PLAYING CORNERBACK IS not for every football player. There are times when even the best CBs get beaten or need help on a play. Your CBs need not only be athletic and fast, but also must be mentally strong enough to know their assignments and shake off getting beaten on a play.
The following are essential traits that your CBs must possess and things that you must do as a coach to develop a solid group of CBs.
The Ideal Cornerback:
Î Is a complete athlete.
Î Has a killer instinct.
Î Is a great competitor.
Î Has composure under pressure.
Î Thrives on challenges.
Î Is very confident.
How You Can Develop The Ideal Cornerback:
Î Be patient when coaching your CBs.
Î Realize that repetition is vital to your CB’s success.
Î Make practices harder than games.
Î Stress fundamentals at all times.
Î Never settle for anything less than greatness.
Î Be aware that your CBs will play faster if they are efficient.
Î Realize that your CBs will achieve success in the techniques that you emphasize.
Î Must develop proper technique through repeated drills.
Cornerbacks Must:
Î Win individual battles.
Î Play within the integrity of the defense.
Î Compete to win on every down.
Î Master the proper technique for every specific coverage.
Î Communicate with teammates at all times in zone play.
Teaching Progressions For Techniques
1. Lead Alignment. This is executed from an off-man position. Depth should be anywhere from 8 to 10 yards from the receiver with either inside or outside leverage based on coverage responsibility or field position.
2. Stance. Your CBs need to stagger their feet approximately a stride length apart with the inside foot back so that they can maintain vision inside.
They should bend at the knees while maintaining good balance and drop their head to the belt level of the receiver. The CBs shoulder should come down gradually while he is bending at the waist. The shoulders should be rolled forward over the thighs and weight should be on the balls of the feet and distributed equally with the head kept up.
The first step should be taken with the inside foot sliding backward while pushing off the front foot.
3. Read Technique. This should be run from lead positioning. The CB must take slow slide steps backward while reading the quarterback through the 3-step passing zone. If the CB sees a 3-step drop, he’s more than likely going to face a first-level route.
Once that is read, the CB should look back to the receiver, looking for the front of the belt or either hip. Once the CB sees the front of the belt, this tells to gauge his back pedal to that of the speed of the push by the receiver while maintaining inside or outside positioning.
It’s important that the CB maintains leverage and cushion for as long as possible. If he sees a receiver’s hip, he should drive to the upfield shoulder of the receiver trying to intersect the route and probable reception point.
He should be cautious of double routes. It’s important when driving on 3-step routes that the CB force a collision with the receiver. If the QB drops through the 3-step passing zone, the CB must look to the receiver and maintain leverage and cushion as long as possible.
4. Read Over The Tight End. When a CB lines up over a TE, the TE keys his read. Keying the TE tells him whether the next play is a run or a pass play. It also dictates what type of run he’s most likely to see.
Depth of lead technique is now 10 yards outside of the TE versus a 2-back set and 15 yards outside the TE versus a 1-back formation. CBs should use static read steps.
The CB should take shuffle steps in place until the TE has keyed his read. Static steps should mirror the release steps taken by the TE.
There are four primary blocking keys you will see from TEs:
8 Base. 8 Down.
8 Reach. 8 Cut-off.
Base and down blocks indicate downhill run action. After static steps, the CB should start working downhill and work to stack off the end man on the line of scrimmage. He should try to work to about 3 yards from the end man on the LOS.
Reach blocks indicate an outside run. CBs must start working towards the force player. If the defense is using cut-off blocks, that’s an indication to run away from the force player. Work to secure cut back lanes and never overrun empty spaces. The CB must have the vision of a ball carrier. Squeeze smartly to the football.
5. Press Technique. There are three ways to align for press technique: head up, inside or outside shade of the receiver. The CB’s positioning may vary based on what coverage schemes you play and the CB’s responsibilities. They should crowd the LOS if possible.
There are four different press techniques:
8 Off hand. 8 Quick jab.
8 The bail. 8 Stagger technique.
In a press technique, the CB’s feet should be parallel to the LOS and slightly outside of shoulder width. He should bend at the knees and position his head so that it’s at the belt level of the receiver. He must be balanced enough to move from side to side as quickly as possible.
6. Off-Hand Technique. The CBs first movements are short, shuffle-steps backward, placing the CB in a position to mirror the WR’s release. Once the WR has started to release, the CB should slide toward him in order to put the CB in position to get a jam with the off arm.
The CB’s off arm is the arm away from the release. He should use his feet to move into a position so he can use his hands. He should never reach for the WR. He must move his feet to get in front of the WR.
The off arm should strike the WR in the breastplate nearest the off arm. The CB should aim at the midpoint of the chest and try and knock the WR off his route. Once the jam has taken place, the CB should use the force of the jam to swing his hips open so that he can get to the WR’s nearest hip. The CB needs to take great cutoff angles to put himself in proper position.
7. Pressing The Slot Receiver. The CB should use the same technique as above, but now must be patient. The CB doesn’t have to lose any ground. He must get the separation needed in order to determine the slot receiver’s release. The distance between the two will be compromised quickly.
As this is occurring, the CB should start working towards the WR, mirroring the release and executing the off-hand jam.
8. Quick Jab. This technique should be used with the same alignment as the off-hand press technique. Once the ball is snapped, the CB opens his hips so that he’s perpendicular to the WR and jabs him quick and hard in the middle of his chest.
He must stay on top of all WR routes. The WR’s release will often tell the CB the designated route.
9. Bail. This alignment is exactly the same as the previous two. All three techniques work together to confuse the WR. With the bail technique, the CB swings his hips open to the inside and forces the WR to release inside the CB. It’s important to take away the outside release through positioning.
This technique is used when the CB has inside support from a safety or linebacker. It’s important for the CB to maintain a distance of 2 or 3 yards in front of the WR and stay on top of all routes. This technique is most often used in zone or bracket coverage.
10. Stagger. This is an aggressive press technique and is used to attack the WR at the LOS, making it hard for him to get off the line. The stagger stance is very similar to that of a lead technique, but the CB’s legs are not placed as far apart.
On the snap, the CB takes a jab step toward the WR and jams him in the chest. He mirrors the release and disrupts the route. This is a man-to-man technique used often in zero or two-man coverages.
By following this progression when teaching your CBs, you’ll find that each skill they learn will build and complement one another until they are well-rounded and able to cover a variety of WRs with different strengths (speed receivers, height advantage, precision route running,
WRs with great leaping ability, etc.).