What does Covered Up mean in football?

Answer 1

Some context would help. I can think of two possible uses. 1) The term 'covered' usually refers to a defensive player attempting to stay close to a potential offensive receiver. The offensive player is trying to find the opportunity to allow the quarterback to throw him the ball without the defensive player having the opportunity to prevent it. If the defensive player is in excellent position to stop such a pass, the receiver is said to be 'covered'. If two defenders are in such position, the receiver is said to be 'double-covered'. 2) Sometimes, when someone is trying to explain an illegal formation penalty that relates to the tackle not being 'covered up' by a receiver. The rule is that the offense must have exactly 7 men on the line of scrimmage. The outer two are eligible receivers, the inner 5 are not. If one of the outer two lines up to far off the line of scrimmage, the referee may explain the illegal formation penalty as the tackle not being 'covered up' by a receiver. The first definition is the more common by a considerable extent.