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Dynamic Duos: Part I Patrick Surtain and Sam Madison

Dynamic Duos: Part I – 2000 Pat Surtain and Sam Madison – Miami Dolphins

 

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

I’m kicking off a new series here on All Eyes DB Camp called Dynamic Duos as I pay homage to some of the best cornerback duos in history.  The only thing better than a guy locking down his side of the field,  is the guy on the other side also locking down his side of the field too.  Here’s a look at a pair of guys who did just that.

Who better to get this started with than a pair of local Miami locksmiths that I also happen to know personally.  There’s no doubt that Pat Surtain and Sam Madison can arguably be considered the best duo of cornerbacks in Miami history during their career as Fins.  In 2000,  no one was better than these two.

When your offense is ranked 26th overall with your quarterback throwing as many interceptions as TDs and you still make the playoffs,  the defense had to be on point.  That was definitely the case for the 2000 Miami Dolphins.  One of the big reasons for that was the play of Surtain and Madison at the corners.

Surtain,  in his first season as a full time starter for the Dolphins was a total menace to opposing offenses grabbing 5 interceptions and piling up a ridiculous 21 pass defensed.  He added to that,  two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Madison was equally as troublesome for quarterbacks matching Surtain’s 5 Ints and broke up 11 passes.  Madison also had two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries returning one for a touchdown.

I would be remised if I did not add that Safeties Brian Walker with 7 INTs and Brock Marion with 5 INTs played a big part in Miami being #1 in interceptions and #5 in the NFL that year in pass yards allowed.

Surtain and Madison are both high school coaches in Broward County, Florida passing on their lockdown ways to future generations.

Know Your DB History: Ronnie Lott

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

There have been many great safeties to play this game but no list of the top safeties makes sense or is complete without Ronnie Lott’s name on it.  To say that Lott made an impact when he played the game would be a tremendous understatement.

Known as one of the most vicious hitters in the game during his playing days,  Lott’s playing career began at Eisenhower High School in Rialto, California.  Lott was a standout running back, wide receiver, quarterback and safety during his time at the school.  The school’s current stadium is named in his honor.

Upon entering USC to begin his college football career,  Lott and NFL Hall of Famer Marcus Allen were both being considered for the illustrious tailback and safety spot on the team.  Head coach John Robinson decided to move Lott to defense when he realized that Lott was the better tackler. The move turned into Hall of Fame inductions for both players.

At USC,  Lott would have an All American career intercepting 14 passes including 8 in his final season as a Trojan.  His 1978 USC team would earn a share of the National Title.  Lott is both a member of the Trojan’s Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.

In 1981,  the San Francisco 49ers made Lott their first round draft pick (8th overall).  Playing cornerback for the 49ers,  Lott made an immediate impact nabbing 7 interceptions as a rookie and scoring on three of them.  That 1981 49ers team would go on to win the first of four Super Bowls during Lott’s time with team.

Lott spent his first five seasons playing cornerback grabbing 23 interceptions for the 49ers.  In 1986 he made a full time move to free safety and led the NFL in interceptions that season with 10.  It was at free safety that his legend as a big hitter really took shape.  The NFL film archives are loaded with film of big hits delivered by Lott as the leader of tremendous San Francisco defense. If you weren’t alive to see it,  I urge you to go find some clips on YouTube.  Lott was one of the league’s toughest players and once opted to have the tip of his pinky finger amputated rather than have surgery on it and miss time.

Ronnie Lott would play 14 total seasons in the NFL (10 with 49ers, 2 with the Raiders and 2 with the NY Jets).  He is ranked 8th on the NFL’s all time leading interception list with 63.  He scored 5 times, forced 16 fumbles and had over 1100 tackles.  In 2000,  Lott was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.

Know Your DB History: Charles Woodson

By: Chad Wilson – Owner – AlleyesDBCamp.com
IG: @alleyesdbcamp

We all know that Prime Time is the GOAT but many of you may not know the person I consider to be the 2nd best defensive back of all time and he goes by the name of Charles Woodson.

