs #1 and #2.

SAM will apex #2 and #3 with eyes towards the mesh, as he is responsible to trigger and fit off the end man on the LOS on all runs. If he is reads pass then he will sink and jam #2 to the outside. SAM, except on any cruise route (quick shallow route), must try and not let #2 cross his face. If #2 goes out then he must sink to his zone drop and read QB's shoulder. It's important for him to understand if #2 goes away then something is likely coming back.

CB plays outside leverage of vs #1 and will shuffle out two steps on the snap reading the #2 WR. He must then jam and funnel #1 back inside. If he gets a hard outside release by #1 then he must shuffle laterally to get the jam, then open up to the inside on his turn in order to find #2 again. He will continue to sink with #1 by squeezing him to the sidelines. CB stays with #1 unless he gets an out from #2 under the "vertical line".

Strong side SAFETY will play inside leverage on #3 unless he is inside the hash in which case he would play on the hash. His first move out will be an angled back-peddle to try and get over #2. He will take #2 vertical unless #2 goes away quick underneath the vertical line, in that case he would now pick up #1.

It's important when playing palms that your athletes understand where that vertical line exists. Some coaches play it hard at 5 yards, some will have the CB make an "IN" call. To avoid miscommunication I coach my athletes that the vertical line exists at LB depth. This prevents them trying to establish where 5 yards from the LOS is and it takes away the chance that your CB isn't loud enough or that the SAFETY doesn't hear the call.

Solo is a standard coverage that most two high team will run vs 3x1. Obviously, the backside match-up is the first thing that needs to be considered before running this coverage. We must also establish which side the offense is looking to attack; do they want you to overload the strong side and play the one-on-one to the backside or are they trying to space you out in hopes of getting a light box? Understand that this game plan will likely change as the chess match continues throughout the game.

The strengths of this coverage are that we are good vs strong side perimeter runs and strong side intermediate to deep passes, especially 4 verts. This is a great coverage to run if you are facing a team that will motion to empty. WILL takes #2 weak man-to-man, which often times the offense will motion their RB out to the single side. The coverage remains intact to the trips side.

We will likely see bubble from #3 with the leverage we are playing vs #1 and #2. I'm okay giving up a throw as long as it is the shortest and widest. If this becomes an issue that the offense is willing to throw continually then we will run some checks to take that away, but we don't feel like giving up a bubble is a good enough reason to get out of a coverage right away.

The weakness of this coverage is to the weak side, both inside and perimeter run and pass. CB will have "man eyes" on #1 and will likely be late to any run weak, and if the SAFETY is too quick to melt towards #3 that leaves the WILL to try and force any perimeter run back inside. Counter can be difficult to handle if your primarily a spill team and haven't taught your backers to box any extra pullers.

Spacing concepts, like vert by #1 and outs by #2 and #3, can be difficult in this coverage. With the MIKE in conflict we may also see some type of RPO to the strong side. One way we can combat this is to have SAM stem to #3 before the snap and jam which would allow the MIKE to play the box. This may also help the weak SAFETY on any vert out of #3.

So within our base 3x1 calls we need a coverage that we can pair with solo that will allow us to now be solid on the weak side, especially facing a team that is trying to overload us to the trips side and attack the space to the boundary or single side.

SPECIAL Coverage:

Our companion call to Solo is Special. This allows us to now be solid vs weak inside and perimeter and runs as well as passes by moving the solo match-up from the single side to the trips side.

Special is a coverage that plays on the law of averages. I encourage you to go back to your previous year's data and pull out all 3x1 sets you faced. Now look at how many times those offenses threw to the #1 WR on the trips side on an intermediate or deep route. In 2019 we faced 3x1 sets 94 times, and we only saw one snap where the #1 WR was thrown to on a route greater than 10 yards. That one time was a deep comeback thrown from the opposite hash, a throw that was made by a D-1 caliber kid. Our data set may be an extreme example but I would bet that your percentage won't be too far from that!

Instead of playing man to the boundary or single WR, a deep throw you will see more often, we will play man to the #1 WR on the trips side. This now allows us to play palms vs #2 and #3 and keep that weak SAFETY available to play choice coverage on the weak side. Playing sky to the single side and allowing the Will to be more of a box player ensures that we are strong vs weak side run and pass. We are also in a better position to play the bubble from #3 due to our leverage on #2, the Sam/Ni can now force the bubble back inside to help.

CB to the trips side will play inside leverage and MOD on #1. MOD stands for "Man on Deep" which means its man on any route that is not quick inside. If the WR runs quick inside then the coverage turns into quarters. SAM/NI plays outside leverage on #2 and is essentially the new corner. He will play palms reading through #3 unless #1 comes underneath, which tells him its now quarters coverage and he becomes the curl/flat player.

The weakness of this coverage is now strong side perimeter run, like speed option, and some strong side passing concepts like spacing, where #3 is out quick. 4 verts can also be an issue with with either the Sam/Ni carrying #2 or the Cover Safety having to mid point #2 and #3.

So we have our two companion coverage's that can be used to stop both strong and weak side passes and perimeter run game. We must also be able add players to the box to help with interior run game, especially facing teams that have that have a dual threat QB. That is where our third and final base call comes into play.

ROLL Coverage:

Though we are a 4-3 team, the way we align to 3x1 gives us that 4-2-5 split look, which can make it difficult to get that extra hat to the box quickly. Playing a traditional roll or Cover 3 allows us to fit a safety into the box in several different ways. In Special we are essentially rolling weak by playing sky to the single side but I believe you must also have a base call to roll to the strength, especially playing teams that use 3x1 as a means to clear the box and attack the strong side A/B gaps.

Roll gives us the advantage of changing the look of who and where we are adding to the box. We can stem the Sam/Ni to #3 and roll down the safety to #2 and fit the box in the traditional 4-3 way or we can play robber and roll the safety to #3 and fit him into the box. Same can be done in Special to the weak side.

These three coverage's give you options within your base calls of how you can attack specific side of 3x1 sets. Changing the weaknesses of your coverage is no different than changing a vacated zone within your zone blitz packages. The most important part, and often times most overlooked part, of your base calls are how much time will it take to teach them. Less teaching equals more reps which equals athletes playing confident and faster. Companion calls within your base concepts are a great way to attack offensive sets each week with minimal teaching time. Keeping the "new" to a minimal in the back-end, which gives defensive staffs more time to focus on stunts and blitzes which in turn will help your coverage's!