How to Defend a Slant Route in Press Coverage

By: Chad Wilson
Owner: All Eyes DB Camp

If the fade route is the most feared route by defensive backs in football, then the slant route has to be the most annoying. There’s nothing like being geared up for the long pass down the field only to have the wide receiver slip up under you and catch a ball for a 5-yard gain. Worse yet, sometimes he’ll catch it and run for the same number of yards he would have gained on a completed fade route. If you have enjoyed that experience or if it consistently happens to you, you’re in the right place. In this article, we will discuss how to defend a slant from press man coverage.

Proper Alignment

As with almost everything in football, success starts with aligning yourself properly. This begins with using the proper leverage, which is tied to two things. First is the coverage being called, and second is the alignment of the wide receiver. If the coverage is Cover 1, chances are you will be aligning outside of the receiver since there’s a chance that there will be help inside in the low areas of the field and definitely help in the post. In some cases, the wide receiver will have a very wide split, and it becomes more advantageous for you to align with inside leverage.

If the coverage is Cover 0, then without a doubt, you will be aligning inside, as there is no help from another defender inside of you. The amount of inside shade you take will depend on the split of the wide receiver.

Once you’ve determined the leverage you need to take, a good stance will help you defend the route. This starts with the proper placement of your feet. At most, they should be shoulder-width apart. Your knees should be bent like you are at the bottom of a half-squat position. Your chest should be out to keep you stable. Your eyes should be set on the near hip of the receiver. Your hands can be hanging down or up and ready. What’s important is that they remain in front of you.

For more on aligning with your help, read Where’s My Help in Man Coverage? (Cover 1).

Check the Split

A football field is flooded with markers, and offenses use them to determine where they need to be for the play to be a success.

Wide receivers don’t just line up wherever they feel like. Their playbook dictates that they align in certain areas to run certain routes. They need to provide enough space for the quarterback to complete the throw among all the defenders who are looking to stop it.

For slant routes to be successful, space to the middle of the field is necessary. As such, slant routes require a wider split. When you’re talking about outside receivers, their splits when they need to run a slant will usually be somewhere on or outside of the numbers. If they are inside receivers, they will align outside of the hash in most cases. What’s important is that you study the receivers on film to determine what splits may bring the slant route. Anticipation is your power as a defensive back.

Eye Discipline

After you have checked the wide receiver’s split, taken your leverage and assumed the proper stance, the last thing to put in place is your eyes. Ironically, the last thing is the most important thing.

Most defensive backs get beat on a slant due to a lack of eye discipline. It is easy to set your eyes before the ball is snapped. Once the wide receiver starts moving, the challenge to keep your eyes in place begins. The most disciplined defensive backs never lose sight of the wide receiver’s hip once the ball is snapped.

As the wide receiver goes through his ritual of trying to lose you at the line of scrimmage, having strong eye discipline will keep you in position to deny the separation that the receiver so desperately wants. Having your eyes in the right place sets up everything else that is going to occur. Good eyes keep your feet in place. Having your feet in place keeps your balance. Having good balance allows you to either drive on the throw or strike the receiver at the proper time. All of this begins with having your eyes in the right place.

Affect the Release

Now that the ball is snapped and you have action, it’s time to make all the right moves to put your body in the proper position to deny the throw from the quarterback to the receiver.

If you are playing hard press, a strong combination of hands and feet will be your method for disrupting the release of the receiver. The more you can change his path and make him engage in combat, the better your chances of defending the throw. To be effective in affecting the release in hard press, patience is needed.

If you are playing outside leverage, it is important that you don’t overplay that leverage. A good wide receiver will threaten you to the outside to create space to the inside. Do not let a hard step or two outside cause you to panic and throw yourself out of position. A simple peer step with your eyes firmly planted on the hip will keep you balanced and in position. If the wide receiver gets too close to you in his outside leverage attack, a strong jam to his chest or shoulder will disrupt his balance. Try not to be too fearful of an outside release and a fade route. This will keep you from doing the right things versus a slant. Learning how to have an effective kick slide that keeps you balanced and in place against the receiver’s hip is of the utmost importance.

For a closer look at that footwork, read What Is the Kick Slide? DB Footwork Explained.

Sometimes, the receiver will take off inside for the slant when you are aligned outside. Again, eye discipline helps you in these situations. Your peer step, whether with the inside or outside foot, should be small. Once it lands, you are ready to move. Your movement will depend on the hip of the wide receiver. If the hip moves inside, you kick slide with it and jam the receiver if he’s close enough.

