Coverage reads

Question
As a wide receiver how would I make coverage reads?

Answer
James -

Thank you for writing!  A great question my friend.  A smart question also.  One of the biggest mistakes wide receivers make is not learning to read defenses.  A lot of them are very athletic individuals, but have the tendency to rely soley on their talent, and not as much on their brains. SO obviously, you are off to a good start here.  Lets get to it!  Ready?

OK, let's get specific for a minute, and then we will go over a few general guidelines you can apply week to week.  First off, as a receiver, you need to get very skilled at breaking down game films.  This makes a good wide out great, or, if reversed, a talented receiver average! Almost every corner at any level will give away their coverages long before the ball is ever snapped.  So at the beginning of each week, sit down with with a pen and piece of paper, and start watching the opposition for that week.  You will easily be able to pick up keys to what coverage they are in.  Some teams run all man on man, some all zone, some combinations.  Which does your opponent prefer?  DO they have tendencies depending on the down and distance? If it is 3rd and over 5 yards, do they ALWAYS play zone? Man? You will be very suprised what you will learn by just paying attention to that small issue.

But, as I am sure you know, some teams do not have obvious tendencies, so here are some tips on what to look for before the snap.

1- Who is covering you?  If it is a corner or safety, you will probably have to look closer.  If it is a linebacker, there is a good chance it will be some type of zone.

2- What is the cover man looking at?  IF you look across the LOS, and he is 100% focused on you, that is a good key he is manning up with you.  IF he is constantly looking in to the QB, attempting to read the QBs eyes, he is probably in some type of zone.

3- What is the general look of the defense?  IF the corner is out on an island with you, and you can't find anyone else who could assist him if they dropped into a zone defense, it is man coverage.  If the corner is 10 plus yards off of you, and a LB is sitting in the flats waiting, you probably have zone coverage.  

4- How is the cover man lined up on you?  If he is right on top of you, with no one who could possibly be covering his deep third or half, it is man.  

5- What happens when you go into motion?  Does that cover man follow you all the way, no matter where you go?  If so, you are most likely in a man on man coverage.  IF he stops, or backs off, and you notice a shift in defense as you move, it is probably some type of zone.

A few more things to think about before you hit game time.  Make sure that you and your QB are looking at the same keys.  It won't matter what you read, correct or not, if your QB doesnt see the same thing.  So get together every week, even if it is for only a few minutes, and go over the base reads for that particular team.  When I played QB, my receivers and I had subtle hand signals, which helped immensly. For example, if the receiver saw a zone, he would keep his hands open.  If he saw zone, he would make a fist.  Easy, but effective! Also, a big mistake WRs make is thinking that zone coverage means that the defender will just play an area of the field.  This is rarely true!  The defender is RESPONSIBLE for an area.  But once you enter that area, he will play you like man coverage!  So making the correct read is important, but understand that once you make the read, and run the correct route, you will probably have to use your man coverage skills to get open!

Best of luck in making these reads and getting that ball in your hands!  I have no doubt that you will get it done starting this week.  Remember, GAME FILMS, NOTES, COMMUNICATION WITH QB, and KNOW THE PROPER ROUTES FOR EACH DEFENSE!  IF you follow those simple guidelines, you will win most of your battles weekly!

Thank you for writing, James.  I enjoyed hearing from you, and hope you write back to let me know how these tips worked for you.  Also, please take a moment to rate and respond to my answer.  It helps me know if I am getting MY part of this bargain done properly!

Get back to me on how it goes for you!

Coach Perl