| 18 May 2010
Continuing with the inside the playbook series National Football Post writer Matt Bowen breaks down a basic Cover-3 zone. While the Bears are most associated with the Tampa-2 or Cover-2 defensive look they do play a lot of Cover-3 defenses. This defense is also where the Bears have had their most struggles because they don't have a strong safety that can cover the middle of the field.
As you can see by the diagram provided by Bowen the free safety shifts over to the middle of the field when the SS moves up into the box for the eight in the box run defense look. The CBs typically align seven yards off the ball in this defense which is something you see the Bears run a lot. One of the biggest complaints amongst Bears fans is how often the Bears' CBs line up seven yards off the ball, rather than head up on the receivers to try and jam and eliminate the slant. Most Bears fans' most critical statement is how easily the Bears are beaten by slant routes. This comes from the Cover-3 defense that you so often see from the Bears and it so often is the point of contention between Lovie Smith and the media.
The thing is the Bears don't run as much zone as they have in the past because they haven't been able to pressure the QB. They've been one of the most blitz happy teams in the NFL the last two years and what hurts the Bears the most is that the weakness of Lance Briggs and Nick Roach or Hunter Hillenmeyer is they are HORRIBLE blitzers.
No matter where you line up Briggs whether it's in the A-gap (another major point of anger amongst the Windy City faithful) or at any other position on the field his game is not to rush the QB.
This gets back to one of my personal issues with Briggs, he's fairly one dimensional as compared to other LBs in the NFL. But that is getting to deep into another subject, there will be plenty of time to cover that when Bowen gets into the the different blitzing schemes.
For now the Cover-3 a defense that you can most likely attack the best with the deep in (crossing type routes) just behind the LBs and just in front of the free safety and CBs who are in charge of covering the deep third of the field.
Matt Bowen breaks down the Cover-3 defense.
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