At IUP we use football as an educational tool to help teach young men to achieve lofty academic goals, unashamedly strive for victory, honor the university with our character, and be men built for others. We focus on these goals daily to help drive us toward success both on and off the field. We always want to be aware of the fact that we are coaching a person and that person plays football. I am thankful for all the coaches that recognize that underneath every jersey is heart.
For this article, I want to discuss off-man free techniques for corner backs. At IUP, we believe this is a very valuable coverage for a number of reasons: there is limited teaching and learning and there are limited reads for your players. This technique also provides us with vertical and horizontal cushion on wide receivers. It is important that the corners play this coverage with great focus, intelligence, confidence, and aggressiveness. There are 11 things our corners must think about pre-snap:
1. Down and distance.
2. Field position.
3. The defense called.
4. Your match-up.
5. Is the WR on or off the line of scrimmage?
6. The split.
7. Boundary or field?
8. Where is your help?
9. Adjacent receivers.
10. Potential motion.
11. Total concentration must be on your man.
After our corners get the call from the sideline, we want them to get lined up. Our corners line up six-seven yards off the wide receivers and their eyes should be on the wide receivers. They align inside or outside based on the dividers. If the corner aligns outside, he is responsible for stopping out-breaking routes. If the corner aligns inside, he is responsible for stopping in-breaking routes. Corners must know they cannot stop every route.
Dividers:
l At the middle of the field, the divider is one yard above the number.
l If the ball is on the hash, the divider for the field corner is half way between the hash and the numbers,
l The divider for the boundary corner is located on the bottom of the numbers.
Our corners should focus on doing six things when we call off-man free coverage:
1. Total focus on the man.
2. Have a controlled back pedal.
3. Weave to maintain cushion.
4. Maintain hip level.
5. Good transition.
6. Work to a hip-to-hip relationship and play the ball. We want our corners to realize that routes are broken down into three main categories:
A. Quick game – three to five step routes (slant, hitch, quick out).
B. Timing routes – 10 to 15 yard routes (out, hook).
C. Deep game – over 15 yards (post, go, corner).
We try to break the corners off-man technique into three points – release point, recognition point and interception/dissection point.
A. Release Point
Corners are taught five main releases that they will get from the WR.
l Vertical – straight off the line of scrimmage with speed.
l Angle – at angle, just outside of the corners body.
l Radical – either in or out two or three yards – immediate or within one or two steps.
l Influence - angle release without much speed.
l Speed – either inside or outside, running away from the corner with speed.
B. Recognition Point
After we read the WR’s release, we want the eyes of our corner to go directly to the feet of the WR to recognize what he is running. When reading the WR’s feet, there are three things to look for. First is pace. The corners must see how fast the WR’s feet are moving. If the WR is in a full sprint, the DB needs to open and run when he breaks your cushion. The second thing is chopping. When the WR’s feet start to chop or break down, the DB’s feet needs to chop or throttle. The DB’s feet should never stop until the WR’s foot plants. The third thing we look for is the actual plant. After the WR’s feet start to chop in his route, our corners look for the plant. Whatever foot the wide receiver plants on, he is going to break opposite of that. If the WR’s feet start to chop and he plants, the corner has to read that he is running an out, hook, dig. If the WR is sprinting and he plants, the corner has to read that he is running a post or dig pattern.
There are a few skills that we work on and use once the DB recognizes what route the WR is running. When a WR is running a quick or timing route, the DB will use his breaking skills. We reach this skill as plant, point, and drive.
Plant
l When coming out of your break, your plant foot should stay directly underneath your body or in the tube (a one-foot cylinder around your body). Keeping your plant foot underneath you is the key to helping you accelerate out of your break. A plant foot that is outside of the tube increases the chances of slipping and hurts your drive.
l The plant foot should be turned sideways (a ‘T’ step) to insure that all your spikes are in the ground.
l Keep your chest over your toes.
Point
l Your toes of the foot not planted should be pointed at the target you want to drive toward. Your toes should always be pointed toward the WR’s upfield shoulder. If your toes are not pointed directly at your target, your break will be round and this eliminates the time you have to make a play on the ball.
l The point step should be no further than one foot away from your plant foot.
Drive
l Your eyes should be on the WR’s upfield shoulder and you should accelerate to that point. You cannot look back or make a play on the ball until you are in a good relationship to the WR.
l Read the WR’s upfield shoulder and play what you see. Once you get to the decision point either intercept or dissect. Be tougher than the WR.
When the DB sees that the WR has a good pace and is running a deep route, he must use his turn and run skills.
Turn and Run
l When a receiver breaks your cushion (i.e., gets within three or four yards of you) you must turn and run.
• Throw your elbow to the side of turn, staying low.
• Drop step with foot on the same side.
• Snap your head and then accelerate.
l You want to work into a hip-to-hip relationship with the receiver (giving no space). Put your elbow into his elbow.
l Do not allow space between you and the receiver. Assume the receiver will push off.
l If you read that the WR is running a post or corner route, work for that upfield shoulder. Do not cut underneath unless you are absolutely sure you can make a play on the ball. Most post and corner routes are thrown upfield.
l When playing a go route, use your hip and body to force the WR toward the sideline. Do not grab the WR if you are in a good position.
l You can’t look back unless you are in a hip-to-hip relationship.
l If you are in a hip-to-hip relationship with the receiver, lean into him and look back for the ball. If the ball is in the air, go get it and play the ball at the highest point.
l When the receiver is behind you, get your eyes on his near shoulder and sprint toward it. Don’t look back.
l If the near shoulder stays upfield, this means it is a well-thrown ball. Keep sprinting and play his hands. Slap and pull his hands when you feel the ball has arrived.
l If the near shoulder turns back towards you, this means the ball is underthrown. Turn and put your back into his chest and play the ball.
C. Interception/Dissection point
The last point we teach is the interception/dissection point. This is the point in which the DB is in a good relationship to the WR and it becomes time to make a play on the ball – either intercepting it or dissecting the pass.
l As soon as you recognize the pattern (recognition point), leave your back pedal, use your plant, then point, drive or turn, and run.
l The receiver is not going to catch the ball at the recognition point, but rather four-six yards from the recognition point on inside patterns coming to the ball, and eight-ten yards for patterns going away from the ball.
l Intercept the ball at its highest point and look the ball all the way into your hands.
l We call ‘Oskie’ when we intercept a ball and look to return the ball down the near sideline.
l On an interception always look to block the intended receiver first.
l Dissecting the receiver means running through the receiver to a point two yards beyond where he is catching the ball.
l If the WR does catch the ball, make the tackle and limit the yards after catch.
l Be decisive and aggressive – good things will happen.
Finally, two things we always want to keep in mind when we are teaching any coverage – repetition is the best teacher and guys don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.