Woodson was a standout three sport star at Ross High School in Freemont, Ohio.  He graduated from the school as the all time leader in rushing yards and scoring.  He was also his team’s starting point guard and ran track.  Among the many awards he won as a senior in high school was Mr. Football Ohio.  It was a shock when Woodson,  an Ohio native, chose Michigan as his school but the reason was simple.  Every school,  including Ohio St., was recruiting Woodson as a running back but the future Hall of Famer wanted to be a defensive back.  That would be the first of many wise decisions he would make during his football career.

At Michigan,  Woodson would start as a freshman and lead the team with 5 interceptions.  He was responsible for a total of eight takeaways enroute to being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.  In year two,  Woodson set the Wolverines record for pass break-ups with 15 and was a Jim Thorpe Award finalist.  His junior season would be the most memorable. Woodson would intercept a career high 7 passes,  while adding 231 yards receiving and three touchdowns while playing part time on offense.  At the end of the season,  Woodson would become Michigan’s 3rd ever winner of the Heisman Trophy beating out Tennessee’s Peyton Manning.  Woodson is the only primarily defensive player to win the award.

After three great season’s at Michigan,  Woodson declared for the draft and was selected 4th overall by the Oakland Raiders in 1998.  For the next 18 seasons,  Woodson would go on to be one of the most dominant defensive players in the game.  Woodson was the NFL rookie of the year in 1998, a 9 time Pro-Bowler,  4 Time All Pro – First Team.  He led the NFL in interceptions in 2009 and 2011.  He was named to the NFL’s all Decade Team for the 2000’s.  He also was a Super Bowl champion while playing for the Green Bay Packers in 2010.

Woodson was known for his lockdown coverage as a cornerback and high IQ when playing safety.  He used his athleticism and intelligence at both positions to become one of the best playmakers in NFL history.  Woodson retired in 2015 with 65 interceptions, 33 forced fumbles, 155 passes defensed, 20 sacks and a ridiculous 13 defensive touchdowns.  In 2020,  Woodson will be inducted into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame.  There’s no doubt about it.  Not bad for a former high school running back turned DB.

Amp Your Game Up with Film Study

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

Everybody wants to make plays but not everybody knows how.  Everybody wants to make plays but not everybody wants to put in the work to be a playmaker.

In our heavy training and “Do It For the Gram” society,  everyone thinks the sole key to being a great football player is working out.  Working out is only part of the plan to becoming a great player.  If you don’t want to put in the time to study the game,  the most you’ll ever become is a guy who “looks like” he could be a good player.

If you are really serious about being a playmaker at defensive back you have to be able to anticipate what the opponent is going to do and the only way to be able to do that is to study film.  Many young players shy away from this part of the game.  In my experience only a small handful of defensive backs truly enjoy and get into studying their opponent.  Most prefer to spend their time taking out opponents on Call of Duty or Fortnite.

One of my big sayings is that “success is not an accident”.  Many people will look at Deion Sanders and say he ran a 4.2 forty and that’s why he was so great.  You’d be dead wrong.  Despite all of his physical gifts,  Deion Sanders was big into studying his opponent.  He was one of the first DBs to use portable DVD players to study opponents while on the bus and planes to games.  If Deion Sanders had to study film to be great then you better believe you have to also.

We can get into exactly what you need to study at some point later on but for now,  put the film on and start taking a look at your opponent.  It’s impossible to watch too much film.  Sometimes,  just watching film over and over,  you just pick up things that you will be able to see once game time comes.  Football is a game of inches,  you can gain a whole foot by knowing where your opponent is going before they go there. Study up!

Do Your Drills Match Your Scheme?

Do Your Drills Match Your Scheme?

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

Ever heard the curtains don’t match the drapes?  Well get your mind out of the gutter.  To make my point,  you can’t have floral print curtains with pinstripe drapes in your living room.  Likewise on your defense,  one must cooooooooordinate when it comes to drills and scheme.

Many a time I have seen DB coaches fall in love with drills they either picked up online or at a clinic and make them part of their regimen.  While there is nothing wrong with that,  you must ask yourself “is what we are doing daily in practice what we are likely to do on gameday?”

