The Lockdown U Blog | All Eyes DB Camp

3 Ways to Boost Your Interception Total this Season

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

Picks! We all want them, unless you are a quarterback or play offense. How do we get them? That’s the questions and I’ll address that in this article as I discuss three great ways to up your interception total this season and put your name out there.

1 – Master the Basics

Playing defensive back involves many unnatural moves like back pedaling, flipping your hips and coming out of your breaks. These aren’t things that you normally do on a day to day basis so doing them right requires you going out and practicing them. Executing the basic moves you execute during games as much as possible will help you automate the process when competition comes. The last thing you want to be doing is thinking about your back pedal or coming out of your breaks when you are playing.

The trick for you is to make those basic moves like tying your shoes. We don’t think about how to tie our shoes do we? (I hope not!) The reason for that is because we’ve done it 10,000 times. Not having to think about it means we can focus on other things like point #2.

2 – Know Your Defense

One of my pet peeves is hearing a guy tell me “well I know what I’m supposed to do”. Hey man, that’s great. Congratulations on doing the minimum that is required of you as a player on defense. However, if you want to get your hands on the football more than ever before, learn what everyone else around you has to do too. Knowing the other guy’s responsibility keeps you from being lured into doing a job that is not yours. Offenses are savvy these days. They will do things to manipulate your thought process. If you aren’t sure who has a certain assignment on your defense, offenses can trick you into thinking it’s you. Not only will you not get interceptions you will give up big plays. Suddenly you are grabbing a big piece of that bench. Once you really know what everyone else is supposed to be doing, you can bait the offense into thinking something is there that really isn’t. That’s when you can get your hands on more footballs.

3 – Study Your Opponent

If you were in the ring boxing an opponent, wouldn’t it be helpful if he told you what punch was coming before he threw it? If you answer no then you probably have been punched in the head too many times. Knowing what’s coming will help you avoid it (also known as duck) and counter it with your own move. Likewise on the gridiron. Offenses aren’t going to tell you what they are running with their mouths but they will tell you with formations, personnel and movements. The only way to know what they are saying is by studying their history known as film. Going into games without watching film is a real amateur move. No defensive back serious about his success and being a playmaker would do that. Knowing what the offense is going to do before they do it will put you in position to get there when the ball does. That is the whole essence of getting interceptions.

To be able to focus on what the offense is telling you each game, you must first be solid in points one and two. You can’t focus on the how the defense works if you have to think about your footwork during a game. You can’t focus on what the offense is doing if you don’t know what you are doing on defense. See, it all goes together so you better get to work. The season is coming faster than a Tyreek Hill go route.

If you want to Master the Basics, understand defense and know how offenses try to beat defenses then you can do no better than becoming an All Eyes DB Camp Member and get the inside info on being an elite DB. Your competition is probably doing it. I’m just saying. Click here to join the All Eyes DB Camp Member’s Area.

4 Things Every Elite DB Has

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

There are good DBs, great DBs and then there are elite DBs. Those three categories of players are separated by a few factors. Some of those factors are genetics but more so, they are separated by things that are totally in the control of the individuals. Having played, coached and trained DBs for over 20 years, here are four things I have noticed that every elite DB has

1. A Great Desire to Study the Game

One of my biggest sayings is that success is not an accident. You will be elite at very few things in life that you don’t take the time to study. That is also true about playing defensive back. Elite DBs take the time to study other great DBs and see why they are so great. When I was coming up, there was no YouTube, no social media to find clips and most definitely no All Eyes DB Camp. Studying DBs meant sitting down in front of the TV to watch the games or taping the games on something called a VCR for me to study later. Nowadays you have way more outlets available to you to study great DBs and learn how to play the game. AllEyesDBCamp.com is one of those great sources.

