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{{Short description|Strategy in American football}}{{Original research|date=December 2019}}
'''Bump and run coverage''' is a strategy formerly widely used by [[defensive back]]s in [[NFL|American professional football]] in which a defender lined up directly in front of a [[wide receiver]] and tried to impede him with arms, hands, or entire body and disrupt his intended route. This originated in the [[American Football League]] in the 1960s, one of whose earliest experts was [[Willie Brown (American football)|Willie Brown]] of the [[Oakland Raiders]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=STRAUB |first=LUKE |date=2018-01-09 |title=Raiders' legend Willie Brown recalls glory days |url=https://www.petaluma360.com/article/sports/raiders-legend-willie-brown-recalls-glory-days/ |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=Petaluma Argus-Courier |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-10-22 |title=Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown dies at age 78 |url=https://apnews.com/article/c7f5fcdc45124731b8d9d8296a0ba1f8 |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref> On the other hand NFL defensive back [[Pat Fischer]], who is closely associated with the bump and run, believes that cornerback [[Abe Woodson]] (who taught Fischer the technique when they both played for the [[St. Louis Cardinals (NFL)|St. Louis Cardinals]]) originated the bump and run while playing for the [[San Francisco 49ers]] in the late 1950s and early 1960s.<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Shapiro |first=Leonard |date=October 9, 2024 |title=Undersized cornerback was a fierce competitor |work=Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pat Fischer Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FiscPa00.htm |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Steinberg |first=Dan |date=January 12, 2015 |title=Scot McCloughan’s dad, Pat Fischer, and the birth of bump-and-run coverage |url=https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA397114533&sid=sitemap&v=2.1&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=anon%7E352b4022&aty=open-web-entry |work=Washington Post}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Turney |first=John |date=2024-09-24 |title=State Your Case: Abe Woodson, 'The Willie Mays of Football' |url=https://talkoffametwo.com/state-your-case/state-your-case-abe-woodson |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=Talk of Fame |language=en}}</ref> [[Mel Blount]] of the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] specialized in this coverage to such a point as to cause numerous rule changes (see below) strictly limiting when and where a defender may make contact with a potential receiver in order to make it easier for receivers to run their routes and increase scoring.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Mel Blount, NFL 100 |url=https://www.nfl.com/100/originals/100-greatest/game-changers-46 |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=NFL.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
In contrast, under [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] rules, contact is allowed anywhere on the field as long as contact is in front of the defender and a pass is not in the air.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kirshner |first=Alex |date=2018-08-30 |title=College pass interference rules are better for DBs than the NFL's |url=https://www.sbnation.com/2018/8/30/17488358/ncaa-pass-interference-rule-nfl-differences |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=SBNation.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2018-07-30 |title=Understanding The 5 Yard Illegal Contact Rule In The NFL - vIQtory Sports |url=https://www.viqtorysports.com/understanding-5-yard-contact-rule/ |access-date=2024-11-27 |language=en-US}}</ref>
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