There are a lot of great drills out there and some of those drills hit home on the basics but if you are a predominantly press man football team,  do you want to spend most of your individual period working on back pedaling and coming out of breaks?  If you rarely play press,  do you want to spend a great deal of time working on mirror drills from a press alignment in practice?  That might give your cornerbacks great feet but will it help them play off the ball for 50 snaps on Friday or Saturday?

The same way we don’t take a hammer to the woods to cut down a tree,  is the same way you don’t send your guys on the field on game day with the wrong set of tools for the job.  Determine the scheme that you are playing.  Take a strong look at what your players are doing the most on game day and apply drills that will maximize their game day movements.  It seems like a simple concept but a lot of times DB coaches will fall in love with certain drills and they don’t really apply to the scheme that their particular defense is running.

One other point I want to make.   In most schemes,  the cornerbacks and safeties have different responsibilities and often a different set of required skills.  If you are the only defensive back coach for your team,  be sure to split your drill time up between those drills that are advantageous for the cornerbacks and those working skills for the safeties.  If you have an assistant that you can trust,  consider having a time during your Indy period where you split up the corners and safeties to get more time doing position specific work.

When game day comes,  your entire unit will benefit from more specific work that applies to the scheme that is being run by the coordinator.  Happy coaching.

Know Your DB History: Darrelle Revis

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

With the announcement of his retirement today,  it seemed only fitting to do this edition of the “Know Your DB History” on the man who had a term named after him,  Darrelle Revis.

As a high schooler at Alquippa High in Pennsylvania,  Revis played running back and defensive back.  He also returned kicks and threw the occasional touchdown pass. He was also an outstanding player on the school’s basketball team averaging 25 points per game and ran track.

Revis Island became a big thing in the mid 2000’s as Darrelle Revis made a name for himself locking down opposing NFL wide receivers and issuing them the poorest production games of the season.  For the casual fan,  it was not easy to see this kind of career coming for Revis as he exited the college game. There was little flashy about Revis’ game.  He was not flamboyant like Prime Time,  he did not pile up stats like Ed Reed and he did not play both ways like Charles Woodson.  However,  Revis was solid as a rock at what cornerbacks were being asked to do in his era and that was keep wide receivers away from the football.

In his college days at Pitt,  Revis,  who made an immediate impact was adept at tight coverage and the all important passes broken up.  Despite only eight interceptions in three years at Pitt,  Revis was a Thorpe Award and Bednarik Award candidate in his final season at Pitt.  Having accomplished quite a bit in a short amount of time,  Revis passed on his senior season at Pitt to enter the 2006 NFL draft.

With an impressive pre-draft process that saw him run a 4.38 forty at his pro day,  Revis was the first cornerback taken in the draft at number 14 overall.  The other cornerbacks taken in the first round that year (Leon Hall – Michigan and Aaron Ross – Texas) did not enjoy nearly the amount of success that Revis did.

Revis became a starter from game one with the Jets and proved his mettle early and often.  Soon opposing teams and quarterbacks recognized that throwing at Revis was a waste of time.  He racked up double digit PBUs in his first two seasons before piling up a ridiculous 31 of them in his 2009 season.  It was in that year that the term Revis Island was born.  He would go on to enjoy an 11 year career with five teams including two different stints with the Jets.

Along with a reputation for locking down receivers and batting down passes,  Revis developed a reputation for earning money.  Upon his retirement,  Revis is the highest paid defensive back of all time,  bringing in just over $124 million over his career.  This was due in large part to him willing to bet on himself with high one year guaranteed contracts and of course his ability to live up to the longer contracts he received.

If you are into stats then Revis was not your guy.  His 29 interceptions rank 225th all time with a ton of unmemorable names above him.  However,  in the era that he played in,  few if any covered receivers and took them out of the game like he did.  Now the debate begins as to whether or not he’s a first ballot hall of famer.  There is no doubt though that Darrelle Revis is one of the best cornerbacks to ever lace em up in the National Football League.

