Coach ,

Is your 3 deep zone always in the best rotation? Or does the offense see your static cover 3 and target it?

This is something that Chris Lachney, defensive coordinator at Southeast Louisiana feels is important to putting your defenders in an optimal situation.

Sitting in a single version of Cover 3 against every formation or personnel group makes your defenders sitting ducks that the defense can now pick on.

Coach Lachney likes using 3 Deep Zone because of its ability to get 8 players into the run fit quickly. He certainly understands the weaknesses and how the coverage will be attacked, but they’ve added a concept they refer to as “Zone Alert” to get them into the best rotation against the formations and/or the personnel they are facing.

For Lachney it starts with well defined pieces of the puzzle. The SCIF player has an important job. Lachney explained exactly why they added verbs for better learning if the SCIF assignment. Instead of teaching just “Seam-Curl-Flat,” Lachney’s players are taught and understand it this way:

1. Protect the Seam
2. Cover the Curl
3. Tackle the Flat

Lachney gives the details of how they coach the SCIF in this video:

Why be Multiple?

For Lachney it goes back to putting his personnel in the best position for their skill sets. Having multiple options for rotation for the different formations and personnel groups allows them to do that.

Lachney explains:

Lachney covers their rotations for the following situations with instructionals and game film:

• 2x2 Formations
• 3x1 Formations
• Y-off Formations
• Formation into Boundary

Here is an example with Mike in the 4-man rush:

Having these in their toolbox for their Cover 3 allows them to keep their players in the best position possible to take away what the offense will try to do.

Instead of letting the defense target your static 3 deep coverage, make it more dynamic with the Zone Alert Concept.

Coach Lachney’s explains it all in his clinic, “The Zone Alert Concept for a More Dynamic Formation Match 3 Deep Zone.”

Always be growing!

Coach Grabowski

PS Missed our recent emails in this series? There were some good ones:

Day 12 - Get a ➕1 Advantage within what you Already Do | Free Clinic Friday 

Day 13 - Learn How to Improve Your Offense with USC’s “Harrell Effect”

Day 14 - Bob Wylie - Magician, Drummer, Pilot, Reality TV Star, and one Helluva Line Coach 

Day 15 - A Tiger, a Mouse, and an Offensive Revolution

Day 16 - Devastate the Defense with TE RPOs 

Day 17 - Buffalo OC teaches his model for Game Planning  

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