Football 101: How to Stop The Burning

Posted by KG Da Juiceman (Follow Me)- KG Da Juiceman is a engineering contractor in the defense sector by day. Ridiculous coed athlete by night. Lock it up...championship - To see more posts by this author click here

So, all year long I’ve been watching the Cowboy’s secondary get torched week in and week out and have been asking myself what the heck is going on. Besides a general lack of talent, there has to be some other reasons for the ease at which teams are slicing through the Stars’ defense through the air as if they were playing against a high school team. This led me to look at the league in general and the burst of passing offense over the last few seasons. Is there no such thing as a shut down corner anymore? Even the best routinely get beat each game. Let’s take a look at Week 10 stats, where 2 quarterbacks on teams without a glimmer of a running game go over 400 yards. And two journeymen almost hit the 300 yard mark against solid defenses.

• Cutler, Broncos – 447 3 TD
• Brees, Saints – 422 2 TD
• Rivers, Chargers – 316 2 TD
• Collins, Titans – 289 TD
• Rosenfels, Texans – 294 2 TD

Hall of fame quarterbacks? No, not at all. I’ve come up with a list of reasons why so many DB’s are getting put in toasters.

1. Technique

Newsflash defensive back coaches, if you use a straight on bump and run you will get beat€¦repeatedly. There is a golden rule to playing DB at any level: Never give up the slant. If you line up face to face with a receiver there is no way that you’ll be able to stop any inside route. Even with a good jam, the receiver can easily get inside and catch that crucial 4-5 yard slant.

Solution: Inside technique! Take half a step inside and put that inside foot forward. Jam by hammering the receiver on his inside shoulder not by trying to stick him in the chest. Slant is now a non-issue. But this opens up to reason number 2 that DB’s get burned€¦

2. The Fade

Randy Moss may have single-handedly ruined the lives of thousands of corners. Offenses now have tall strong receivers who can just go up and grab the jump ball. Got a corner who can get up with the power forwards? Then the QB will just throw to the back shoulder. Either way, it’s a hard spot for even the best cover guys.

Solution: Maintain the inside relation with the receiver. When a receiver starts to run by a corner his natural instinct is to whip his head to the inside and turn his back to the receiver. It’s during this turn that corner not only loses sight of the receiver, but also does not have enough time to locate a ball that has already been thrown. The receiver who has been looking at the QB the whole time simply adjusts, and it’s an easy TD or big gain. A corner has to fight the urge to turn his back to the receiver and close the distance between them. Instead, stay arms distance away from the receiver and when your teammates yell €œBall€ look back and up over your outside shoulder. This way you can keep an eye on the receiver as well as get an eye shot of the throw. Worst comes to worst, if the receiver has a step, don’t look for the ball and simply wait for the
receiver to make a move to catch it. Rape his arms when the peanut hits his hands and stick your helmet in his chest. Also, don’t forget the elimination of the force out rule. Bench press that dude out of bounds.

3. Penalties

Pass interference, illegal contact, and holding all make the job even harder. Not only are these penalties called ridiculously often, they also all give automatic first downs that keep drives going and give the offense more chances to pick on the DBs. However, the worst penalties are the personal fouls for crushing receivers. Helmet to helmet, defenseless receiver, and launching are supposed to protect receivers but they make the DB’s job even harder. You nail a receiver and make them drop the ball but are rewarded with a 15 yard personal foul. The next time you come up and paddy cake the receiver which results in a 15 yard catch. Lose-Lose situation.

Solution: Nail the receiver, take the penalty and fine. I’m not saying play dirty, but go ahead and lay the wood. You’ll give up the yards the first time but you’ll also create some alligator arms for the next time. Tell the Commish you don’t care for the new, wussy, No Fun League.

4. The New Pass Rush

The new and improved hellish pass rushes should be a blessing for corners but they may be a double edged sword. On one hand they create pressure on the QBs and cause tipped and erratic throws. On the other hand, the pass rush puts an emphasis on timing routes so QBs throw before receivers are open eliminating the chance for corners to break on the ball or undercut routes.

Solution: Prayer. There is no defense for a perfectly timed throw and route. Hope for the sack or a mess up in timing. If the ball is caught make sure you make the tackle and eliminate the YAC. There’s no room in the league for corners who don’t tackle anymore.

There ya go DBs. Use this to eat every receiver’s lunch. Then tell ‘em:

Udothedishes…

Juice

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