2. Want the Ball Thrown Their Way

How will you ever make a play if you don’t want the ball thrown at you? When the moments get big some people rise and others hide. No elite DB ever wants the ball thrown somewhere else in big pressure moments. Typically, an athlete that has put in the necessary time studying, training and preparing, wants to show off their hard work by having the ball come their way during the game. Others, who deep down inside, know that they did not put the time in, don’t want to get exposed so they wish the ball would go somewhere else when the moment is hot. Make sure you are not that guy. Study, train and prepare.

3. Constantly Work on Their Technique

The same way that a golfer must constantly work on his swing, a tennis player must work on their approach to the ball and a bowler must work on their spin, so too must a DB work on his technique. A technique not worked on is a technique lost. The elite DBs that I have studied in my time have all been obsessive about working on their technique. They work on it before practice and after practice. I’ve seen them backpedaling down the hallway and in the mall. Being great is an obsession and the elite DBs want to be the best at everything they do.

4. Are Eager to Learn

They say that geniuses are the most curious people on Earth. You can be a defensive back genius by being very curious to learn. I have been pleased by the amount of people that have joined our All Eyes DB Camp member’s area. They have been youth, high school, junior college and college football players. They have also been parents, coaches and even players from overseas. All of these individuals have had an overwhelming desire to learn more and more about the position. What has pleased me even more is how they contact me after watching the drill and breakdown videos in the member’s area to ask questions. The only way to learn is to be curious. The best DBs I have been around, played with or coached have always been eager to learn and apply what they learn to the field to be great.

This is the Biggest Weapon A DB Has When He’s On the Field

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

The huddle breaks, your assignment jogs out of the pack high up on his toes looking menacing. The crowd is buzzing in anticipation of any and every bold moment that will unfold. Perhaps there is a national television audience watching with similar anticipation as you come face to face with the guy you’ve been watching on film all week. What’s the biggest weapon you have when that ball is snapped?

I’m often asked for that “one tip” by an aspiring or young defensive back looking to get an edge. Playing in the secondary with success is a conglomeration of so many things that it’s tough to just boil it all down to one. However, with a gun to my head, if I was going to give one tip, it would be this, “your biggest weapon is confidence”.

When you are confident you move different. Your actions are sure, they are purposeful and therefore quicker. When you are confident you are more smooth, more in control and better prepared when your moment comes. Confidence tends to drive out hesitation which is the death of guys that play in the last line of defense.

When the game is on the line and there’s a play to be made, confidence will not only have you demand that the action come your way but also give you the power to rise to the occasion. Confidence will also ease or even alleviate the pressure of the moment or moments in the game.

Here’s the thing about confidence though. While you can indeed “fake it till you make it” that has an expiration date. Fake it if you must but soon you will have to make it. So how do we get confidence. Some are born with it but for most, it comes from being prepared. So here’s the bad or good news depending on how you want to take it. You build confidence by studying the game, working on your craft and seeking out competitive situations. Few things will make you more nervous than not knowing what is coming. One thing that will make you more nervous than not knowing what is coming is feeling you are not prepared for what you aren’t sure is coming.

During my senior season at the University of Miami, we played the likes of Arizona St., Washington, Florida St. and Nebraska. The only game I was nervous for was Division I-AA Georgia Southern. This was not because it was the first game of my senior year, it was because I knew I did not put in the time to prepare that week. Rest assured, this did not happen again as I made sure that I packed my confidence for the next 11 games via adequate preparation.

So the morale of the story is, lift your weights, run your sprints, do your drills, study your film and you’ll walk into every competitive situation armed with that one big weapon that no defensive back can do without. CONFIDENCE.

Playing DB Isn’t All About Man Coverage

By: Chad Wilson – All Eyes DB Camp

I’ve heard it many times. In the debate about who are the best cornerbacks, some guys get eliminated from the conversation simply because they play too much zone coverage. “He’s a zone corner” they say and immediately he’s slid to the back of the pack. Playing zone is just as important to playing defensive back as is playing man and in this article I will tell you why.

