Middle of the Field Open or Closed?

Defending the Deep Middle

The Deep Middle Zone of the football field can be a mysterious place.

It can be quiet at times. A little too quiet.

And just when you think the Offence is ignoring it, that’s when they hit you for a big play up the middle.

Here are some thoughts on Deep Middle.

Numbers Game

It always comes down to numbers, doesn’t it?

A typical rule of thumb here is that odd numbered coverages tend to have a designated Deep Middle Defender. (ie. Cover 1 or Cover 3).

Even numbered coverages, on the other hand, don’t. (ie. Cover 0, Cover 4, Cover 2-Man).

Then you have split-field Match coverages that again don’t have a traditional Deep Middle player.

Every coverage has a plan in place for defending this important area of the field, but some put more stress on the Defence than others.

Middle of the Field Closed

Here we have a designated Deep Middle Player.

The Deep Middle Player will defend this area of the field in a couple different ways, using either landmarks, a pattern read progression, or a combination of both.

Here’s an example of a traditional Cover 3 look with the Free Safety in Deep Middle:

If your opponent wants to attack this area versus this type of look, they will probably attempt to influence your Deep Middle player.

A classic example would be to run some type of Deep Dig as bait for the Free Safety. If the Free Safety jumps it, there’s likely a Deep Post that can be hit behind them for a big play.

There are, of course, pros and cons to this defensively.

Once you designate a Deep Middle player you are becoming light in some other area of the field. In this case the Flats or the Seams.

It’s important that you and your players understand what you’re giving up on the play and work on ways to protect those areas.

Middle of the Field Open

Just because we aren’t dedicating a specific player to the Deep Middle, doesn’t mean we are allowing the Offence a free pass to hurt us in this area.

In Cover 0, for example, we are attempting to protect this area in two ways.

First, we are hoping that our heavy pressure can get to the Quarterback before the Receiver can get to the Deep Middle.

Second, every Defensive Back in coverage is cheating their technique in order to protect the Middle of the field. They do this by using an inside shade on their Receiver.

This is just one example.

The bottom line is that even in “Middle of the Field Open” coverages, your rules, progressions, and techniques should help you to protect this area.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re defending this area with a designated player, or using a combination of techniques to protect it, you’ll always want to be sound in Deep Middle.

All the best,

Jon Svec
Defensive Coordinator
St. Francis Xavier University
X-Men Football
IG: @jonsvecx
Twitter: @jonsvecx

To read more check out the Canadian Football Chalk Talk e-books series, which includes: Defensive Basics, Linebacker Toolbox, and Modern Pressures.