© April, 2008
Utilizing Red Zone Coverages in the 4-3

by Steve De Marino
Asst Coach, Arcata High School (CA)
After being a defensive coach for nearly 18 years, one of the most frustrating things I run into when dealing with new and/or inexperienced coaches is a seemingly entrenched philosophy regarding red zone pass coverage. Inside the thirty, I hear ‘You should only run Man,’ and inside the ten, many young coaches don’t seem to know what to do.

Born out of a combination of frustration and occasional desperation, I have put together a series of coverages that my staff(s) and I have run over the years to try and overcome deficiencies. They are designed to (A) keep a single great athlete from tearing us up, or (B) to give our undersized and ‘underfast’ defense better match ups against a generally superior team. I make no particular claim that any of this is revolutionary or new, but this has been what we have tried and has worked well for us.

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