Cover 1: 7v7 high school flag football defense

Cover 1 is a 7v7 high school flag football defense that pairs man coverage with a free safety. Five defenders cover the five receivers on the line, a safety plays the deep middle about 12 yards back, and one rusher comes on the snap. The safety takes away the deep ball and comes down on the back.

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 LOS LC RC N W M S R
Single High

How to run it

  1. LC lines up 5 yards off the widest receiver on the left and covers that receiver.
  2. RC lines up 5 yards off the widest receiver on the right and covers that receiver.
  3. N lines up 5 yards off the slot receiver on the left and covers that receiver.
  4. W lines up 5 yards off the slot receiver on the right and covers that receiver.
  5. M lines up 5 yards deep over the center and covers the center once it releases.
  6. S lines up 12 yards deep in the middle and plays the deep middle, coming downhill when the back releases or takes a handoff.
  7. R lines up 3 yards off the ball, in the gap right of the center, and rushes the QB on the snap.
  8. Center: M.
  9. Run fit: R keeps the quarterback inside, S fills on the back or a scramble, and the man defenders rally once the ball crosses the line.
  10. High school fields are 40 to 53 yards wide, so line the corners up wider and add 1 to 2 yards to the deep depths.

The coverage read

Man defenders play their receiver and trust S over the top. S reads the quarterback's eyes, breaks on anything deep, and comes downhill the moment the back releases or gets the ball.

  1. S FREE SAFETY
  2. M CENTER
  3. R RUSH

When to call it

  • Against a team with a fast receiver who keeps getting deep.
  • As your base call when you want man coverage with help over the top.

Tags and formation

Single Highmansingle-highintermediate

More 7v7 defenses like this

Common questions

How do you line up Cover 1 in 7v7 high school flag football?

Five man defenders start 5 yards off the receivers on the line, the free safety 12 yards deep in the middle, and the rusher 3 yards off the ball next to the center.

What beats Cover 1 in 7v7 high school flag football?

A quick throw to the back in the flat, because the safety starts 12 yards deep, and crossing routes that use legal screens. The safety has to break the moment the back releases.

How is Cover 1 different from Cover 0 in 7v7 high school flag football?

Cover 1 takes the defender off the back and puts a safety deep. You give up a short throw to the back to take away the deep ball and keep a last line against a scramble.

Video transcript

Cover 1. Five defenders lock onto the receivers on the line. The free safety sits twelve yards deep and watches the back. One rusher comes on the snap. Build your plays free on Flag Fifty.

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