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Boss Units: ’81 Dallas Cowboys

By: Chad Wilson – All Eyes DB Camp
IG: @alleyesdbcamp

I am kicking off a new series here on All Eyes DB Camp where I talk about some of the best secondaries in NFL history. Like Know Your DB History and Dynamic Duos, this series is designed to teach you the history of secondary play as I think it is important to know these things if you are trying to reach your full potential. Knowing history can put you on a straighter path to your future.

Kicking off this new series “Boss Units” is none other than the 1981 Dallas Cowboys. No other secondary in the modern era of pro football turned the ball over like this unit did in 1981. As a whole defense, the Cowboys intercepted 37 passes. 30 of those 37 interceptions came from the four starting members of their defensive secondary. That is an extra-ordinary number. What’s even more extra-ordinary is that none of the four members of this pick making party was a first round pick. Let’s take a look at the make up of this boss unit.

CB – Everson Walls

Walls led the unit and the NFL in 1981 with 11 interceptions. What’s crazy about that is that Walls was a rookie that year. Doubling down on the crazy is that Everson Walls was an undrafted rookie in a year when the NFL had 12 rounds in their draft. In 1981, NFL teams chose 332 players from college football and none of them were Walls. The Cowboys themselves picked 12 players including three defensive backs but none of them were greater than the free agent out of Grambling St. The 11 interceptions were no fluke either. Walls would intercept 7 passes the following year during a strike shortened season in which he only played nine games. In his career, Walls would intercept 5 or more passes in a season 5 times. He would also intercept a total of 57 balls in his career which ends up being more than the first defensive back taken in that 1981 draft Kenny Easley.

CB – Dennis Thurman

Thurman was in his 4th season with the Cowboys and was second on the team with 9 interceptions (career high). Unlike Walls, Thurman was not an undrafted free agent when he came out of college at USC. However, he wasn’t that much more highly regarded. The Cowboys selected Thurman in the 11th round, number 306 overall in 1978. That made no difference to Thurman who was playing in his first year as a starting cornerback for Dallas. Previously, Thurman had played both strong and free safety. The moves proved to be the right one as it produced Thurman’s best year as a pro. All told, Thurman had five seasons of five interceptions or more and logged a total of 36 career interceptions. After his playing days he went on to have a long coaching career in the NFL and coached greats like Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie and Stephon Gilmore.

FS – Michael Downs

How’s this for crazy? Michael Downs was also a rookie in the Cowboys’ secondary in 1981. Guess what round he was selected in? He wasn’t. Like Walls, Downs was undrafted out of Rice in 1981. Though he was 6’3″ 205 lbs., Downs played his senior year at Rice with a pinched nerve in his neck which affected his play. He was given a reputation as a non aggressive player so no one selected him in the ’81 draft. Downs won the free safety job in training camp and proceeded to aggressively intercept 7 passes for Dallas that year. Now it’s not often that you can intercept 7 passes in a season and be the third leading pass picker on your team but this boss unit was like that. Downs also had a stellar career intercepting five passes or more three times and totaling 35 by the time his career came to an end in 1989.

SS – Charlie Waters

Waters was the old man in this group of youngsters. He was also the highest drafted player in that 1981 secondary. Waters was in his 12th and final season in 1981 after being drafted in the 3rd round of the 1970 draft out of Clemson. Waters was the low man in the secondary with three interceptions that year but he was the general that allowed the other three to thrive. In his 12 seasons with the Cowboys, Waters never had a losing season and missed the playoffs only once. He played in five Super Bowls and won two. He is the NFL all time leader in playoff interceptions with 9 and in total, he intercepted 41 passes in his long stellar career. Waters went into coaching and broadcasting after his career and was considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame though he did not make it in.

