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Open Lab

Cover 5

2-Man Under / Trail-Man

2 Deep, 5 Man Under
Open interactiveTest in Matchup Lab
DEF Cover 5 Man
Cover 5: 2 Deep, 5 Man UnderDEEP ½: Free Safety. Deep Half (Left).DEEP ½DEEP ½: Strong Safety. Deep Half (Right).DEEP ½LOSCOVER 52 DEEP, 5 MAN UNDERCBCBFSSSWMSETTE
  • Deep
  • Man
  • Rush
FIG. 1Cover 5: 2 Deep, 5 Man Under. Each defender is drawn in the color of his job; the numbers match the responsibilities list.

Cover 5 pairs two deep safeties splitting the field in half with five underneath defenders playing man-to-man using trail-man technique, inside leverage, trailing the receiver's inside hip. The safeties provide a dual safety net over the top, allowing the underneath defenders to play aggressively without fear of giving up the deep ball. In Saban's system, the five underneath use 'Dog' technique: trail aggressively with safety help, walling off inside releases and funneling receivers toward the deep halves.

Responsibilities

7 IN COVERAGE

Numbers match the keys on the field. Tap a defender to see his rules.

  • Front · 4-man rush2 ends and 2 tackles rush the passer

Weak spots

5
  • Deep middle seam between safetiesHigh
  • Mobile QBs with defenders' backs turnedHigh
  • Pick/rub concepts vs man coverageHigh
  • LB-WR mismatches on #2/#3 receiversMedium
  • Bunch formations creating trafficMedium

Best attacks

Post routes splitting the safeties, mesh/rub concepts to free receivers from trail-man, bunch formations to create confusion at the release point, and QB scrambles with defenders' backs turned.

What beats Cover 5

0 CONCEPTS

No concept in the library rates better than a toss-up against Cover 5.

Open the win matrix