Football Glossary

The reverse play is one of the most exciting high-risk, high-reward plays in football. Do it right, and the fans will cheer for a big play.  Do it wrong, and the offense is in danger of losing a ton of yards and killing their momentum. But how does the reverse work, why is it so effective, and how many different versions are there? Keep reading to learn more. What is the reverse play? The reverse is a play designed to deceive the defense by running the ball in one direction before giving it to another player running in the opposite direction. For...

Athletic, physical defenses looking to create tight-window throws for opposing quarterbacks use a heavy dosage of cover 1.  As defensive backs are left on an island on the perimeter, defenses can manipulate their scheme to take away the run, blitz the quarterback, and ultimately dare offenses to throw the football vertically.  Nevertheless, scheming against cover 1 is not overly complicated, as strong-armed quarterbacks and elite wide receivers can spring plays loose to make defenses pay throughout the course of a game. Look further below to see how offenses successfully attack cover 1.  How does Cover 1 Work? Cover 1 is a...

The 4-2-5 gets its roots from the 4-3 defense, with a hat tip to the 3-3-5 defense. The two merged and made the 4-2-5 defense. The 5 defensive backs are derived from the 3-3-5 defense, and the 6 man box gets its roots from the 4-3 defense. The 4-2-5 depends on pressure and athletic players all over the field to be successful.  Keep reading to learn more about one of the most popular defenses in football today, and what makes it work. What is the 4-2-5 Defense? The 4-2-5 defense is a defense with 4 down linemen, 2 linebackers, and...

Defenses with an aggressive mindset almost always employ cover 0, and it’s a sure-fire way to create havoc and get offenses out of their comfort zone.  Offensive coordinators place a high priority on staying out of 3rd and long situations, and whether they’ll tell you straight-up or not, avoiding cover 0 defensive looks is a huge reason for this. However, the advantages of the coverage also can work against the defense. Coordinators don’t have to scheme up any world-changing schemes, and if protection holds up, a disciplined QB has the chance to turn the tables against the defense in a hurry....

The 3-3-5 defense is a high risk, high reward defense. It is a defense that is derived from pressure and athletic defenders. Many defensive coordinators use it as a sub package, but there are some that will use it as a base defense. 3 defensive linemen, 3 linebackers and 5 defensive backs allow for heavy pressure, and mixed coverages.  What is the 3-3-5 Defense? The 3-3-5 defense uses 3 defensive linemen, 3 inside linebackers and 5 defensive backs. The 3-3-5 is sometimes referred to as a 3-5-3 defense or a 3-3 stack as well. The defense has 3 defensive linemen as...