The 1981 Cowboys made it to the NFC Championship game and played the San Francisco 49ers on the road at Candlestick Park. It was one of the great games in NFL history and it ended with a play termed “the catch”. Late in the 4th quarter with 51 seconds left, Joe Montana rolled out on 3rd and 3 from the 8 yard line and hit Dwight Clark with a pass in the back of the end zone. The touchdown would give the 49ers a 28-27 victory and effectively launch their dynasty in the 80’s as they would go on to win four Super Bowls during that time (81, 84, 88 & 89).

You have to be amazed at the performance of these lightly regarded NFL draft players and the coaches who developed them. The defensive back coach for the Dallas Cowboys in 1981 was Gene Stallings who would eventually become a national championship head coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 1992. The defensive coordinator for the Cowboys that year was Ernie Stautner who was the DC for the Cowboys from 1973 to 1988 and oversaw some of the best years of Cowboys defense in their history. Now that’s what you call a Boss Unit.

Great DBs Talk but Not How You Think

By: Chad Wilson
IG: @alleyesdbcamp

I think many of you reading this have gone paint balling with friends. Have you ever been on a team with a guy that just won’t communicate. Guys from the other team roll up behind you and they say nothing. If you have, then I am sure you know that it’s no fun getting all wet up.

When you are a part of a team, there are few things more important than communication. The amount of information that a unit can relay defensively to it’s members can mean the difference between winning and losing the down. One of the biggest things you notice when you watch a pro football team and a high school team playing or at practice is the amount of talking that is going on before and after the snap.

If you want to play like a pro, then it’s time to start sounding like one. So what kind of information are you communicating both before and after the snap?

Before the Snap

Typical before the snap, the secondary is communicating about formation and location. Each cornerback should be calling out the number of receivers to their side. Further more, if there is a player that is spotlighted for the week and he is lined up in a location that causes an alert then they should be calling that out. Finally, certain alignments call for certain techniques. For instance, a bunch set often means that a different technique will be used whether in zone or man. Whatever that technique may be, it is important that the corner communicates with either the linebacker, safety or both. There are other things that are specific to each team that should be communicated but one thing I do know is that corners shouldn’t be silent, even when they are in man.

Safeties are faced with even more responsibility before the snap. In some defenses, they are responsible for calling out the formation. Even if that responsibility is given to the middle linebacker, the free safety should involve himself in it just as a back up. If your middle linebacker is off his game or a rookie is in there and is overwhelmed, the whole unit should not have to suffer as a result. The free safety can pick up the slack by opening his mouth and calling out the formation.

Safeties can also call out splits by wide receivers that could potentially lead to a play that could be a play on the watch list. A particular split by a wide receiver could be an indication that the reverse is coming. The corner on the other side of the field won’t see that split but he can be alerted by the call made by a safety who is communicating. This can potentially prevent a big play from happening for the offense. In addition, safeties are responsible for relaying the coverage and or any coverage checks that are necessary because of a particular formation or set.

After the Snap

Communication does not end once the ball is snapped. When a defense is playing zone, there is typically more communication for obvious reasons. As eligible receivers progress down the field running through zones, it is important for the players who can see the movement, that they communicate it to the players who can not. For instance, when the #1 wide receiver in a 2 x 2 set runs a curl behind a linebacker, it is necessary for the cornerback who can see it to call it out for the linebacker so he can adjust his positioning within the zone. The same for linebackers who may need to call out a flat route or alert others that a route is coming under.

Safeties who are playing deeper than everyone else on defense can see more than everybody. As the play progresses, they may need to tell other players to adjust their drop or let certain players know that they are there in position to either allow that player to fall off to another route or hold a certain leverage on a receiver.

In Conclusion

Talking while playing defensive back is not about dishing out trash talk to get in the mind of your opponent. I certainly know that this is a part of the game and I did my fair share of it when I lined up. However, more important than renting space in your foe’s head is filling up the mind of your teammates with relevant information for their success on each play to get them in position to quiet a threat that could harm your unit. Practice communicating now with your team in your 7on7 and practice sessions. Watch how it becomes contagious then notice how the overall performance of your secondary picks up.

