Interesting Read on the Cover 3

[ceviker]

Wow what a great analysis!

[HailSkins81]

I love how the D looked in Preseason. The cushion on both sides bugs me a bit, though. Barber ran all over the place, but this year it appears our LB's can make the tackles.

I hated seeing the 12 yard cushion on 3rd and 8. Seems like last year too many 3rd and longs were made, but this is a new year, and with new talent, and hopefully a little more press than cushion, our D will return to or exceed its old form.

[Jbg2788]

good read. we definitely have the players to make this work. Its really just gonna come down to whether or not we get pressure on the qb.

[DiscoBob]

If we can take away the run and force them to dink and dunk, I think we win handily. There are very few teams that can keep an offensive rhythm with 5-7 yard passes....

[mcarey032]

I hope you guys realize this is prevention from the run and gun. They'll do this on first downs and run plays to prevent YAC. Gregg williams said he's going to have the Cbs press more (man to man) and blitz' date=' this will cause turn-overs. The only team I've seen do this well is Tampa back in the day. The colts try to do it but they suck. Its difficult for players to cover so much because gregg has 4 defensive -line men on if it were a 3-4 system it would be ok but having with a 4-3 team can just dink and dunk the entire game.[/quote']

Good Point. Because we run a 4-3 we are going to be susceptible to the 8-10 yard hook routes. I think that the defense is the major worry though. I feel that the running game needs to get established early and often.

[chow184]

a deep in is a timing style route that can kill a zone style D like the cover 3

you NEVER want to stop your movement on the football field

as the WR is hooking over the LB theres a certain moment where the WR's speed has to have beaten the CB,and any WR should be faster than a LB. if the D closes the zone before a passing lane gets open the WR will likely get smashed by that CB and LB and possibly the FS/SS.

I really do enjoy running in routes with moss when the D is in a zone style D on madden..... if it's man-man it's a money route cause I send some other people deep and all the WR has to do is beat his guy running across the field. not very hard to do when your santana moss.

[bigroddy76]

i gotta admit we have some of the most knowleageable fans in the league! great post bro! keep em coming..... oh yeah "patented 100 yd cushion" priceless!

[Smoot Point Really]

I totally agree with your observations. I think people knock Carlos a little too much without a good understanding. He is NOT going to just line up as he pleases, and I'm sorry, claiming he has some "patented" pre-snap formation is silly. What? Does anyone of us actually believe our coaches just tell the guys what kind of D we'll be playing and they can then line up wherever they see fit?

Anyway, I believe that Carlos has a strength very few CBs with his speed do... and that is his toughness and tackling ability. Taking advantage of this would mean he'd have to sit back AND HOPE that an offense is stupid enough to try a quick screen pass to take advantage of the space offered. This way, he can punish the WR, maybe even causing a fumble in the process. At worse, it'll be a play for minimal yardage and a loss of downs which is a victory for us.

Now, you might say "what if the WR gets past him?"

I'd say "When's the last time that happened?"

Exactly.

While we may agree on a few things, I don't agree that Carlos isn't determining his own cushion pre-snap... Carlos isn't in High School... Carlos is smart enough to assess each situation and in accordance with the called coverage set himself up pre-snap. I think most players sometime after or during college are trusted enough to read the offense and position themselves pre-snap. Carlos' cushion is famous because it's a reality... Just read KC Joyner on this topic, if you need statistical evidence.