The idea of a defensive back, a cornerback in particular, playing zone means he has help. The idea that someone has help doing his job automatically lessens, in the eyes of many, his abilities because he didn’t do it alone. We have placed a premium in our society on doing things “all by ourselves”. Well guys I have news for you, a cornerback playing man to man has help too, especially if he is considered to be good at it.

The best man to man defensive backs in the world would be nothing if there was not “help” from the pass rush. Covering a WR for six seconds play after play is not the path to being an all time great cover man. If anyone takes a look at the NFL career of the GOAT Deion Sanders, you will recognize that he played on great football teams. While the Falcons were not a tremendous franchise when arrived in 1989, they added talent immediately during his tenure including some solid players up front that got a pass rush to aid him in his man to man activities. In 1994, Sanders went to the 49ers, the elite franchise in the NFL at the time and was surrounded by talent, especially on defense. He then went on to the Dallas Cowboys in 1995 who had won two championships in three years before his arrival. There too he was surrounded by talent with a great amount of it on the defensive side located in the front seven.

Of course, it’s sexy to play man to man because it puts on display a lot of the physical talents that a player may possess like speed, size and quickness. However, playing in a zone highlights the mental capabilities of a defensive back and I have news for you, this game is won from the neck up.

For you defensive backs that are playing high school football. I get that you want to be known as a “shut down” corner and it is certainly important for you to work on your man to man skills. However, nothing is more frustrating for a defensive coordinator that has a defensive back that is too limited mentally or lacks the discipline to play a zone. There comes a time when a team has to play zone defense. It may be when you have a big lead and want to protect it. It may be when another player is injured and his replacement does not have his man to man cover skills. It may come when the other team has a matchup that would exploit a player trying to cover him man to man. It could also come when an offense comes up with a great scheme to defeat man coverage. Whatever the case may be, having a cornerback that can switch from playing man to man coverage to playing zone coverage effectively truly makes him great.

So my message to my defensive backs out there that think the only thing they need to work on is press man coverage, I am here to tell you that you are dead wrong. Don’t go to college and get hit over the head with the playbook. I have seen many a talented defensive back in high school who could cover man to man fall on his face in college when he gets in the meeting room and on the practice field because he doesn’t know how to play zone coverage. Football is the ultimate team game and if you are thinking that you can just set up shop on your team’s defense and be an individual by playing only man while everyone else is playing zone, then the only thing you will have lockdown coverage on will be that bench.

Know Your DB History: Rod Woodson

What if I told you there was a cornerback out there that had 71 career interceptions, ran a 4.33 forty, was a college track champion and was a Super Bowl champion. Would you be able to name him? Probably not if you were born after the year 2000. However, that man exists and his name is Rod Woodson.

Woodson played in the NFL from 1987-2003. One of the biggest reasons that he is often overlooked or not mentioned when people speak of the greatest DBs of all time is because he was overshadowed by the GOAT Deion Sanders. However, when it comes to athleticism and production, Woodson takes a back seat to no one.

Woodson attended Purdue and was a three time All Big Ten selection amassing 11 interceptions during his career. Of those 11 interceptions, he took three of them back for touchdowns. He amassed over 100 yards in interception returns yards in each of his last two seasons at Purdue. Before Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson received notoriety for being a two way player for Michigan in 1997, Rod Woodson did it ten years earlier in 1987. Woodson totaled 222 yards from scrimmage for the Boilermakers in his final season playing both running back and wide receiver. This was in addition to the 902 yards he piled up in punt and kickoff returns that season. All told, Woodson amassed 1124 total yards to go with his 100 interception return yards in his final season at Purdue.

Woodson was also a standout on the track for Purdue where he was a multi-time Big 10 champion in both the 55 meter and 110 meter hurdles. He also held the NCAA 60 meter hurdles record for 10 years. Woodson also qualified for the 1984 Olympic Trials in the hurdles but declined to go to focus on his football duties. He has a 10.26 100 meter time to his credit.