I’m Too Short to Cover Big WRs

By: Chad Wilson
IG: @alleyesdbcamp

Playing defensive back is challenging and no one with a brain would argue that. It gets even tougher when you have anxiety about your ability to stack up against an opponent physically.

Often times I am asked by cornerbacks how are they supposed to cover wide receivers that are taller than them. Well, first of all, unless you are 6’5″, the time will come when you will cover a wide receiver that is taller than you. The approach, whether the wide receiver is shorter, your height or taller than you shouldn’t be too different with the exception of a few things that I will discuss in this article.

Learn to Play in their Space

One of the biggest things wide receivers are taught and are striving for when they are running their routes is separation. Why? Quite simply completing a pass becomes more simple for the quarterback and the wide out when there is space. With that being the case, you can make your life as a smaller defensive back easier by learning how to close out that space. Getting close to a wide receiver’s body and jumping up with him can be extremely effective. This disrupts both their ability to reach maximum height and pull the ball in for a reception. The same is true for throws that are not thrown high but to other parts of the WRs body. Getting in the WRs space / body allows you as the defender to place your hand to most areas of his body to knock a pass away. This is not the case if you allow there to be space between you and him. The more space between you two, the less your arms will be able to reach all the areas on his body from which he can catch the ball.

Learn to Play Off Man Coverage

In most cases, a shorter defensive back should have quicker feet and change of direction than a taller WR. If you are 5’10” going against a 6’2″ wide receiver then you should most definitely have quicker feet than him. As such, using more off man coverage vs. a bigger / stronger wide receiver is in your best interest. Playing off coverage can discourage the deeper throws downfield that can put you at a disadvantage. Should the offense still attempt these type of throws, your quickness should allow you to cut off routes more often and delay the wide receivers progress down the field. If you playing off makes them opt for more short and medium routes, use your quickness to beat the wide receiver to the spot.

Learn to Play in the Slot

This particular tip does not exactly help you cover bigger wide receivers. However, it is geared toward smaller defensive backs that may face too many challenges playing on the outside. As I stated in the last tip, your smaller size provides you with the advantage of having quicker feet and change of direction. This skill set works very well when you are playing vs. slot WRs. Typically, smaller wide receivers play in the slot because of their heightened quickness. These type of wide receivers are a challenge for the bigger cornerbacks playing outside. Somebody has to cover these guys, why not you if you are a smaller defensive back? Embrace the role of being a nickel back as your unique skills can make you an asset at this spot.

Study your Opponent

You should be doing this anyway but if you are missing some physical attribute that puts you at a disadvantage then reclaim your edge by doubling down on your film study. There’s nothing like knowing where that wide receiver has to be on every play. Knowing this allows you to beat him there and either discourage the throw or be in better position to play the ball when it is thrown. Not everyone that excels at this game is blessed with all the physical gifts. In fact, many have excelled by using their brains to win even in the face of seemingly insurmountable physical odds. Work harder and smarter than the bigger man to end up on top when the ball comes.

Some of these tips are explained in more detail in my member’s area. Others will be addressed in future member’s area posts. If you are not yet a member, I highly suggest that you join and take your game to the next level. Take the tips in this article to heart and to the bank as you enter into battle vs. the bigger guys who think they are going to have an easy day against you. Change their mind real quick.

A DB’s Confidence is His Armor

By: Chad Wilson
IG: @alleyesdbcamp

It’s coming down to that one play in that one moment and their leading receiver is jogging out of the huddle to your side of the field. What’s going through your head? Well whatever it is, don’t take it for granted because it will dictate what happens next.

You don’t need me to tell you that playing defensive back and particularly cornerback is a pressure packed situation. Make a wrong move or two out there and it could be a touchdown for the opposition. If the margin at the end of the game happens to be a touchdown then you already know what’s coming your way and that’s heaping amount of criticism.

