How to Defend Stair Step Routes

Well first of all what is a stair step route.  Simply put it is a route where the receiver gets inside of you and takes a slant angle before stemming you straight up the field.  From there he can either run a dig, over, out, corner or seam route.

If anyone has had those type of routes run on them,  they know the difficulty of covering them.  You want to protect your outside leverage if that is what you have but you also don’t want to give up an easy in breaking route or the over because you know that can lead to big yardage.

In the video below,  I show you an example from a game involving the Giants and Dolphins with the receiver being Jaylen Waddle and the DB being James Bradberry.  It also comes down to proper body positioning.  The routes are still tough to cover but you can give yourself a chance vs. both the in breaking and out breaking routes by following what I lay out in the video.

Not a whole lot more to say on this here other than to check out the video and give this a shot the next time a receiver gets inside of you quickly in press and starts “stair stepping” you.

If you have any questions on the video or the technqiue,  feel free to reach out to me via email at: cwilson@alleyesdbcamp.com – Thank you for being a member.

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alleyesdbcamp

Owner at All Eyes DB Camp

Chad Wilson is the founder of All Eyes DB Camp and a former standout defensive back for the Miami Hurricanes. After an elite collegiate career, Wilson spent a season with the Seattle Seahawks before transitioning into coaching. A 3-time Florida state champion defensive coordinator, he has spent over 20 years developing the "All Eyes" blueprint that has produced NFL All-Pros and stars like Xavien Howard, Patrick Surtain II, Tyson Campbell, Minkah Fitzpatrick and more. His coaching system is proven at the highest levels—his own sons, Quincy and Marco Wilson, both excelled as starters in the SEC before being drafted into the NFL.

Chad is the author of "101 DB Tips"—The Ultimate DB Reference Guide. You can find more information on the manual and how to order your copy in the sidebar and footer of this page.

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