Cover4

Cover 4 is a defensive scheme with 4 defenders and two safeties.

Each defender protects the personal quarter of the field deep zone. Cover 4 involves three cornerbacks aligned seven or eight yards and two safeties with position about 12 yards of the ball.

The cornerbacks are effective in help with short passes inside the field. There are a lot of concepts where four deep men block vertical passes but it may be ineffective in case of counter runs and short passes.

It’s also challenging for safeties who have a variety of responsibilities. They must take control of vertical routes for slot receivers and run support in coordination with cornerbacks.

The opposing quarterback gets a real headache in long passes when meets Cover 4 defense style. The run support by safeties similar to cornerbacks as in Cover 2 is also a great advantage. Nine players in a box can stop competitors’ runs thanking to the extra defender on either field side. But a great amount of open space without coverage at the same time is its weakness. The quarterback gets options on short and medium passes or isolate the defensive backs while they help in deep zones.