Man vs zone
The two ways a defense covers receivers: guard a player, or guard an area.
On every passing play, the defense has to decide how it will cover the receivers. There are two basic answers, and nearly every coverage you'll hear about is built from one of them, or both.
In man coverage, each defender is assigned one offensive player and sticks with him wherever he goes. In zone coverage, each defender is assigned an area of the field and covers whoever comes into it.
The two diagrams below run the same play against each. Watch the slot receiver (H) run across the field, and see who goes with him.
Each defender lines up across from the player he's assigned to. The corners are right on the receivers' noses.
Read the play step by step
- Before the snap: Each defender lines up across from the player he's assigned to. The corners are right on the receivers' noses.
- The snap: The receivers release, and every defender turns and runs with his man. The free safety stays deep as the safety net.
- The play develops: The slot receiver (H) runs across the whole field, and the nickel back chases him the entire way. In man, you go wherever your man goes.
Defenders line up where they can get to their areas. The corners are well off the receivers, looking at the quarterback.
Read the play step by step
- Before the snap: Defenders line up where they can get to their areas. The corners are well off the receivers, looking at the quarterback.
- The snap: Each defender drops to his zone and reads the quarterback's eyes instead of watching one receiver.
- The play develops: The same crossing route. The nickel back lets H go when he leaves his zone, and the linebacker on the far side picks him up. That handoff is zone working as designed.
How to spot it
- Watch the cornerbacks before the snap. Right up on the receiver's nose (press) often means man. Seven or more yards off and looking at the quarterback often means zone.
- Watch a receiver who goes in motion before the snap. If a defender runs across the field with him, that's a strong sign of man. If the defenders just shift over a step, it's probably zone.
- After the snap, watch a crossing route. In man, one defender chases it all the way. In zone, it gets passed from defender to defender.
- Defenses try to disguise all of this, so none of these is a guarantee. They're the first clues, not the answer.
Strengths
- Man: tight coverage. A good cornerback can take a receiver out of the game.
- Man: it's simple. Every defender knows exactly who he's responsible for.
- Zone: everyone is watching the quarterback, so defenders break on the throw and make interceptions.
- Zone: one great receiver is harder to feature, because help is never far away.
Weaknesses
- Man: if a receiver beats his man, there may be no one nearby to help.
- Man: defenders have their backs to the quarterback, so a quarterback who scrambles can run for big gains.
- Zone: there are soft spots between the zones, and good quarterbacks throw into them.
- Zone: an offense can send two receivers into one defender's zone, and he can only cover one of them.
Key terms
Quick quiz
1 / 3A cornerback follows one receiver everywhere he runs, even all the way across the field. What is the defense playing?