It should come then as no surprise that Woodson dazzled pro scouts in his pre draft workouts measuring in at 6’0″ 205 lbs. and running a 4.33 forty. He was expected to be the 5th pick overall in the 1987 NFL draft but inexplicably, the Browns (yes Cleveland again, SMH) passed on him in favor of linebacker Mike Junkin. This may have been the best thing that could have happened to Woodson as he fell to the storied franchise of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A contract hold out during his rookie season for 95 days gave Woodson enough time to go to Europe and run track professionally during the summer. Eventually, Woodson and the Steelers would work things out and begin what would be a Hall of Fame career. Woodson would play 10 years for the Steelers and become an All Time great for one of the NFL’s most storied franchises. During his time in the black and yellow, Woodson would collect 38 interceptions running five back for touchdowns. He would also add four more touchdowns in kickoff and punt returns. Most would call it a career at that point as Woodson’s numbers would be considered Hall of Fame worthy but that was only half of the story.

Woodson would go on to play seven more seasons in the NFL for the 49ers, Ravens and the Raiders. During that time, Woodson would pile up 33 more interceptions onto his career totals and take seven more back for touchdowns. Woodson returned more INTs for touchdowns in his 30’s than he did in his 20’s.

Woodson would retire after his 2003 season with the Raiders as one of the most accomplished defensive backs and players in NFL history. His 71 interceptions are 3rd all time ranking him ahead of notable players like Ronnie Lott, Ed Reed, Charles Woodson and the man that overshadowed him for most of his career, Deion Sanders. He totaled 1,483 interception return yards and scored 12 TDs on interception returns. He also forced 23 fumbles and recovered 32 scoring once. He racked up 7,256 yards in kickoffs and punt returns scoring four times.

Rod Woodson is a member of the college football hall of fame. He was an 11 time Pro Bowler. He was named first team All-Pro 6 times and was named NFL Defensive Player of the year in 1993. He led the NFL in interceptions twice and was named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary team. Finally in 2009, Woodson was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame (first ballot). It would be almost impossible to have a better career in the game of football than Rod Woodson did.

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

Know Your DB History: Everson Walls Dallas Cowboys

Know Your DB History: Everson Walls

When you are talking about underrated DBs in NFL History, Everson Walls is definitely on the list. Walls was not flashy. He was not supremely athletically gifted but what he was was a pain in the rear for every offense he faced.

Walls was late to football but always on time with getting his hands on the ball. He only played football his senior year at Berkner high school in Richardson, Texas near the old Texas Stadium home of the Cowboys. Despite the late start to playing the game, Walls led his district in interceptions in his one and only season playing high school football. Obviously not highly recruited, Walls had to convince Grambling Hall of Fame head coach Eddie Robinson into allowing him to walk on to the team.

The decision to add Walls to the team and eventually put him on scholarship would pay off for Robinson and Grambling. Walls would lead all of college football with 11 interceptions his senior year for the Tigers. His play would earn him Division I-AA All American Honors. However, his path to the NFL would not be any easier than his journey to college football was.

During workouts, Walls could only muster a 4.72 forty. He was determined to be too slow to play cornerback in the NFL especially with the likes of speedy WRs like Oakland’s Cliff Branch patrolling the gridiron. After having gone undrafted through the then 12 rounds of the NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys decided to sign Walls as an undrafted free agent. Not only did Walls make the team but he became the starter by game 5 of his rookie season in 1981. You would think that spending part of your rookie season as a back up would hurt production but not for Walls. He would lead the NFL in interceptions during his rookie year with 11.

