Knowing the different defensive coverages in Madden is the first step towards becoming a better player. In this article you can check out all of the different defensive coverages available in Madden 09 to help you know what you should be looking for on the field. Take a look below as SportsGamer walks you through each one step by step.
![]() |
The first image above is your basic man cover 2 defense. They call this defense a cover 2 because we are provided with two deep zones downfield. Cover 2 defenses are the most commonly used by Madden gamers because they provide users with a safety net on both sides of the field if one of their cornerbacks happen to get beat deep. |
![]() |
In the next example we are showing a cover 1 defense. A cover 1 defense has just one defender playing in a deep zone downfield. The reason cover 1 defenses are used is not only because it still provides one safety net over the top, but now we're also able to use an extra defender to rush or help cover if needed. |
![]() |
| The reason behind using a cover 0 defense is typically to get to the quarterback as quickly as possible. Obviously, there's no help deep in case one of your cornerbacks get beat, so getting immediate pressure on the opponent is key. Cover 0 defenses aren't used very often because the risk is simply too high for the reward. |
![]() |
| Cover 3 defenses are certainly popular, but more so when playing a zone. Many Madden gamers like to turn to the Quarters 3 Deep - 3 Deep Man when they've forced their opponent into a third and long situation. The reason this defense is a good choice in that particular situation is because everyone on offense is manned up and we've got plenty of help over the top. A cover 3 is usually good enough to stop a deep pass anywhere on the field. |
|
| If you'll check out the image above you can see that we've now called a cover 2 zone defense. Cover 2 zones are riskier than cover 2 man defenses because once the receivers have gotten behind the cornerback's flat zones they will have a 1 on 1 matchup with the safeties. However, if this was a man defense the cornerbacks would have also been in the picture downfield. Most people like to use cover 2 zone defenses when their opponent gets inside the 10-15 yardline. A much shorter field to work with makes this defense very difficult to beat for opponents. |




