Most people that are familiar with MatchQuarters know what my favorite Trips coverage is, Stress. A very close second is Stump. In the Cover 7 (Saban) vernacular, Stump is the sister coverage to Stubbie or what I refer to as Special. In Special, the CB is locked on the #1 WR in what is referred to as MEG coverage (Man Everywhere he Goes). If the #1 WR were to run all the way across the field, the CB would take off and trail him all the way across. This is what is referred to as man-match. The CB does not have a “no cover zone” or a ceiling in which the CB will “zone-off” if the WR doesn’t cross this point.
Special features a triangle coverage over the #2 and #3 WRs. This allows the defenders to play a 2-Read concept over those two WRs. The Nickel (Ni/Sam) and the Mike will wall the edges of the triangle with the field safety (FS) as the “cap” defender. Cap just means the Safety will take the deepest of the two routes. Versus a concept where #2 and #3 both go vertical, the Safety will take #3 up and back. This allows Mike to hang near the box as a zone player.
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