NFP: A Defender's Look at Man Defense - Great Article by Matt Bowen

[Going Commando]

The National Football Post has some excellent articles, and this is an example of one written by Washington's own former second stringer at safety - Matt Bowen.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/2009/03/a-defenders-look-at-man-defense/

Man-to-man coverage in the NFL has taken a back seat lately because of the emergence of the Tampa 2 defense and zone-blitzing schemes. But as pressure defense becomes popular again, man-to-man defense is going to make a comeback.

The Pre-Snap Read

As a defender is the NFL, you can gain an advantage by knowing and understanding how a wide receiver’s pre-snap alignment affects the route he’s going to run. This is gained in film study throughout the week leading up to the game, and it’s something that every good defender must know to succeed at the NFL level.

Pro defensive backs look at the football field like grid, using the numbers and the hash marks as landmarks. Where a receiver aligns as it pertains to the field is the first thing a good defensive back looks at once he leaves the huddle.

Aligned outside the numbers? OK, you can expect an inside release and an inside breaking route — such as a slant, an underneath crossing route or a dig route (square in). You know this as a defender because there isn’t enough room outside the numbers for a receiver to work with, so you can align to the inside and prepare for a route that breaks back into the field — toward the football, and a shorter throw for the quarterback. T.O. made a living doing this in Philly.

Aligned inside of the numbers? Well, you can expect something that’s going to come back across the field, as is always expected with a reduced split. Remember, he’s aligned inside the numbers for a reason, as offenses use the landmarks on the field as much as the defense does. That receiver is most likely going to run underneath the linebackers, and that equals a long run for the defender. Think of Anquan Boldin and the Cardinals. Get the ball to the receiver on the run with field to work with.

Obviously, there are instances when offenses break their tendencies, but most often, if you study the film, you know exactly what they’re going to do before the ball is snapped.

But that doesn’t mean you’re going to stop it — which I hardly ever did...

click here to continue reading article.

So this was a pretty entertaining and informative read by one of the unsung members of our secondary from the Gibbs II years. It really illuminated some of the nuances of playing defensive back. For everyone who uses the platitude that games are won and lost in the trenches, take note of how much of a game is played out in the secondary. We don't see it because it's usually off screen and far away from the ball, but a blown coverage can change a game in a single play, and everyone can see its results.

Second, I felt like this article spoke to why it is so difficult to learn the wide receiver position in the NFL, and why rookies struggle to make the transition from college. The routes are incredibly complicated. It's a really cerebral marathon of cat and mouse against a couple players with the most elite level of athleticism (strength to speed ratio) on the team. Reading this kind of killed my hopes that next year we would see close to a 1,000 yard season from either Thomas or Kelly. That kind of improvement doesn't seem realistic to expect after only one season from guys who don't necessarily have top notch athleticism. But here's hoping that they make great strides anyway, even if they don't make the leap to greatbess next season.

[jnhay]

Sure it's hard, but these guys have all offseason to prepare. They can at least find certain routes in which they excel. Not to mention that they've probably been playing football for 10+ years

[Big Mac Patty Wack]

I'm sure WR is a very difficult position, but I just don't know that our picks last year are too smart. I mean, Devin Thomas had trouble remembering whether it was a 5 or 7 yard break.

[PROSCOUT]

Whats amazing is that some people still believe that football is rocket science, but its not.

Let me help Matt out. When the defender lines up against a wide receiver, the receiver has a choice. He can run to the right, or he can run to the left, or he can run straight. There haven't been any instances I know of where he runs backwards, but thats a GOOD thing if he does it.

So lets recap. The guy in front of you can go left, right, or straight. Now, lets see if the math works:

L x 2 (Y-10)= ZERO

Yep. Looks like that complicated formula proves it. Oh, I think Matt left something out. If the guy in front of you runs FASTER than you, or if their is no pressure on the QB and he can run around all day, then it doesn't really matter which way he goes.:hysterical:

[SirClintonPortis]

I guess one could tie this in with predictable playcalling and see how much it nerfs the offense. Less guessing for DBs=more passes defended when facing a man defense.

[jnhay]

Whats amazing is that some people still believe that football is rocket science, but its not.

Let me help Matt out. When the defender lines up against a wide receiver, the receiver has a choice. He can run to the right, or he can run to the left, or he can run straight. There haven't been any instances I know of where he runs backwards, but thats a GOOD thing if he does it.

So lets recap. The guy in front of you can go left, right, or straight. Now, lets see if the math works:

L x 2 (Y-10)= ZERO

Yep. Looks like that complicated formula proves it. Oh, I think Matt left something out. If the guy in front of you runs FASTER than you, or if their is no pressure on the QB and he can run around all day, then it doesn't really matter which way he goes.:hysterical:

I guess that means there is no value in studying?

[NewCliche21]

Whats amazing is that some people still believe that football is rocket science, but its not.

Let me help Matt out. When the defender lines up against a wide receiver, the receiver has a choice. He can run to the right, or he can run to the left, or he can run straight. There haven't been any instances I know of where he runs backwards, but thats a GOOD thing if he does it.

So lets recap. The guy in front of you can go left, right, or straight. Now, lets see if the math works:

L x 2 (Y-10)= ZERO

Yep. Looks like that complicated formula proves it. Oh, I think Matt left something out. If the guy in front of you runs FASTER than you, or if their is no pressure on the QB and he can run around all day, then it doesn't really matter which way he goes.:hysterical:

Which is why you're posting on a football messageboard instead of having anything to do with the actual game.

If you think that football isn't ridiculously complicated, then you must think that chess is the same as checkers.

[madden lot]

which is why you're posting on a football messageboard instead of having anything to do with the actual game.

If you think that football isn't ridiculously complicated, then you must think that chess is the same as checkers.

lmao

[kuraitengai]

Whats amazing is that some people still believe that football is rocket science, but its not.

Let me help Matt out. When the defender lines up against a wide receiver, the receiver has a choice. He can run to the right, or he can run to the left, or he can run straight. There haven't been any instances I know of where he runs backwards, but thats a GOOD thing if he does it.

So lets recap. The guy in front of you can go left, right, or straight. Now, lets see if the math works:

L x 2 (Y-10)= ZERO

Yep. Looks like that complicated formula proves it. Oh, I think Matt left something out. If the guy in front of you runs FASTER than you, or if their is no pressure on the QB and he can run around all day, then it doesn't really matter which way he goes.:hysterical:

apparently you must have missed the majority of wide receiver screens, especially the way moss (randy) runs them. takes a hard step forward, then 2-3 quick steps back behind the line to wait for the ball. so he ends up 1 yard deeper than where he lined up.

that would constitute going backward.

perhaps you should change your name, since youre obviously not a scout.