What's so Hard about Covering an NFL WR?

fastboy77 wrote:

???

What’s so hard about getting separation from an NFL defensive back? Both questions are equally brilliant and stupid.

Well for one thing, there are a lot of receivers who can catch a ball that is well over 10 feet off the ground. You or I literally couldn’t even cover them if they were standing still because the QB could just throw the ball higher than we could jump and the WR would just go up and get it like a parent holding something out of reach of their toddler.

They might not even get off the line. I play tough Mel Blount-style football! Jam em' at the LOS!

Covering guys with 4.5 40 speed who can turn on a dime, receiver knows the route and when the cut is coming and the defender does not, defender has back to the QB most of the time, balls are moving fast to a predetermined space that the receiver and QB are ware of and the defender is not, all a receiver needs is 1-2 feet of separation, and you can figure the rest out.

it's not. cornerback is the most low-iq, braindead position in football. the people who would be good at covering wide receivers are the wide receivers.

snowdays wrote:

it's not. cornerback is the most low-iq, braindead position in football. the people who would be good at covering wide receivers are the wide receivers.

Yeah, why would someone play DB if they are good enough to play WR?

next best case wrote:

snowdays wrote:

it's not. cornerback is the most low-iq, braindead position in football. the people who would be good at covering wide receivers are the wide receivers.

Yeah, why would someone play DB if they are good enough to play WR?

Maybe because defense wins Championships. If you think the best athletes are on offense you would be incorrect.

I played DB in high school

Its very hard. you get absolutely gassed.

The WR runs hard but they know where they want to run and when.

As the DB you are constantly reacting (often late), and having to run faster to make up for the delay to keep up.

You also have to help tackle and help chase down plays (which WRs dont have to do).

All of this means at each snap you are more tired than the WR you are facing. Add in all the other reason above listed by others and its VERY hard.

Lastly, as a DB, when you make a mistake, the WR catches a 50 yard TD and you let up a big score. High risk low reward position. If a dlinemen messes up the RB runs 8 yards for a first down......

wastaterunner2005 wrote:

I played DB in high school

Its very hard. you get absolutely gassed.

The WR runs hard but they know where they want to run and when.

As the DB you are constantly reacting (often late), and having to run faster to make up for the delay to keep up.

You also have to help tackle and help chase down plays (which WRs dont have to do).

All of this means at each snap you are more tired than the WR you are facing. Add in all the other reason above listed by others and its VERY hard.

Lastly, as a DB, when you make a mistake, the WR catches a 50 yard TD and you let up a big score. High risk low reward position. If a dlinemen messes up the RB runs 8 yards for a first down......

I'll one up you - I played DB at a Division 1 school back in the early 80s (I was 2nd team All-State in HS). Didn't play much until my Jr & Sr yr where I was in on mostly nickel packages. The jump in athleticism with the WRs from HS to college was unbelievable. Blazing speed & incredible vertical jumps with the Megatron-type WR (over 6'3" & 215 lbs) was incredible.

I was 5'11" & 185 lbs with good speed (4.52) but didn't have the vertical to match up well with the Megatons. DBs also have to be proficient in backpedaling & changing directions on a dime. The smaller receivers weren't a problem as some of our "bump & run" schemes benefited me with good upper body strength (335 bench) to jam these smaller wideouts at the line of scrimmage. One thing is for sure, a DB has to have great tackling skills because if can't tackle you'll get burned on man to man coverage without any safety support.

Usually a WR is faster than you are, they know where they are going and you can't touch them after five yards, that will do it right there,

DinoZ wrote:

Usually a WR is faster than you are, they know where they are going and you can't touch them after five yards, that will do it right there,

Other posts explain it well, and this one sums it up.

American football is a ridiculously contrived support, set up to produce action, outcomes and scores that audiences want.

If you want to compare athletes, you can’t compare DBs to WRs. It’s like a gladiatorial fight with rules to make it “exciting.” Watch track. Watch real football.

I usually sit 20 yards ahead of the play. I shoot with a 400mm lense. I don't usually have trouble covering NFL wide receivers.

sheeple wrote:

DinoZ wrote:

Usually a WR is faster than you are, they know where they are going and you can't touch them after five yards, that will do it right there,

Other posts explain it well, and this one sums it up.

American football is a ridiculously contrived support, set up to produce action, outcomes and scores that audiences want.

If you want to compare athletes, you can’t compare DBs to WRs. It’s like a gladiatorial fight with rules to make it “exciting.” Watch track. Watch real football.

Soccer sucks, keep it far away from The Red, White and Blue!

I always thought pound for pound DBs were far and away the best athletes on the field.

footclod wrote:

Covering guys with 4.5 40 speed who can turn on a dime, receiver knows the route and when the cut is coming and the defender does not, defender has back to the QB most of the time, balls are moving fast to a predetermined space that the receiver and QB are ware of and the defender is not, all a receiver needs is 1-2 feet of separation, and you can figure the rest out.

Another problem is if a DB has his back to the QB, just about any contact with the WR will result in a PI.

I openly admit that I am trolling, but the idea that there's no glory in playing DB and that it's hard because WRs are so big and fast kinda lines up with my point... Why wouldn't you just be a WR if you were a big and fast guy and nobody could keep up with you?

But I definitely do acknowledge that a good DB has to be a superior physical athlete to the WR, and requires reaction skills to constantly make decisions on the fly which is an entirely different skillset from a WR following a route.

Unfortunately it amuses me to be a keyboard warrior and call a cornerback a guy with WR physical attributes but is too dumb to run routes and can't catch.

1/10. It's the toughest position in football.

We're both elite athletes, so let's race. Just one condition though; I know the course (WR) and you don't (DB). Good luck.

snowdays wrote:

Why wouldn't you just be a WR if you were a big and fast guy and nobody could keep up with you?

But I definitely do acknowledge that a good DB has to be a superior physical athlete to the WR, and requires reaction skills to constantly make decisions on the fly which is an entirely different skillset from a WR following a route.

To your point, I fell into the DB and safety positions because I was a below-average QB and not big enough to be a take-charge offensive threat. But it's not so simple with football.

1) Some players love to hit. I was one of them. Nothing more satisfying than leveling a WR coming across the middle or decleating a QB on a blitz. If you play WR, you get to hit a little, but most of the time you're trying to avoid getting your a$$ handed to you on hospital balls. You fear the big hit b/c your focus is on catching the ball. My focus was on decapitating you.

2) Even if you are a "big and fast guy nobody could keep up with" that only takes you so far. There is always a bigger bear. And the faster ones come in all shapes and sizes.

Also keep in mind that at the HS level at least, the true stud WRs (and other position players) are going to play both sides of the ball. Used to be that the marquee players never left the field (offense, defense, special teams), but now there is more specialization aka coddling. The skillset required to run precise routes and jump and cut as a WR translate well into playing DB.

snowdays wrote:

I openly admit that I am trolling, but the idea that there's no glory in playing DB and that it's hard because WRs are so big and fast kinda lines up with my point... Why wouldn't you just be a WR if you were a big and fast guy and nobody could keep up with you?

But I definitely do acknowledge that a good DB has to be a superior physical athlete to the WR, and requires reaction skills to constantly make decisions on the fly which is an entirely different skillset from a WR following a route.

Unfortunately it amuses me to be a keyboard warrior and call a cornerback a guy with WR physical attributes but is too dumb to run routes and can't catch.

Like every other skill in sports, there is a genetic factor for tracking and catching a thrown football. It's the same for outfielders in baseball. Some will get a good jump and run a direct route to the ball and others can practice until the cows come home and never get anywhere close to obtaining those skills.