Step 4 — Motion to confirm
The man/zone test
Send a receiver in motion. If a defender runs with him across the formation, it is man coverage. If the defense just bumps its zones or passes him off, it is zone.
When it applies
Whenever you have a motion-able receiver and time on the clock.
+ StrengthsThe single most definitive pre-snap test — a defense cannot fake its response to motion.
− Trade-offsIt burns clock; some teams check to a different coverage after motion (which is itself a tell).
Filed under: Pre-snap coverage reads