If you are playing inside leverage, it is important to hold that at the line of scrimmage. Receivers understand that you have no help inside when you play inside leverage. To counter that, many of them will threaten you with an outside release, hoping you overplay it out of fear of them running a fade route. Once again, patience is your friend in that situation. Using your well-developed kick slide, you simply move with the receiver with your well-balanced steps as you mirror his inside hip. At some point soon, he will have to declare his path. If that path is back inside, your strong eye discipline will notice it. At that point, you will jam the receiver and flatten his release or redirect your kick slide back inside to cut off his path to the slant area.

For more on putting your eyes, feet and hands together, read The Key to Using Your Hands in Press Man Coverage.

Defending the Slant with Soft Press

If you are using a soft press technique, things are slightly different. Soft press is basically any technique where you are giving ground at the line of scrimmage to determine the release of the wide receiver.

If you are playing outside leverage and retreating at the line of scrimmage, defending the slant can be tough, but not impossible. What you will need is quick feet, a low center of gravity and, yes, strong eye discipline.

While you are retreating, you should have your eyes firmly placed on the outside hip of the receiver. If it comes toward you, be ready to strike if he’s close enough. If the receiver is bold enough to go outside of you, then you can mirror him for a few steps, then trap him to the sideline.

If the receiver redirects himself back inside, then you will mirror him with good foot movement and drive to his hip should his angle remain sharp inside. This would be the same method if he immediately runs inside at the snap of the ball.

If you are playing soft press with inside leverage, you are already in an advantageous position. What’s important for you is being able to drive out of your retreat if the receiver has made a strong effort to get inside of your inside shoulder and take a sharp angle. Since there is a chance you won’t be close enough to use your hands, having good feet will be your best weapon.

No matter what the initial steps are by the receiver off the line of scrimmage, your soft press technique should mirror them while maintaining inside leverage. If and when it becomes clear that the receiver is trying to get to your inside shoulder, your strong eye discipline will judge the angle of his hips. Once his hips take a slant angle, your footwork should change from retreat to drive and attach to his hip.

Attach to the Hip

Now that things have moved from the release at the line of scrimmage, it’s time to be aggressive. Your aggression will come in the form of your feet. Whether you have been able to get your hands on the receiver or not, once he determines his slant angle, your feet must bring your body to a hip-to-hip position with him.

If your eyes were in the right place and you kept your balance by keeping a solid base, driving to the receiver’s hip should not be difficult. It is important to accelerate to his hip quickly once his path is determined. Since you know the slant pass is quick, the faster you can close out the space between the receiver and yourself, the better. Your aim is to get on the same path as the receiver so you can meet him at the catch point when the ball arrives. The angle of your hips must match the angle of the receiver’s hips so that you can accelerate along the same path.

Defending the Throw

Now for the good part. The ball is coming, and you need to DENY the receiver his catch. If you did really well at the line of scrimmage, then you have cut the route off and put yourself between the quarterback and the receiver. If this is the case, your job is easy. Focus on the ball and make the catch.

If you have been unable to cut off the route but you have attached to the hip, the right moves need to be made to complete the rep. With all of the space now removed between you and the receiver, your hip-to-hip relationship should allow you to touch the ball. If you are underneath the receiver, you will be using your off hand to defend the throw. While doing this, you will have your near hand in position to secure a tackle in the event that you miss the ball.

Now that you have moved your eyes from the hip of the receiver to the ball being thrown, make sure your focus is on the ball. If the path of the ball does not allow you to intercept it, you will place your off hand either between or in front of the hands of the receiver and leave it there. Do not wave at the ball in an attempt to contact it right when it arrives. The trick here is to put your hand in place and leave it there until the ball touches it. Trying to swipe at the ball will often result in a miss that allows the receiver to catch the pass.

If you are above the receiver and hip to hip, your upfield hand will be the one to punch through his hands and touch the ball. This hand also happens to be your off hand. The hand nearest to the receiver is in position to secure a tackle if you miss the ball.

Conclusion

Defending the slant combines a number of things. First, studying the split allows you to anticipate a potential slant being thrown. It also leads to you taking the proper alignment with your leverage. A strong stance helps you move correctly when the ball is snapped. Having tremendous eye discipline allows you to read the release of the receiver. With good balance, you can affect his release with either your hands or your feet, depending on the press technique you are using (hard or soft press). Finally, recognizing the slant angle allows you to attach to the hip, close out the space and defend the throw with the proper hand.

Now that you understand what is necessary, it is important to train yourself to execute the steps in this article. My All Eyes DB Camp members area gives you the knowledge of strategy, technique and the drill work necessary to have success versus the slant route and any other route that a receiver may run against you. If you are looking to be a strong defender, take a look at joining the All Eyes DB Camp members area.

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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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