When those moments of truth come and it’s you vs. a skilled, athletic opponent, what is going to be your weapon of self defense? I can tell you, it’s your confidence. Confidence opens up the door for you to drown out the noise, use your technique and make a play when the ball is coming your way. Let some bad thoughts enter your head and chances are you are letting your opponent into the end zone or across the first down marker. Neither one of those outcomes are desirable.

So now that we know that confidence is key, how do we get it? Here are a few ways to gain confidence.

First, some people are seemingly born confident. It’s just their personality. Others have to work at it. If you are in the latter group then work is what you will have to do. Often times confidence is developed in other areas before it shows up on the field. Practice being confident in all things that you do. This includes things you may not be good at or you are doing for the first time. First of all, if you are not good at something, continuing to do it will make you better. Second, if you are doing something for the first time, you should know that doing it more in the future will only make you better than you are now. Have confidence that you will improve and that you should have no fear about this first rep at it. It’s only up from here.

Second, preparation is one of the best ways to build confidence. Some of the elite players of this game and in sports typically exude confidence. Basically all of them acquired their level of confidence through hard work and preparation often when others weren’t looking. There were some who faked it first with the idea of making it later. Those guys spoke their future into existence and went to work on making it happen. Speak boldly and then hold your feet and your mouth to the fire by going out and doing the work. It’s ok to write a check for money you don’t have in the bank yet but it’s a crime to not work to make that deposit to cover the check when it comes due.

Being more specific about preparation, film study gives a defensive back big confidence. One of the biggest reasons Hall of Famer Ed Reed was so confident on the field was because he knew that he put in the hours and hours of film study that it takes to know where the ball is going to be. There’s nothing like knowing what your opponent is going to run before they run it. This includes not only plays on game day but in 1-on-1 situations at a camp or 7on7. Perhaps you don’t have film for those situations but observing players when you are not playing against them can give you some clues that you can use when it comes for your time to line up across from them.

Finally, we all know that there is a tremendous amount of physical work that goes into being an elite football player. Don’t cheat the game in terms of the physical work. If you don’t cheat the game, the game won’t cheat you. At some point, you get paid for all of the hard work. Part of this hard work is being in shape. The G.O.A.T. Jerry Rice was not blessed with elite speed. However, he lined up against the fastest defensive backs in this game with confidence because he knew they would get tired before he would. Being in great shape when the big moment comes will make you feel like the bigger man in the matchup.

It’s camp and 7on7 season. Do yourself a favor and never line up in front of an opponent with any thoughts other than you will win the rep. Failing to do that means that you have lost already. The mind controls the body. In order for the body to move the way it should, the mind should send the message that it’s here and ready to win. Bring your armor with you for every rep.

Five Skills to Make You An All American DB

By: Chad Wilson – All Eyes DB Camp
Instagram: @alleyesdbcamp  | YouTube: cwilson91

1.  Ball Skills

The name of the game on defense is creating turnovers.  If they don’t have the ball,  they can’t score.  The best way for them not to have the ball is to take it away from them.  All of the greats have a knack for getting interceptions when they have the opportunities.  The NFL Hall of Famers are guys who were able to rack up some interceptions.  Other Hall of Famers who were known as cover guys that didn’t have a high amount of interceptions didn’t have them because teams avoided them.  When they did throw at them,  many times they turned it into interceptions.  You have to practice catching the football.  If it’s not a part of your team’s regular practice routine then work on it before or after practice.  When the ball comes your way and you get your hands on it,  you have to catch it. Practice catching the ball to develop your All American hands.

2. Instincts

Virtually all of the great defensive backs had great instincts.  You can not move fast on the football field if you are surprised by everything that is happening in front of you.  If you study this game enough,  you kind of just get an idea of what is about to happen.  Instincts are developed through constant study.  I am not just talking about only studying the teams you are about to play.  In your “free” time,  watch football.  Take a look at offenses and how they attack defenses.  Over time you build up an understanding that takes over on the field without you having to think about it.  You develop a 6th sense about how offenses work simply because you’ve watched so many of them.  Study the game to develop your All American instincts.

