The Free Safety is a responsible for the deep zone in the middle of the field on Cover 1 and Cover 3 coverage (shown here). But he is a critical run defender. His alignment, stance and key reads need to match both potential assignments. 

Free Safety Mistake #2: Aligning the Free Safety too deep. When you get exchange film and can't see the Free Safety in the wide shot, expect to have a good night. Unless that guy is an absolute stud, he's not going to be able to fill the alley.

Free Safety depth should be 9 to 12 yards from the line of scrimmage. He splits the #2 Receivers, instead of standing over top of the ball (another common mistake).

Against run heavy teams, stick to 9 or 10 yards. Anything less than 8 yards is too tight for him to get to both alleys. He can get hung up with the linebackers, or get screened by the official.

Now he knows what to do to stop the run. He's lined up in the right place to defend the run. But... how does he know if it's a run play?

Free Safeties struggle to make plays when they're indecisive. That's caused by...

Free Safety Mistake #3: No clear Key Reads. I stole a lot from Gary Patterson's 4-2-5 Defense. One of the best is the rule for Safety Key Reads:

Don't Go Till You Know. GO! When You Know.

Your Safety must be decisive. Take time, read your key, then GO. If you get a pass key read, shift 100% of your attention to your pass coverage responsibility.

When he gets a run read, he is a missile. Fill downhill right now. Inside out.

Years ago we had a kid who was a stud Inside Linebacker as a sophomore. He was also a standout baseball player. Adults got in his ear and talked him out of playing football his Junior year.

He missed the game, though. He came back to play three weeks into his Senior season. Those adults still had him convinced it was too dangerous to play Inside Linebacker.

To pacify everyone, we moved him to Free Safety in a 4-4 Defense. Now we call it a 4-2-5 Defense to make the Outside Linebackers feel faster.

This was a smart kid. We started drawing it up on the board for him. How he was going to key read and react. How he'd fit the run.

"So, I'm a Linebacker at 10 yards deep?"

Nailed it.

We won the next game, ending a 14 game losing streak. And won 3 of the next 4 games. And that kid ended on a football scholarship to an FCS school.

I teach our Ball Up, Ball Down Key Read inside JDFB Premium Coaching Systems. I've also got a YouTube video that teaches it:

The Free Safety's path to the alley is an inside-out path. He is in position to defend cutbacks and even cover up a mistake by the front six. Use the Umbrella Drill to teach the key reads and correct run fit path.

In the Umbrella Drill, the one Safety Drill our guys need to work every single day, you put extra emphasis on getting downhill. We put a cone at 8 yards deep, right in front of him.

On a run read, he's going straight downhill at that cone first. Regardless of what the ball carrier is doing. That forces him to play inside-out.

By playing inside-out he is in position to play the cutback. He's also in position to account for other mistakes. In that Film Room Master Class you see it over and over.

The Defensive End gets kicked out on a Power or Buck because he's up the field. The back side Linebacker misses his Pull read. Now they have numbers and a running lane.

Until the missile hits. Your extra defender, unaccounted for in the blocking scheme.

This is a mindset shift that gives your defense the advantage. Now...