Playbook: Smash

"Smash" is a very common two man route combination consisting of a short inward breaking route (or hitch) by #1 and a corner route (aka "flag", "7") by #2:

Ray Rice (#1; yellow) runs a shallow "in" route while slot receiver Marlon Brown (#2; red) runs a corner route

The "Smash" combination provides a "rub" element for the #1 receiver underneath while working to "Hi-Low" a "cloud" corner in Cover-2:

Against Cover-2, the corner playing the Smash combo is in a bind.  The #1 receiver is running through this corner's short zone but jumping the "in" route leaves the deep half safety chasing the corner route (red) from his inside landmark.  Coaches and quarterbacks refer to this bind as "High-Lowing" a corner.  Its the reasoning why Smash is still a standard Cover-2 beater at all levels.

To effectively play this combination as a corner, he must recognize that #1 is breaking shallow, pass him off to the hook/curl player (N/Nickel in the above image), and sink to "cushion" the corner route to give the quarterback a smaller window.

A variant on this playcall is the "smash switch" or "China" which refers to the outside receiver running the corner route and the inside player sitting in the flat.

Outside References

1) The Divide Route in the Multiple Smash Concept

2) The Universal Route that is Good versus any Coverage

3) Peyton Manning (and Tom Moore)'s Indianapolis Colts Offense: How a Handful of Plays led to a Decade of Success

4) Football Passing Play Series: The Smash Route or Smash Concept

5) The "smash" route against man coverage

6) The Smash Concept

7) Huff Analysis with All-22 film

8) Smash Passing Concept

Playbook: Cover-6

Cover-6 is a relatively common term for a "Quarter-Quarter-Half" zone defense.  This playcall combines Cover-2 to one side and Cover-4 to the other, forming an asymmetric look for the opposing quarterback:

 

On the weak side of the formation (bottom of the image), the corner is playing man coverage if #1 attacks vertically (>8 yards).  If #1 breaks in or out prior to 8 yards, the corner will sink to his deep quarter of the field and prepare for any deep out-breaking routes from #2.  The weak-side safety plays with standard Cover-4 rules where he plays man coverage on #2 vertical or doubles #1 if #2 breaks short.

On the strong side of the field (top of the image), the defense is playing with standard Cover-2 zone rules.  The safety is responsible for a deep half of the field and the corner is playing his flat responsibility.  A corner at this depth is referred to as a "cloud" corner and is often used to high/low bracket a threatening receiver (e.g. Calvin Johnson, above).  This corner is taught to funnel the receiver to the inside at the snap to minimize the void between himself at the half-field safety.  He will then turn his eyes to the quarterback and jump any short/flat routes.

The strong-side linebacker plays his hook/curl zone while the weak-side linebacker and slot defender play hook/curl and flat zones, respectively.

Cover-6 is an easily disguised coverage as it can be veiled as a number of coverages prior to the snap.  The 2013 Baltimore Ravens were particularly fond of this playcall and periodically played Cover-4 on one side and 2-Man on the opposite.

Outside References

1) The One Eyed Monster, Volume III: Beating the Ravens Cover-6 defense

2) Coach's Corner: Split Coverages in Football
3) Football's One-Gap 3-4 Defense
4) Understanding coverages and attacking them with the pass game
5) cover 6 
6) Loaded Zone

Playbook: Cover-4

Cover-4 (or "Quarters") is a four-deep, three-under zone defense but plays out with man principles.  Although there are four deep players, they do not need to cover a great deal of ground and can therefore play closer to the line of scrimmage.  Closer safeties means Cover-4 is a sufficient run defense.

The cornerbacks generally line up >7 yards off the widest (#1) receivers and play man coverage if they attack vertically further than 8 yards.  If #1 releases underneath or runs a quick out-breaking route, the corner must gain depth and play a deep 1/4 zone.

The safeties in Cover-4 read the #2 receiver (can be a slot receiver, TE, or RB).  If #2 releases vertically, the safety is in man coverage.  If #2 breaks his route prior to 8 yards, the safety doubles #1 from the inside.  Safeties in Cover-4 often have run-game responsibilities as well, either "force" (i.e. set the edge) or cutback.

The underneath players in Cover-4 have a great deal of ground to cover.  The two outside defenders defend any route into the flats while the middle player plays the middle hook and "walls off" any route underneath.  The flats are a weakness of Cover-4 because slower players have a lot of ground to cover.

