The No-Fly Zone: Defending the Pass with Cover 1-Rat

Cover 1 is one of the simplest coverages in all of football. Lineup, cover your man, and play ball. Cover 1 allows the defense to lock receivers down with tight coverage to deny the pass and force the ball to be thrown outside. However, like any coverage it has inherent weaknesses. First among these weaknesses is defending crossing routes. Cover 1-Rat provides the answer. Nick Saban, Head Coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide and 6-time National Champion has described this coverage as “the best coverage…all the way around.” Cover 1-Rat is incredibly versatile and is capable of shutting down any offensive attack. Its simplicity allows the defense to focus on technique rather than scheme. The use of a low-hole Rat defender and a high-hole Post defender allows the defense to deny access to the middle of the field and force throws short, and to the outside. This book provides all the information you need to understand and teach this coverage. It begins be looking at key definitions and terminology. Next, it covers how to determine who the Rat defender will be. Then, we look at how to use the Rat to protect against typical route patterns that could hurt traditional man to man schemes. Once the individual components are in place, we’ll put it all together and examine how the rules play out against some common route combinations. Finally, we’ll look at adjustments we can use to combat motion, bunch, and tandem formations, before examining the drills necessary to teach and install this scheme with your defense.