What is man-to-man defense in football? Man-to-man coverage is when a defensive back plays one-on-one coverage with a wide receiver. In a sport built completely on the premise of team play, there are instances...
In a sport built completely on the premise of team play, there are instances when a player's individual talents are on center stage. One group that is always on display is the defensive back.
"Man-to-man for a defensive back or corner back is basically one-on-one coverage," said Rose. "Particularly if he's matched up on an outside receiver and is in man-to-man. Wherever that guy goes the defensive back should go.
"If he goes across the field or runs an out route or a post corner you know he is going to match up on that man," Rose added. "But if a guy has free safety help you can play outside technique. But if that defensive back doesn't have any deep help, you pretty much want to be on inside technique."
The thing that makes football a mental battle is when the offense tries to force a defense into the situation that is most ideal for them. For instance, if an offense has a great wide receiver, normally, the defense is not going to leave him in man-to-man coverage. They will usually double the wide receiver with a safety back deep.
So what the offense will normally do is try to run the football. If the offense can run the ball with any success, this forces the defense to make a decision on whether or not to bring the safety off the double coverage of the wide receiver to help with the run. And if and when this happens, the offense will then take its shot down the football field.
However, this tactic can also work in a defenses favor as well. If a defense has a great man-to-man cover defensive back, most times, they will put him in man-to-man coverage to allow the extra safety to come down to help the run.
This also works if an offense has a great running back or a quarterback that is inexperienced. Instead of putting two men on the wide receiver, playing man-to-man coverage will allow the defense to put more pressure at the line of scrimmage.
Rose said that where the safeties play during a play will normally determine what kind of man-to-man coverage a defensive back should play.
"When both safeties are deep, we call that cover two," he said. "Cover one means there is one safety that has the entire deep area, but with two guys back, they usually play one half of the field and that's the side they are responsible for." Usually when defenses run cover two, there will be more wide receivers running underneath routes," he added. "Cover two helps you to keep all the wide receivers and the different routes they run in front of you. You'll have the outside flats covered, your two hooks and your hose. So what you want to do is redirect and cover down on the wide receivers so that they won't be able to get a free run at the safeties."