3.  Mental Toughness

We already know that you have to be tough to play the game of football.  You also have to be mentally tough to play defensive back.  Everything a defensive back does on the football field is magnified.  Miss a tackle and it’s a big play.  Fall behind a WR and it’s a big play.  Miss a jam at the line of scrimmage in the red zone and it’s probably a touchdown.  When disaster strikes,  the All Americans have the mental toughness to remain confident, move on the to next play and hurt the offense the next time they try to come after them. All American DBs see a failure on their part as an opportunity to make a play the next time because the offense will try them again.  That’s the only way to look at it.  If you win all the time,  QBs start to avoid you.  Lose a rep and your mental toughness should say,  “Great now I’ll have a chance to make a play because they’re coming again.”  Mental toughness is an ingredient all the great ones have.  Be aware of how you think during pressure situations so you can possess All American mental toughness.

4. Technique

As you move from level to level in the game of football you will realize that you need to be a good athlete but being a good athlete will not be enough.  There is a right way and a wrong way to do everything in life and that certainly includes the game of football.  Few positions on the field are as technical as defensive back.  This position is comprised of a ton of unnatural moves being repeated over and over like backpedaling.  We don’t back pedal to the bathroom,  through the mall or to our friend’s house.  Being good at covering WRs when we have don’t know where they are going requires that our technique be on point.  Even the GOAT Deion Sanders was a stickler for technique.  He knew that running a 4.21 forty was not going to be enough.  So if someone as gifted as Prime Time knew he needed technique to cover the best WRs in the game,  guess what you need to do?  Once you are taught technique by your coach or trainer,  be obsessed with perfecting it.  Study it,  practice it and apply it in competition to acquire All American technique.

5. Work Ethic

Finally,  I have a saying and it is “success is not an accident”.  You can have all the God given ability in the World but if you are not willing to work hard at all of the things I have discussed in this article then it’s only a matter of time before you become mediocre or fail to make it to the next level as a football player.  All of the great ones became great because they knew that the extra time was needed to be better than the next guy.  If you say you love football and playing defensive back then you have to want to show it by working harder and smarter than the next man.  You won’t become an All-American sitting on the couch or swiping through your social media time line all day.  Get out and do what no other man will do to possess All American work ethic.

DBs come in all shapes and sizes.  Being big and being fast will definitely get you more opportunities but that’s all it will get you.  Whether you possess all the physical attributes that coaches and fans want to see or not,  going hard to develop the traits I just discussed will take you very far in this game at this position.  Start applying what you learned in this article today and watch how you flourish.

Want An Interception? Start with a Stance

By: Chad Wilson – IG: @alleyesdbcamp

They say football is a game of inches. It is a phrase that is often overlooked and taken for granted. Many think it’s all about getting the necessary 10 yards for a first down or getting the ball across the goal line. I am here to tell you that it is more than just that.

Yes, the rules of the game of football are dictated by measurement. This is more so the case than any other sport as it is ruled by the measurement of yards. How do we get those yards? We get them by out executing the man in front of us and thus the team we are up against.

For defensive backs that execution comes in the attention to the details of what may be the most technical position that there is on the field (sorry offensive linemen). All too often I see young defensive backs take their stance before the ball is snapped for granted. Perhaps they have seen a NFL player who has been playing for a long time make a big play when he was not in his stance before the ball was snapped. That is always a mistake. That is similar to driving with one hand on the wheel the first time you drive a car. You are likely going to end up in a car crash.

For young, intermediate and even pros, winning snap after snap at the defensive back position begins with you aligning properly both with leverage but also with your stance. Whether you are in press or off, the key to ending the play with a play is starting the play with a winning stance.

