*What You Don't Know About: Playing Cornerback - Printable Version +- [DEV] ISFL Forums (http://dev.sim-football.com/forums) +-- Forum: Community (http://dev.sim-football.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=5) +--- Forum: Media (http://dev.sim-football.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=37) +---- Forum: Graded Articles (http://dev.sim-football.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=38) +---- Thread: *What You Don't Know About: Playing Cornerback (/showthread.php?tid=12902)

*What You Don't Know About: Playing Cornerback - plantane - 03-31-2019 A lot, I’m sure. But that’s okay, it’s not the flashiest or most interesting position on the field. Good cornerbacks have quiet games because quarterbacks know not to challenge them. Great cornerbacks are able to make plays even when quarterbacks think they’re playing it safe. As you can see from my stat sheet, I’m leaning closer to the former than the latter so far this season. I’ll admit that. So, what is it about cornerbacks that make them unique from a linebacker, wide receiver, or even a safety? To start with, we don’t have nearly as much flexibility as the other positions. Linebackers can be schemed into many different formations and often disguise what they’re doing to lure a quarterback into making a mistake. In addition, both linebackers and receivers are commonly rotated in and out of the game between plays. Safeties also can be schemed in a multitude of ways to really mess with a quarterback’s mind or to prepare for a tendency of the offense. Cornerbacks, however, don’t really get to substitute in and out of the game and they certainly don’t have as much flexibility when it comes to keeping up with a receiver. Of course there is the obvious difference between man-to-man and zone coverages and you’ll have the rare CB Blitz if the defense feels very aggressive and in control, but those are much more rigid plays than the other positions. So, with that level of structure and inflexibility, you’d think cornerback might be an easier position to play, right? Less thinking, more consistency in schemes, right? Well, it’s not quite that simple. Instead of having specific plays schemed up before the game (which we do, of course), we have to watch the quarterback, our receiver, and the ball while also physically keeping up with the receivers and not allowing them to push us off. Also, if we get distracted and run into the receiver, that’s a pass interference that could screw the entire defense, if not costing the team the game. In addition, if we get too distracted with our receiver and the quarterback decides to run with the ball or give it to a halfback, we could end up opening up the whole field to them. There isn’t a single part of the field that we can’t pay attention to during every play or we could be the sole reason that the offense can feast. Obviously, we aren’t on the field alone and the linebackers and safeties play a huge part in shutting down an offense, but they count on us to not get tunnel vision and to pay attention to everything going on. And on top of all of this, if we show for a second that we are getting tired or that we aren’t able to keep up with our receiver, you can believe that the quarterback will notice and begin to take advantage. Even when our bodies are shutting down and we can’t fight it, we have to make it look like we are just getting started so the quarterbacks don’t gain confidence. Man, even on plays where we’re confident that the ball isn’t going our way, we have to give 100% while challenging the receiver so the quarterback doesn’t think we’re tired or that they can trick us. Being a receiver-turned-cornerback in college, I thought that all of these things were very difficult to get used to at first. Being able to substitute in and out as a receiver and to focus on me and the cornerback/safety in coverage felt so simple and invigorating. Once I became a cornerback, the entire field opened up to me and I realized how many things went on during plays that I didn’t even think about. I paid more attention to the other receivers on the field as well as the linemen and even had to notice the different tricks that quarterbacks intentionally use to fool the defense (which I was told to ignore as a receiver). Also, the cliché that a majority of the play happens in the first couple seconds doesn’t apply to any position more than cornerback. If we step off in the wrong direction or if the receiver is able to knock us over, that’s it. If the safeties aren’t able to get there in time, that’s an easy completion, maybe even an easy touchdown. Inversely, if we are able to block the receiver or push them out of bounds, that completely shuts down an option for the quarterback. That can have a huge impact on his reads and what the rest of the defense can do to pressure him. Studying film becomes essential for this, as we can respond to an offense before the players even realize it if we have learned their tendencies before the game. By having an intuition of what certain looks between offensive players mean or what plays that certain formations can lead to, we can stop a play before it even starts to develop and drive the offense’s momentum into the ground (maybe along with some of the players). Even on plays where it looks like we’ve been bested by a receiver, if we can make the crucial jump or get our hand in the perfect place, it can make the difference between a touchdown on blown coverage and a momentum-shifting interception. There is no time when cornerbacks can take a break or accept that they’ve taken an L on a play. From start to finish, there is always something we can do to shut down the opposing offense. This begs the question then: how can you evaluate quality cornerback play? I hope this demonstrates the difficulty that comes with a question like this. Cornerbacks do many things that get completely overlooked when people look at the statlines or just the highlights from a game. Cornerbacks shutting down options for quarterbacks can cause a chain reaction that can lead to a huge sack or a three-and-out drive. That will not create a sexy play or at the very least will not be the sexy part of the play. It’ll get overlooked by the fans and critics. Only coaching staffs will truly be able to appreciate the effect of shutdown corners. There is no position in football that is easy to play; that is not the point that I am trying to make here. Every single player has to take many things into consideration that the fans don’t realize (and honestly, if they did, I don’t think watching would be as fun for them). I just hope that after reading this you have a better understanding of what cornerbacks specifically have to go through in every single game. And who knows, maybe in a few years I’ll come back to this and add a few new things that I’ve learned about skilled cornerback play. X *What You Don't Know About: Playing Cornerback - SwagSloth - 03-31-2019 Very insightful. CB is definitely a hard position to judge by stats alone. *What You Don't Know About: Playing Cornerback - PSanchez55 - 03-31-2019 They're scared to throw against us