The following season, the NFL would suffer through a strike shortened season. No problem for Walls. Once again he would lead in the NFL in interceptions with 7 in only 9 games. Through his first 21 games as a NFL starter, Walls had 20 interceptions. and through his first five seasons in the NFL, Walls would pull down a league leading 34 interceptions. He would end up playing nine seasons with the Cowboys, three with the NY Giants and two with the Cleveland Browns before retiring in 1993. He would make it to the Pro Bowl four times and lead the NFL in interceptions three times. Walls would also win the Super Bowl as a member of the 1990 NY Giants.

When all was said and done, Walls would end his career with 57 interceptions, good for 13th all time despite having retired almost three decades ago. Not bad for a former walk-on and undrafted free agent who ran a 4.72 forty. Unfortunately, Walls was never inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame which in my opinion is criminal. He was in integral part of some of the greatest Dallas Cowboy football teams in history. He was also one of the most prolific interceptors that the game has ever known.

I’m A Coach Not A Trainer

By: Chad Wilson – All Eyes DB Camp

We are smack dab in the Internet era and furthermore, knee deep in the social media movement. As such, there isn’t anything we can’t see online from people anywhere and everywhere. One of the biggest things existing on social media are trainers.

You can get trained to do just about anything on social media these days. It’s up to you to believe whether or not the guy who says he can teach you can actually do so effectively. I am not a trainer.

Before I took on this endeavor of teaching defensive backs from far and wide how to play the position, I played it first. After I played it, I coached it. After I coached it, I taught others how to coach it. There’s something different about coaching and training, especially when it comes to football and defensive back. First of all, there’s something to be said for having been in some of the situations I am trying to teach athletes to excel in. Someone who has not actually been in the shoes you are in is going to have a limited knowledge of what you are experiencing and how to handle it.

Despite that, I am not saying that it is impossible for someone to coach you if they have not been exactly in your situation. However, I am saying, for them to overcome the fact that they have not had that playing experience they are going to have to do many hours of studying and many more hours of coaching others that have been in that situation to actually get good at doing that. A majority of “trainers” you find on social media don’t fit this category. They “think” they have an idea but they really don’t.

Now, let’s move on to the coaching aspect because that’s really where the gaps get filled in. One thing I found myself saying over and over when I became a coach was “I wish I knew this when I was playing.” It is amazing to flip over to the other side as a coach and view the player. Many of the things you thought as a player were just flat out wrong. It’s crazy to realize that. Had I had the knowledge of a coach, while operating as a player, there’s no telling what I could have done.

All the knowledge I speak of is not just in movement, drills and technique. It also exists in how a coach views a player as a whole. It means how a coach determines if he can trust a player and who is actually going to play on game day. The view of how that works is vastly different as a coach than it is for the player.

So in teaching a player how to play defensive back, I bring along with knowledge of the techniques, an understanding of how things should be done to excel in virtually every situation that the player may find himself in. Playing the position is not simply about how you move, it’s also how you think, how you react, how you affect those around you and how you fit into the entire schematic puzzle. Some of these factors rarely ever visit the mind when you are a player. Part of my job is to make you realize them so that the movements you make have more purpose.

When you have coached a 6 year old who knows nothing, all the way to a 28 year old that is very experienced and getting paid handsomely to perform the tasks, you get a rather unique perspective on how skills are developed and applied to achieve success.

All of those long Saturday afternoons and intense Friday Night Lights coaching account for something. They allow me to give the athlete a perspective that is valuable to the people actually in charge of teaching them a team’s scheme and giving the player playing time required for them to shine. That person is the athlete’s actual coach.

If you are considering becoming a trainer, give coaching a try first. The perspective it gives you is invaluable. It is important to know how the individual athlete piece fits into the whole team puzzle. If your interest is in just teaching someone how to move their feet then so be it but understand, it has it’s limitations.

Want to learn how to play defensive back at a high level? If you are in the South Florida area, drop me an email for information on coaching cwilson@alleyesdbcamp.com. If you are out of the area, I have an outstanding member’s area that defensive backs at all levels and from many areas of the country are using to excel in their game. Join it now by clicking here.

For more on Chad Wilson – click here.

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