Subject: One big advantage of Quarters Coverage
Date: September 1, 2026

It’s no secret. I hate Quarters Coverage.

Nah just kidding… love it.

Because I preach the Coach Simple Philosophy and encourage most defensive coaches to keep it simple with a base Cover 3, some coaches think I do hate Quarters.

I teach our Simplified Split-Field Coverage Package inside all my JDFB Premium Coaching Systems defenses. It’s the right choice for some teams.

My big objection is that Quarters takes a lot of work to get it right. If you have 8 Wing-T teams on the schedule, that’s probably a big waste of time.

Some coaches think a simple spot-drop Cover 3 just cannot work. But they’re doing it all wrong. It is a sloppy mess.

And that doesn’t work.

There are many details to Cover 3 that get left out. Coaches think because it is “simple” they can just throw it out without putting in the work.

In fact, I wrote a big article on Cover 3 with many of the details you need to know:

Read “How to Coach Football’s Cover 3 Coverage” >>

If you’re thinking your spot-drop Cover 3 is the reason your team can’t stop the pass… make sure you didn’t miss any of details there, first.

It’s better to get Cover 3 right before you turn your defensive coverage package into a bloated mess. Pay attention to the details.

And that, in a weird way, is one advantage of pattern match coverages.

Coaches know there’s a lot of moving parts. Lots of chances for breakdowns.

So they take more time to coach the details.

They practice reading the receiver releases. They work more 7-on-7 route combinations.

Just the fact that it forces coaches to actually learn the defense instead of running what they remember from playing in high school is an advantage.

The true advantage of Split-Field Quarters Coverage is simply that more coaches are willing to admit what they don’t know. Then work to learn it, and coach it.

Whatever coverage package you choose, keep it simple. Learn every detail.

Learn the best ASKA to support the coverage. Use the coverage to support your run fits. ALWAYS put run fits first, especially in a base coverage!

Then drill down on coverage assignments. Coach the eyes on their drops. Be specific on depth. How do they handle route combinations? What is the No Cover Zone? When do they come out of coverage?

In the most recent Football Coaching Podcast, you’ll find a few drills you can use to strengthen your defensive coverage package:

Listen or Watch the Group Passing Drills podcast >>

If your team is struggling in coverage right now and you need some answers… reply to this email. Let’s figure it out.

~ Joe Daniel