I have noticed that defensive backs will take their stance less seriously when they are playing off as opposed to press. They do so because they feel that they have time when they are playing off. I am here to tell you that you are fooling yourself. The time you think you have will run out quick if you are not prepared to adequately handle the first few steps off the line by the wide receiver. Being caught off guard or unprepared to keep your leverage or depth vs. the speeding potential pass catcher will often lead to you making a donation to his stat totals.

For some guys its about looking cool and in control. Perhaps you think it makes you look goofy to always be ready. It’s similar to thinking that a guy is a nerd if he always has a pen, a pad and his textbooks when he comes to class. Years later when school is over and that nerd is looking down from his penthouse at you on the street corner, one of you is going to be goofy and it ain’t gonna be him.

The key to winning at anything starts with being prepared. For defensive backs, a big part of being prepared is aligning yourself before the play with a winning stance. Heed these words the next time you are in competition or you might get embarrassed and I hate to see it.

Check out this video below on the proper way to get in a stance when you are playing off. Enjoy:

When It Comes to Making Plays Control > Speed

By: Chad Wilson – Instagram: @alleyesdbcamp

It’s that time of year again where the talk of speed is heightened and everyone obsesses over 40 yard dash times. While the combine won’t happen this year, it won’t stop the mad rush to find out “what’s his 40 time?”

Of course, you need some speed to play defensive back at a high level. However, when it comes to actual game play, being under control as you move around on the field is more important than hitting your maximum MPH. I recently met with the owner of XPE Sports in Ft. Lauderdale Tony Villani. I have worked with him over the last four seasons prepping defensive backs for the combine. Over that span we have had several conversations over the movement of defensive backs and wide receivers.

Many a time, Villani heard me tell a defensive back during drills that smooth is fast. In his many years of working with college and pro athletes, Villani has found the same to be true. He has found it to be so true that he is developing a whole matrix to train athletes (football players in particular) how to run under control so that they can achieve maximum results while on the field. It is a system and thought process that I fully support.

Too often, defensive backs feel that they must reach maximum speed to make a play and they often find themselves out of gas when the ball comes. Football is game that involves constant change of direction. As such, working on being able to move in a smooth and efficient manner puts you in better position when the inevitable change of direction comes. I have seen many a defensive back under perform based on their workout numbers simply because they could not manage their physical excellence. Bottom line, a sports car will only perform as well as it’s driver.

A skilled driver knows when to accelerate, when to throttle down and how to take the curve. As you are performing your defensive back drills, do so with the thought of being smooth and under control. It does you no good to be the first one in the East if the ball is located in the West. Some of the best defensive backs you’ve seen were not the fastest ones on the clock but they were highly skilled at managing the speed they did have efficiently. Learning this skill will put you in position to make plays more often that if you turned everything into a track meet and found yourself on the ground the minute someone throws a curve into your sprint.

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When Pressing Your Man Don’t Forget the Hand

By: Chad Wilson

This blog is called All Eyes DB Camp so you know what I think is important when playing defensive back but the eyes aren’t everything, just the most important thing. Some guys when they are playing press pretend that their arms got amputated.

Yes, I know that the wide receivers are more skilled these days in avoiding jams. I also know that defensive backs have put in a ton of time studying what to do with their feet when playing press. Despite all that, the whole reason that it’s called press is because you need to use your hands to press your man. The very word press would indicate the use of one’s hands, unless you are in Spain stomping on grapes to make wine.

The art of redirecting a WR into what and where you need him to go is going to involve your hands. I always preach the order of importance when it comes to press coverage is eyes, feet then hands but they do include hands. What I have come to notice more and more are guys abandoning the use of their hands in favor of the mirror throughout the route. Sure, this can be effective but you’ll be just that more effective if you start incorporating the use of your hands more often to throw off the receiver.

