Football Film Room
Coverages, blitzes and fronts, and the words coaches and broadcasters use for them.
Rookie
New to the game? Start here. Who's who, what they're trying to do, and the words you'll hear on a broadcast.
The basics
- Meet the defense: who's whoThe eleven players on defense, where they line up and what each group is there to do.→
- Man vs zoneThe two ways a defense covers receivers: guard a player, or guard an area.→
- What's a blitz?Sending extra players after the quarterback: what a blitz is, and the trade a defense makes when it calls one.→
- Words you'll hear on a broadcastThe box, the shell, press, rotation and the other defensive shorthand analysts use, explained.→
Next Level
You watch every week and want to see what the coaches see. Coverages, pressures and fronts, and how to spot them before the snap.
Reading the defense
- Single-high vs two-highComing soon
- Reading the boxComing soon
Coverages
- Cover 3Three deep defenders split the field into thirds, with four more underneath.→
- Cover 0Coming soon
- Cover 1 and the robberComing soon
- Cover 2 and Tampa 2Coming soon
- Cover 4 (quarters)Coming soon
- Cover 6Coming soon
Pressure
- Blitz basics: who's comingComing soon
- Rush lane integrityComing soon
- Zone blitz and fire zoneComing soon
- Simulated pressureComing soon
- QB spyComing soon
Fronts
- 4-3 vs 3-4Coming soon
- Nickel and dimeComing soon
- Gaps and techniquesComing soon