Quarters coverage reads

I thing the easiest way to play it is to have the corners play man on #1. The Safety reads #2. If #2 goes vertical, the Safety has him man. If #2 goes to the flat(right away) the Safety looks for #1 coming inside and gets under #1 (robs #1). If #2 goes inside now, but between the LB and the LOS, the safety looks for a crosser or robs #1. If #2 goes inside but behind the LB's drop, the Safety has him man.

Basically the corners stay on top of #1 all the time. If #2 does a short in or out, the safety will rob #1. If #2 does anything else, the Safety has him.

You can also have the corners play a deep 1/2 technique.

Once the kids learn the reads/reactions, it's not that difficult. When we first put it in, the kids picked it up in about 15 minutes.

How do you defend the out & up or wheel by #2?
When we play the corner man on #1, the OLB is responsible for #2 to the flat and the wheel. Since the safety is reading #2, he can help the OLB (safety is really playing a form of deep 1/2 if #2 goes to flat). We eventually moved away from playing QTRS with the corner in man because we had some issues with our OLB's having to play the wheel.
Now we have the corners play deep 1/2. In other words, the corner plays over top of any deep pattern (fade, flag, dig, post-corner). The corner reacts up to any other pattern only when the ball goes there. The safety has the same reads on #2. The OLB also reads #2. For the OLB, #2 to flat tells the OLB to drop to curl, react to flat only when the ball goes there. If #2 vertical, try to bang #2 and look for #1 on hitch or slant and get under it. If #2 across (deep or shallow), look for a crosser. We will give up the short pass to the flat and rally to it, rather than give up a deep one.

What if #1 runs a quick rout or a drag, does CB run with him?
If the corner is in man he will run with #1. If the corner is in zone, he will drop and look for #2 on a vertical (zone his qtr).

How do you adjust to trips?
We've done a number of things; the simplest is to play 1/4, 1/4, 1/2. The corner and safety to the trips play 1/4's (straight zone-no pattern read). The OLB to the trips plays curl/flat (what he always does). The backside corner mans-up #1. If we are in a 4-deep scheme, the backside safety cheats to A-gap on his side of the ball and reads #3 strong. If #3 goes vertical, this safety takes him man. If #3 does anything else, the safety helps his backside corner.

You can also play a form of cover2 pattern read to trips, but that's something else.

OLB's split the difference between #2 and the OT. If #2 is a wide twin, we will not play this coverage; we will play an in/out man that is similar to cover2.
Vs trips the OLB plays between #2 and #3; OLB is still a curl/flat player. Again, we will give up the short route and rally to it.

With Cover 4 we will always split the difference no matter run or pass. Coach Campbell