Florida Gators: For Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow Corner Coverage Is Kryptonite

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Sure, Urban Meyer’s spread offense with Tim Tebow has outscored every team this year, but the harsh reality is that opposing defenses have figured out how to slow this season's version of the Gator spread.

Review the offensive performance of the Gators over the last three years and you will find one key factor that separates the 2009 squad from the rest… 

Opposition cornerbacks are no longer padding the flanks.

In the previous two seasons, Gator wideouts earned soft corner coverage off the line due in part to the frequent success of the 20-plus yard passing game. For the most part, opposing defenses chose to guard against the long ball even at the expense of containing sweeps and wide options. 

This season, Gator opponents face a very limited long passing threat and their cornerbacks are now crowding the line—and are doing so with terribly effective results.

Here’s how tight corner coverage impacts Florida and what Meyer, Steve Addazio, and Tebow need to do to remove this threat and put the “Mighty” back into the Gator offense.

Corner Problem One:

First, tighter coverage puts the corners much closer to the line and this impacts how Gator sweeps and options develop. 

The growing trend finds that Chris Rainey, Jeffrey Demps, and Tim Tebow are meeting the opposition sooner on sweeps resulting in an early cut up-field or more effort moving laterally. 

Remedy:

It’s simple…if you want to get a corner to back off the line you must give him a reason to do so.

First, Meyer and his offensive coordinator Steve Addazio should call a simple deep burn route at least once a drive. Even if Tebow is instructed to overthrow the receiver, the impact this will have on the defense will be well worth the effort.

If anything, the Gators have to keep the defensive backfield honest. Who knows, Tebow may actually connect on a few of these then the defenses would have no choice but to play a bit safer.

Corner Problem Two:

Tight coverage of the Gator wideouts is wrecking the currently employed short passing game. 

Tebow is not finding many early open targets and is often found waiting for plays to develop—sometimes with disastrous results. 

The Gator wideouts are attempting to execute designed routes that rely on speed and moves to create openings downfield. Meyer is executing a passing attack based on talent alone and the results have not been positive.

Remedy:

Florida needs to embrace a different version of a short passing game.

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