The very thing that that the wide receivers want to avoid are the hands of the defensive back making contact with and disrupting their path. If you watch how they train and what they drill against, it’s the hands of the defensive back. Because they are training against it doesn’t mean that we avoid doing it. It simply means we must get better at using it. If you are a team that runs a lot of Cover 4, you don’t suddenly abandon using it because your opponent practices against it. What you do is get better at executing it.

So my message to my defensive backs out there as you head into your offseason training is while you are peppering yourself with foot drills and ladder routines, spend a good amount of time working on striking the wide receivers with either two hand or one hand jams. Boxer’s definitely train their eyes and their feet to be effective in the ring but they are nothing if they don’t know how to throw a punch. The message is the same for defensive backs who are asked to play both in man and some zone coverages.

I have some great tutorials on press man in the All Eyes DB Camp member’s area that talk you through how you should use your eyes, your feet and yes, your hands when playing press man. Consider joining.

Check out the video below for some advice on how to jam wide receivers when you are playing press coverage.

Ladder Drills to Give DBs Better Feet

Use these basic drills on an agility ladder to improve your defensive back footwork.

By: Chad Wilson
IG: @alleyesdbcamp

Any defensive back or defensive back coach knows that you need good feet to be a solid defensive back. I would dare say that you need feet before you need speed as a defensive back. So how do you get good or maybe even great feet?

If you want great feet as a defensive back you do DB drills. I have been well known to say that. I am not a huge ladder guy and in fact I hate it when I see guys go grab a ladder and do 30 – 60 minutes of drills on it and think they’re all good. Ladder drills alone will not give you the defensive back feet that you want. I can go into why that is the case in a later article but in the interest of staying focused I will say that the ladder has a part in developing your footwork.

When I am training my athletes, I use the ladder strictly as a warm up. However, the repetition of doing these things over and over daily allows the athlete to develop some skills that are useful in game situations. With that in mind, here are the ladder drills that I like to use to help warm up my athletes and improve their footwork.

(1) One in Each

This is as basic as it comes with footwork. It’s primary focus is to get the athlete warmed up but also to rep them landing on the balls of their feet. Once you really get moving as a defensive back whether going forward or backward, the foot plant will be on the balls of your feet. This drill builds that into the athlete’s DNA.

(2) Two in Each

This further warms up the athlete and the progress through the ladder by putting two feet in each hole till they get to the end. This also preps them for landing on the balls of their feet while also quickening the pace of the foot strikes. This is crucial for a defensive back that is often changing direction.

(3) Two in Two Out

Start with your feet outside of the ladder. As you progress through the ladder, you put two feet in each hole then put two feet outside of the ladder before putting two feet in the next hole. Again this works balls of your feet contact but also works lateral movement of feet while teaching minimal ground contact time. This helps with coming out of breaks while in a shuffle or crossover run.

(4) Icky Shuffle

I don’t know if I will do this drill justice by explaining it in text. Fortunately for you, there is a video at the end of this article that will demonstrate it. This drill is basically a shuffle that sends the athlete from one side of the ladder through to the other side of the ladder while always having one foot in a hole with the other outside of the ladder. Again, check the video at the end. This like the two in two out drill, preps you for minimal ground contact time while adding the element of full body movement to increase the difficulty. This works your sudden change of direction footwork skills.

(5) Two in Two Out Facing the Ladder

This one is my favorite for DBs. Facing the ladder from the side, place two feet in each hole then two feet outside of the hole as you progress through the ladder. By the time you have reached the end of the ladder you would have put two feet in every hole. I love this ladder drill because it closely mimics the foot patterns that occur when you back pedal and break. It develops the core muscles involved in such a crucial move that DBs make quite often during competition.

Like I said, don’t go crazy with ladder drills as they are only a small part of your training as a DB. If you are stuck with just a ladder and a small patch of real estate with which to train with, you are best off incorporating the basic DB drills that I have in my Masters of the Basics Drill series along with your 4-5 ladder drills to raise your level of play.

Be sure to check out the video below for a demonstration of the drills outlined in this article.

