| Champ Bailey: Changing the Cornerback Position |
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| Written by Rob | ||
| Friday, 11 January 2008 08:28 | ||
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What Whitlock did that caught my attention was not the interception. It was how he got the interception. He was lined up about four to six yards off the line of scrimmage. His feet were apart slightly wider than his shoulders with his body turned inside toward the quarterback. When the ball was snapped he kept his eyes on the quarterback with the receiver to the back of his outside shoulder but still in his peripheral. His hips were turned up field as he side stepped and pressed the receiver towards the sideline. Parker, being pressured, was anticipating a timed slant and threw the ball into an empty area where the receiver should have been. Well, the receiver ran the wrong route. Oops, dead play, incomplete pass, right? Not exactly. Because of the way Whitlock played his coverage, he was able to read the quarterback, come off his coverage and react to the bad throw. He got back to the intended area and picked off the interception and ran it back for a touchdown. Had Whitlock been playing a backpedal, turn and run, traditional style, the pass would have gone incomplete. In fact the receiver didn't even realize the ball had been thrown until Whitlock was on his way for the score. This technique has become Champs signature style but more and more I'm starting to see a lot of cornerbacks incorporate it. Hell, I’ve even seen it in men’s flag football leagues. But what really surprised me was to see it at the high school level. I've seen it a lot at the NFL and College level but never at the high school level. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, right?
Traditionally a cornerback is taught to always line up facing his receiver. He may turn his head inside to see the play but typically he's watching the receiver in front of him. The receiver makes a move, cornerback reacts. This obviously gives the receiver an advantage because he's always a step ahead, a move ahead of the defensive back. But if you take the receiver out of the equation and react to the quarterback, you've just given the defensive guy just as much of a chance to get to the football and break on a route.
Champ has changed his technique and strategy and gone against the grain of what a cornerback would typically do. He'll line up about an extra step outside the opposing receiver's outside or inside shoulder and square his feet and hips towards the quarterback. His stance is a little bit wider than normal and his hands are out in front of him, slightly above the inside of his knees. It almost gives the impression that he's not even paying attention to the world class athlete that's across the line of scrimmage from him. Not only is it an interesting technique but it sends a message to the quarterback: "I'm playing against you, not the receiver. You throw the ball, I'm coming for it." At this point the receiver becomes nothing but a pawn, something to bait the quarterback with. Prior to the snap and during his backpedal Champ's hips will sink and open up toward the field. He doesn't have to turn his hips and open up to run because he started off that way. If the wide receiver tries to get deep and outside, he'll press him to the sideline with his outside shoulder squeezing him. All the while he'll peek into the backfield reading the quarterbacks eyes. He's in the general area of the receiver but baiting a throw. It looks very awkward but Champ's mastered it and the few times he was tested in 2005 and 2006 he picked off the throw.
Now like I've said, I've seen many imitate this technique and have success but it'll get you into trouble. Champ has had a lot of success over the past few years with this style but there are obvious flaws and I wouldn't suggest a young defensive back imitate what he sees just yet. If you're a young DB learn the basics of the position. Learn to get your hips low and into a proper backpedal. Learn how and when to open your hips to turn and run with a receiver. Learn how to get position on a throw to break it up or intercept it. Learn how to react to the play and come up for run support. Champ Bailey's athleticism has allowed him to play how he feels comfortable and explore new techniques. If he makes a mistake, he's typically in a position to make up for it and correct it. He has the speed and agility to contort his body and still get up field very fast to break up a play. If you ever have a chance to watch him play in person, do so. Just watch him for a while and you'll truly understand and respect the style of play he's been able to incorporate into his game. It’s fun to watch especially if you're a defensive minded football fan like me.
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So a couple weeks ago I was watching the Under Armour High School All-American Football Game being played in Orlando, Florida. It was an interesting game and fun to see the nations top college prospects. But there was one thing in particular that I noticed. It was in the fourth quarter when cornerback Charles Whitlock intercepted a pass from team Silver's Kyle Parker and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown. The way Whitlock lined up and played his receiver on that play was very familiar. It reminded me of Champ Bailey. Not how well he played (although he played very well) but his style, his technique. It was a style that Bailey began to incorporate into his stance and drop back around three or four years ago when he was brought into Denver.
So what's the difference? Let’s look at a typical pass defense. Depending on the coverage shell, the cornerback may line up with his head slightly on the outside shoulder of his opposing receiver and facing towards him. If he's in a cover two or a man-to-man shell his feet are squared up, again he's facing the receiver, his hips are low and his hands are out in front of him ready for some contact. If he is in a cover three, he will have his inside foot slightly behind him, hips low ready to drop into his backpedal and into his deep third assignment. As the football is snapped, the cornerback gets a bump on the receiver and then drops into coverage or just drops into coverage immediately. During this whole sequence his attention is completely on the receiver first and everything else last. He may not know how the play is developing until a second or two later or depending on how the receiver plays the down.
The prime example was in 2006 when Denver played Oakland. Champ was lined up against Randy Moss. Moss’ route was a 15-20 yard out. Champ took his drop back, read the quarterback, saw him looking for the out and jumped it. He broke on the route like he was the receiver and not the defensive back. He literally got to the ball two steps ahead of Moss.