3 Things Every DB Should Have in Their Toolbox

3 Things Every DB Should Have in Their Toolbox
By: Chad Wilson – Owner – All Eyes DB Camp
Instagram: @alleyesdbcamp

I often get asked for tips on playing defensive back and often find myself at a loss for what to say.  There is no tip I can give someone in passing that will instantly take your game to the next stratosphere. This is not shooting baskets or pool nor is it throwing horseshoes.  However,  here are three things I think every defensive back should have in their toolbox if they want to excel.

1.  A Short Memory

I don’t care who you are,  you will get beat playing defensive back.  Just as sure as the sun rises, so too will a defensive back find himself behind a WR who will catch a ball for a touchdown.  What’s important is how you handle yourself after you get beat.  A defensive back with a short memory is most likely to be in the right frame of mind the next time the ball comes his way and will be able to make a play.

Some defensive backs have a hard time letting go of a situation in which they got beat.  This position requires a great deal of confidence.  It’s one of those positions in the game where your mistakes are magnified because they are out in the open for everyone to see.  Having the ability to shrug off the jeering crowd, the celebrating receiver and block out the thoughts of what Twitter will have to say on the situation are only to your benefit.  Figure this, most of the people being negative to you after you get beat have no idea what it is like to be in your shoes.  The moment the bad play is over, act like it never happened and move on to the next play.  The one positive to getting beat is that it makes the offense come your way again because they think they can have success.  Seize that opportunity and change the outcome.

2. A Competitive Spirit

As I said,  this position thrives on confidence.  Confidence and competitive are brothers and they hang out a lot.  Defensive back,  specifically cornerback is one of the most competitive positions in sports.  Down after down it’s you and the wide receiver going at it to see who’s the best. If you don’t truly love to compete then you will lose the battles more times than not and it will cost your team plus you a starting spot.

Being competitive is not a sometimes thing either. Competitive people want to win at everything.  So this goes to the classroom, board games, pool, checkers, everything.  Season your competitive spirit by adopting a winning attitude anytime their is a score being kept.

3. Great Instincts

Being able to make plays often requires anticipation.  Anticipation comes from having an idea of what might be coming.  Consistently being able to anticipate what a team or opponent will do next is what is called instincts in this game.

How do you get instincts?  You have to study history to understand what might come next. In football, history is film of previous games.  Study your opponent.  Find their tendencies and they ways that they give away their plays.  Study long enough and often enough and you will soon find yourself being a ball magnet.  When you study enough,  you move on the football field with a greater ease and often times in ways you probably really can’t explain.  You will start to see plays happening before they happen.  That will be a result of you being able to connect what’s happening in front of you to what you have seen on film many times and move to where you know the play and the players will end up.  Once that starts happening you will constantly be in on pass breakups, big hits and INTs.

So that’s it,  there is no magic potion to being a great DB.  It is a result of acquiring knowledge,  working hard and consistently doing the right things to develop your game.

The All Eyes DB Camp member’s area has a nice array of videos on drills and film breakdown to give you the instincts and competitive spirit you need to excel and playing defensive back. That will certainly satisfy the acquiring knowledge part of being successful as a DB.  If you want to be known as one of the bests at the position then access to the videos and tips is just the thing you need.

Feel free to share this video on your social media accounts. It may be of use to someone in your audience. Feel free to send any questions you may have to cwilson@alleyesdbcamp.com.

When Your Coach Is Talking, Look at Him

When Your Coach Is Talking, Look at Him

By: Chad Wilson
IG: @AllEyesDBCamp

Coaches talk,  that’s what they do.  Coaches are teachers and like teachers there is an overwhelming need to speak as that is the major way to communicate information to both those who seek and need it.  In order to get that information,  you,  the student, needs to listen and one of the best ways to do that is not just with your ears but with your eyes.

Your coach is communicating to you with his mouth via speaking.  What you didn’t know is that he needs you to communicate too and the way you do that is with your eyes.  Here’s what your eyes are saying while the coach is speaking.  If your eyes are looking down at the ground they are saying “what you are talking about coach is really not that important to me and I don’t need to listen to it.”  If your eyes are looking at the coach then it is saying “coach what you are saying is important and I need to know it.”  If your eyes are looking off into the distance at something else that is going on then you are saying “coach please hurry up and finish talking, I really don’t want to be hearing this and by the way,  don’t trust me on game day because the same way I am not paying attention now is the way I will not pay attention in the game and cause us to lose it.”  I bet you didn’t know your eyes said all of that.  However,  your coach can hear it loud and clear.

