Posted by coleslaw8 on 12/29/2020 12:20:00 PM (view original):
So if a defence is in "cover long" all players running short should be wide open?
Also, does that mean the depth of the defences cover just describes where that defence begins? So "cover short" is basically just bump and run - but it doesn't mean that defence will be any more vulnerable against deep plays unless the WR is much faster than the DB?
Not at all, just because a defense is in cover long will not have all short routes wide open. Cover long just means the defensive secondary is moved back more off the line as opposed to being up on the line. You may see more "wide open" comments against short or even possibly medium if there is a stud WR that can use ELU, TEC, or SPD to get by the defender quickly but we have no way of knowing that is the cause. So yes, short, medium and long is where the defense is aligned at the start of the play. Obviously if you are set to Long, you decrease your %chance of getting burned on a long pass but does not guarantee against it. You will usually see the "wide open" comment because of someone pulling LB's up on the line instead of having them in coverage.