Football Library · Defenses
46 Bear Cover 1
Bear pressure front: a nose over the center and two interior defenders over the guards cover all three interior linemen. Two edge defenders complete a five-man rush. Five defenders match eligible receivers, with one free safety deep.
The solid line marks the line of scrimmage. Arrows show the initial coverage movement or rush lane; shaded areas show zone responsibility. Man defenders maintain cushion, then match the receiver’s release. Linebackers read run/pass: fill their gap against the run and gain coverage depth against the pass.
Defender breakdown
Use when: Use as an installed pressure change-up against compact personnel and interior runs. Check every eligible receiver when the offense spreads out; the front name does not remove man-coverage responsibilities. Run 46 Bear Cover 1 — defenders read pre-snap formation and motion, then play their assignment below. Primary key: alignment first, eyes to keys at the snap.
Personnel: 11 defenders — 5 rushing, 5 in man, 1 in zones, 0 spying.
Before the snap: identify every eligible receiver, confirm strength and matchups after motion, and communicate who has deep help.
Run/pass key: linebackers read the line and backfield. Fill the assigned gap against run; gain the shown coverage depth against pass. Safeties confirm the read before stepping forward.
Assignments:
- : align 1 yards off the LOS, left; rush through the B-gap — attack the assigned lane, keep contain on the edge and close the pocket under control.
- : align 1 yards off the LOS, middle; rush through the A-gap — attack the assigned lane, keep contain on the edge and close the pocket under control.
- : align 1 yards off the LOS, right; rush through the B-gap — attack the assigned lane, keep contain on the edge and close the pocket under control.
- : align 1 yards off the LOS, left; rush off the edge — attack the assigned lane, keep contain on the edge and close the pocket under control.
- : align 5 yards off the LOS, left; man on receiver B — maintain inside leverage and cushion, mirror the release; the free safety helps deep but does not replace your matchup.
- : align 5 yards off the LOS, middle; man on receiver H — maintain inside leverage and cushion, mirror the release; the free safety helps deep but does not replace your matchup.
- : align 5 yards off the LOS, right; man on receiver S — maintain inside leverage and cushion, mirror the release; the free safety helps deep but does not replace your matchup.
- : align 1 yards off the LOS, right; rush off the edge — attack the assigned lane, keep contain on the edge and close the pocket under control.
- : align 6 yards off the LOS, left; man on receiver X — maintain inside leverage and cushion, mirror the release; the free safety helps deep but does not replace your matchup.
- : align 6 yards off the LOS, right; man on receiver Z — maintain inside leverage and cushion, mirror the release; the free safety helps deep but does not replace your matchup.
- : align 13 yards off the LOS, middle; drops into Deep middle (FS) (17-yard landmark) — protect the deep middle — stay deeper than the deepest receiver and overlap the throw; do not chase shallow crossers.
What it gives up:
- Quick throws can beat the five-man rush.
- Bunch and motion force clear man-match communication.
- Spread formations can pull the underneath defenders out of run support.
Teach it: walk the alignment first, then rehearse a vertical, a short outside throw and a crossing route on each side. Freeze after the first movement to check depth and leverage. Add a run or ball-exchange read, then finish under control.
When to call it
Use as an installed pressure change-up against compact personnel and interior runs. Check every eligible receiver when the offense spreads out; the front name does not remove man-coverage responsibilities.
Known weaknesses
- Quick throws can beat the five-man rush.
- Bunch and motion force clear man-match communication.
- Spread formations can pull the underneath defenders out of run support.