Coaches play who they trust.  Plain and simple.  When you are in high school and there isn’t a ton of talent on the roster then the coach has to trust his talented players the most.  If you are on a high school team that has talent then your coach has options and WILL ALWAYS play who he trusts the most which means it might be a guy who is a little less talented but is trustworthy. If you are into looking elsewhere when your coach is talking, I can guarantee you that you aren’t the one he trusts.

When you reach the college and pro ranks there are a lot of talented players and now it’s just not about talent.  It starts to become about who the coach can trust. Your coach has a job to do and it depends a lot on who he puts in the game. You are responsible for the big salary he is earning.  He is not going to put the house he’s living in,  the school his children are going to and the cars he’s driving on a player he can’t trust.  A coach can’t trust a guy who won’t look at him when he’s talking.  He has no idea if you heard what he said and God forbid if you don’t know what you need to know in a crucial moment in the game.

So the next time you think you are the most talented guy but coach is not playing you,  ask yourself,  where are your eyes?

Know Your DB History: Aenas Wiliams

KNOW Your DB History: Aeneas Williams

There are DBs that got a lot of attention during their NFL careers and there are other great ones that seemed to get very little. Former Cardinal’s cornerback / free safety,  Aeneas Williams would fall into the latter category.

Williams was not a college football star at a top program who had a history of being in the spotlight before entering the NFL.  However, one thing Williams did have was a great knowledge of the game and a knack for knowing what the other team was going to do.

Williams took a non-traditional route to the league.  Williams entered popular historical black college Southern University based on his academic achievement in high school.  At Southern,  Williams focused on his studies and only took up football after he graduated his junior year.  As a graduate, Williams played his first ever football season.  In that, his first season,  Williams tied NCAA division I for the most interceptions. Williams put together such an impressive mini college football career that the then Phoenix Cardinals took a chance on him in the 3rd round of the 1991 NFL draft. The gamble certainly paid off.

In Williams’ rookie season he tied for the NFL lead in interceptions. Over the next 10 seasons for the Cardinals,  Williams would make it to six Pro Bowls from 1994-1999.  Williams would eventually end up playing for the St. Louis Rams where he would pick up two more pro bowl trips.

Over his career,  Williams would make eight pro bowls and amass 55 interceptions.  He would also score nine defensive touchdowns and be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2014.  Williams is not often talked about because he was not flashy but his intelligence and football IQ was second to none during his era.

Know Your DB History: Dick “Night Train” Lane

Yes swag-less you would say. Black high top cleats, no face mask and he played DB wearing #81. Be that as it may, Dick “Night Train” Lane is still the NFL record holder for INTs in a season with 14.
Some of you may or may not have known that Lane held the record and while 14 INTs is an amazing number it’s not the most amazing thing about Lane. That he even played professional football is an achievement in and of itself. Lane went to junior college out of high school for one year and then quit to join the service. After serving in the military, Lane was working at an aircraft factory and decided to try out for the LA Rams. He made the team but was quickly switched from WR to DB. In his rookie season in 1952, Lane set the NFL record with 14 INTs. What’s amazing is that not only did this come in his rookie season but in 1952, the NFL season was only 12 games long.

The original big corner at 6’1″ 195 lbs. the Texas native was not only a ball hawk but a big hitter. He ended his NFL career in 1965 with the Detroit Lions with 68 career INTs. Lane earned his nickname “night train” because his fear of flying led to him taking night trains to away games.

In 1974 he was enshrined into the NFL Hall of Fame. Not bad for a guy who never played college football and was a converted WR playing DB. Despite NFL game schedules being expanded to 16-20 possible games, Lane’s record of 14 INTs in a season still stands. Sometimes the path to success is not a straight line but with a vision and perseverance you will find the way.

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