Outside References

1) Inside the Playbook: Michigan State's Cover-4 Defense
2) NFL 101: Introducing the Basics of Cover 
3) Read Call - Backside Safety Support 
4) How Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed Changed NFL Defenses 
5) Get Back to Fundamentals: Coverages
6) Breaking down the top Cover 4 beater
7) Playbook: Broncos' Cover 4 beater vs. the Saints
8) Film Room: AFC Divisional Round
9) The Quarters Coverage Study
10) Quarters Coverage
11) Press Quarters Coverage
12) 3 Insights to Improve Quarters Coverage
13) Quarters Coverage Alignments
14) Stanford Quarters Coverage vs. Oregon
15) Inside the Playbook: Cover 4 Safety Play
16) Quarters Coverage from Football-Defense.com 
17) Quarters Coverage versus Pro Set, Twins, and Trips 
18) Quarters Box Concept Versus Bunch Formations

Playbook: Cover 3

Cover 3 is one of the most ubiquitous and basic defenses in football, and it's popular from high school through the NFL. Matt Bowen calls it a "first-day install defense" for nearly any team.

At its most basic, Cover 3 has three deep zones and four underneath zones. The three deep zones are occupied by the free safety (who occupies the middle third) and the two outside corners (who drop into their respective thirds).

Underneath, the strong safety ($) and the open-side linebacker (W) will occupy the two curl/flat zones while the remaining linebackers sink into the two hook zones in the middle.  Dropping the extra safety close to the line of scrimmage gives the defense an 8-man box allowing Cover 3 to be a base run defense.  The basic Cover 3 looks something like this:

The free safety takes a deep drop and looks to break on the post or dig route or help over the top of an outside 9 route.

The corners, meanwhile, typically use one of two alignments: a soft cushion at the snap (shown above), or a "press-bail" technique, where they line up as if they're going to press the receiver but then "bail" at the snap to create a cushion. Either way, the corners are tasked with covering the receivers vertically and funneling deep, inside-breaking routes to the free safety.

The curl/flat defenders (as shown above, the WILL and the strong safety) drop to the numbers and disrupt the curl route or break on the flat route.

Finally, the middle hook defenders drop to just outside the hash marks. They're tasked with protecting the seam and breaking on underneath crossing routes.

You'll notice that the above image is labeled Cover 3-Sky. The "S" in Sky identifies the force/contain player (the strong safety), just as the "B" in Cover 3-Buzz ('backer) and the "C" in Cover 3-Cloud (cornerback).

Cover 3-Buzz

Below, you can see Pittsburgh's defense in Cover 3-Buzz. Here, the force player is a linebacker rather than the strong safety. The strong safety (Polamalu) is dropping into a hook, and both outside linebackers are responsible for the curl/flat zones (at the top and bottom of the image).

Cover 3-Cloud

In this variation, the cornerback is the force/contain player. In the image below, the Ravens are showing 3-Cloud, and the strong safety is taking one of the deep third zones (bottom of the image). Below him, the corner stays in the curl/flat. One final difference: The hook defenders now must also help with curl responsibility if there's a receiving threat present.

Outside References

1) NFL 101: Introducing the Basics of Cover 3
2) Stopping the run with a Cover-3 base defense
3) How Earl Thomas and the Seahawks' defense use the Cover 3
4) The Second Level: What You Need to Know Heading into Super Bowl XLVIII
5) Defensive Back Techniques: Cover 3 Pattern Read Examples
6) Film Study: Kaepernick vs. The Patriots
7) How do you beat Cover 3?
8) The Tape Never Lies: Breaking down the Cover 3
9) Cover 3 Alabama 2008 Cutups
10) Monte Kiffin: 3 Deep Coverage
11) Film room takeaways from the 2013-2014 season

Playbook: Half Slide Protection

A common protection call which combines "area" (slide, zone) and "man" (BOB) schemes.  As the name suggests, half slide protection asks one side of the offensive line (usually 3, sometimes 4, lineman) to block one adjacent gap in unison as in Full Slide protection.  The other side of the line (usually including the running back) blocks players rather than zones, as in BOB protection.

The above play shows the left tackle, left guard, and center all sliding to block their outside gaps.  Since they are blocking "areas", they can protect against stunts/twists more efficiently and can give help to a lineman with a bad match-up.  The other side of the line (right guard, right tackle, running back) are all blocking specific defenders.  Running back Ray Rice is responsible for one of two linebackers if one of them should blitz.  If both blitz to the man side, Flacco will need to get the ball out to a "hot" receiver (likely over the middle, in the space vacated by the rushing 'backer).  

Half slide protection is popular because a linebacker is less likely to blitz than a down lineman, giving the running back a greater chance to release into a pattern.  Half slide also allows the running back to follow a play-action path without losing sight of his blocking assignment(s).  

Outside References

1) Protect Your Quarterback vs. Even Fronts with Half Slide Pass Pro

2) Air Raid Playbook: Pass Protection Schemes

3) What are the basic principles of dropback pass protection?

4) Pass Protection for Beginners

5) Pass Protection 101

6) Inside the Playbook - Pass Protection Schemes

7) X's and O's: Pass Protection

8) 5-step passing game protection: Sliding to protect

9) A bit on our Combo man/slide protection
10) Universal Pass Protection Schemes that Sustain Multiple Movements and Pressures
11) Twists and slants: How to generate pressure with only 4 rushers
12) Football Fundamentals: Pass Protection Schemes