Tips on pass coverage

Question
Hey coach, can you give me any tips on pass coverage? I play outside lb in a 3-3-5 defensive scheme, and this saturday ill be going in a 7on7 passing league against 20 other teams in or near our schools region. Any tips on getting interceptions?

Oh yeah, I usually have the hook to curl zone on most plays, so when I'm playing that should I stick close to a guy in my zone or should I give cushion to trick the quarterback into thinking he's open?

Answer
Dear John:
Always trick the quarterback into thinking the receiver is open. The biggest tip I can give you comes from the receiver himself. Watch the receiver carefully. A lot of the receivers make the same mistakes. When a receiver is running an inside pattern he will release inside shoulder of the corner back. When a receiver is running an outside pattern he will release outside shoulder of the corner back.

Here is where knowing your opponents play book comes in handy. Let us say that it is third and 10. And let us say that the receiver takes an outside release. You know that your opponent has three pass patterns they like to run to the outside. They like to run a 3-yard hitch, a 5-yard out, and 12-yard flag pattern. Can you guess which pattern they are going to run? The hitch and the short out pattern will not give them a first down but the 12-yard out pattern will.

Now that you know all this you can play the percentage game. The odds are now in your favor to make the big play. Here is where the pattern reading comes in.

Pattern reading is nothing more than a combination of landmark dropping and reading the receivers routes. In fact, defensive backs must know their landmark drops before they can move up to the pattern reading level.

A pattern reading is a simple read of the second receiver from the sidelines. For example, many teams, on the high school level, usually have their tight end run a short pattern while the slot-back will run a deeper route. By reading the tight end's pattern, you will have a good idea of what the slot-back is going to do. The same goes for the two receiver set. One receiver will usually run a short pattern while the other will go deep. If you know what combination patterns the two receivers run, by doing your homework, you will be waiting for the ball when it is thrown. If I were you I would also work on my coordination, reaction time, and being fresh in the fourth quarter.

By the time you start football camp, you will be in the best shape of your life. TAKE IT SLOW. Do not push too hard and make sure that you get checked by a Doctor first.

The information I gave you is gold and I hope you guard it well. I presume this answers your question. If not please let me know and I will do my best to help you.

Your friend, Coach Louis