Specific Defensive Strategies – The ‘Cheat’ Package – The Cover 2 Zone Blitz

The Cheat package is John Thompson's Cover 2 zone blitz, and its whole premise is that the pieces are interchangeable. A linebacker can carry corner responsibility, the secondary can move late, and code words tell each player which job he owns on that snap. Thompson explains why the scheme gives an offense problems, details every player's responsibility, and shows how to adapt it to the defense you already run.

What you'll learn

• The principles of the Cheat package and Cover 2 position players switching responsibilities
• How a linebacker shifts to corner responsibility inside the coverage
• How the interchangeable parts are communicated with code words
• What the code word Rain means and how it sets a pressure pattern and coverage responsibility
• How pressures are adapted to the coverage behind them
• Changing rush and blitz patterns and overall movement to confuse the offense
• Changing movement in the secondary for disguise

Who it's for

Defensive coordinators and secondary coaches at the high school and college levels who want pressure without giving up the coverage shell, and who need a teaching language their players can actually execute.

About the coach

John Thompson was the head coach at East Carolina, a veteran defensive coordinator in the SEC at Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina and Mississippi, and coordinated the defense at Georgia State.

Responsibilities broken down player by player on the whiteboard. Part 2 of Coach Thompson's four-part series on specific defensive strategies.