Chad Wilson
November 11, 2025
Tip number 9 in my book 101 DB Tips talks about trusting what you see when you’re out on the field. There are a number of stages to becoming a consistent playmaker as a defensive back. The final stage is that very tip—trusting what you see—and I’ll expand on that in this article.
I was always a player looking for an edge. Maybe it was because I started playing the game late, or because I had convinced myself that physically I wasn’t enough. Whatever the case, I made it a point to try and know what plays were coming before the ball was snapped.
Understandably, doing this gave me a certain peace when game day came around. My most nervous times were always when I hadn’t put enough study in. I suppose it’s the same feeling you’d get if you never cracked open the science book before the exam. But that peace didn’t always translate into making plays—and there was one major reason why.
Have you ever taken a multiple-choice test where you were fairly certain you knew the answer, but more than one option seemed right? That’s your mind playing tricks on you. For whatever reason, you don’t trust your preparation enough to choose the answer that’s right in front of your face. That doubt can come from past mistakes and fear of being wrong. Early in my defensive back career, I was stuck in that exact place, and I had to fix it.
My hours of film study were more than most, and I would go into games loaded with information. But when the on-field “test questions” showed up, I’d convince myself the answer in front of me was too easy. There’s no way they’re running exactly what I saw on film, I’d think. With football being a fast-moving game, that split-second hesitation was enough to make me late. Football is an exam with a very short time limit.
In my development as a DB, this was one of the most frustrating problems. I was doing all the things you’re supposed to do to be great: the running, the lifting, the film study. But that little voice in my head on game day was blocking me from making plays.
It felt like it went on forever, but in reality it was about one season. I was new to being out there full-time and afraid to make a mistake. Once I recognized that, I started changing my mindset. As we approached the playoffs, I developed a “to hell with it” attitude in practice. When I felt I knew the play, I trusted it and went with it full speed. I’d love to say I was right 100% of the time but I wasn’t. However, I was right a strong majority of the time.
What I discovered was that I was making more big plays—and those big plays canceled out the mistakes. On top of that, being aggressive and sometimes wrong gave me film to learn from. Every error became a coaching point for me and my coaches. None of that growth would’ve happened if I kept hesitating.
By the time we reached the championship game my junior year of high school, that “to hell with it” confidence was fully developed. It led to an interception (called back by a penalty) and to me jumping in front of an option pitch and taking it 90 yards the other way. Do you know how much guts it takes to undercut a triple-option pitch? By then, I had them—and it turned into the biggest defensive play of the game.
From that shift in mindset and performance, I developed one of the most important parts of my game as a defensive back: confidence.
I carried that confidence into my senior year and became a monster on the field. Interceptions, pick-sixes, big tackles, kick return touchdowns, and more became part of my final season. I owe it to recognizing the paralysis-by-analysis problem and doing something about it.
If you’re in that same spot, know you’re not alone. Follow the path I took, and you can experience a real turnaround in your play. It’s a mental exercise, not something you build in the squat rack or under a bar with 45 lb. plates on it. But the strength it produces will rival anything you do in the weight room.
I hope this article helped you. If it did—and you’re looking for 100 more tips to take your game to an elite level—pick up a copy of my book 101 DB Tips. It’s chock-full of information from over 20 years of playing, coaching, and training defensive backs at all levels across the country. Click here to get your copy.
Chad Wilson is the owner of All Eyes DB Camp and author of "101 DB Tips". He played college football at the University of Miami and briefly in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks. Over his 15 year high school football coaching career, he tutored over a dozen Division I defensive backs and as a trainer has worked with NFL All Pros, first round draft picks, college football All Americans and Top 10 ranked high school football prospects.