Kick Slide Your Way to Better Press Man Reps

By: Chad Wilson

I see it all levels of football. A defensive back is lined up in press man, he panics on the wide receiver’s movement and then he just turns and runs. Once this happens, it’s a win for the wide receiver. The pass may not get completed but he has put himself in a great position to catch a thrown football than if you would have denied him the “free release”. In this article I am going to tell you how to charge the WR a fee for exiting the line of scrimmage and not giving him anything for free.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a free release is when you allow the wide receiver to go by you in press man without having to really change his path or disrupt his timing. Another term for this would be “opening the gate”. One of the big reasons this happens is because the defensive back may not have been taught what to do when the wide receiver declares his path and seeks to get beyond him. After this reading this article, you will no longer be able to make such a claim.

One of the best ways to widen a WR’s release at the line of scrimmage is to use a kick slide. Using a kick slide will stop you from crossing over and opening your hips too soon and allow the WR to go by you too skinny. If you have ever watched a basketball game and watched a player defend the man with the ball to keep him from driving to the hoop, you may have noticed a kick slide. This would involve keeping hips and shoulders square while taking shuffle steps to move with the ball handler. This is primarily the same when playing press man vs. a wide receiver. At some point he is going to want go by you the same way a basketball player with the ball will attempt to do vs. a defender so he can get to the hoop. The WR will want to get by you to get to the field behind you and to his landing point for the pass. The better that defender is at staying square, the less chance he has of getting crossed over by the ball handler which can be quite embarrassing.

A good kick slide will keep you in front of the wide receiver longer and give you a better chance of getting hands on him should he decide to change direction. To execute a solid kick slide, there are three key components.

(1) Good Stance

It all starts with your stance. If you are not properly prepared to move then you will fall behind the WRs release and your kick slide will likely never happen. A poor stance will make you panic and cause you to open your hips too quickly. So, it is important that you have your knees bent and your chest out in your stance. The bent knees prepare your thigh muscles to activate and push in either direction once the WR moves outside of your frame. The chest out keeps you in a power position so that you can move explosively left or right or throw your hands with power should that WR decide to come right at you.

(2) Kick at a 45 degree angle

While in some cases, it is good to slide left or right straight across, we don’t do that with a kick slide. Shuffling at a 45 degree angle is ideal in the kick slide so as to not get caught at a bad angle and end up in chase mode. By sliding at a 45 degree angle, you give just enough ground to stay close to execute a jam while not opening too much to allow the WR to explode past you. Being able to kick slide 45 degrees in one direction and then plant to move back in the other direction suddenly is a great skill. This skill must be practiced often and it involves good upper body mechanics. Once again, keep your chest out but also keep a rigid upper body. Don’t let your shoulders drift outside of your hips as you kick slide. Doing so will make it difficult to get your body to head in the other direction should you need it to.

(3) Don’t Crossover and Don’t Click

As you kick slide, it is important that you don’t bring your feet together. Clicking means having your feet collide with each other as you are shuffling. The reason you don’t want this to occur is because at that very moment that your feet are together, the WR may change direction and you won’t be able to. The same goes for crossing your feet over in your kick slide. Placing one foot behind the other to execute your slide could be detrimental if the WR changes direction while your feet are in that position. Should this occur, at best you will have to take one extra step to then change direction or even worse you fall down trying to change direction while your feet are crossed. It is always best to keep your feet apart while you are executing your kick slide.

Focusing on those three elements during your kick slide will keep you in a good strong position. This will force the wide receiver off the line he would like to run, disrupt the timing and the spacing of his routes. If you are doing that consistently then you are putting yourself in good position to defend the passes that are being thrown to your man.

Check out the video below that I made on having a great kick slide. For more information and detail on playing press technique the right way, join my member’s area where I have well over 100 videos on drills, technique, coverages, analysis and more. Click here for the All Eyes DB Camp Member’s Area

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