Coaching: Why dont our Corners turn their heads? (1 Viewer)

CajunSaint

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This may be discussed ad naseum somewhere else, but I just need to discuss or figure out what i am missing.

To be clear, i am happy as can be about the win and this isnt a complaint post, but rather a coaching question.

Seems simple enough and basic that the coaches would make it a point to tell these guys to get their heads around! So many of the pass interference calls we give up are simply, TURN YOUR DANG HEAD! Heck, one of the plays yesterday the ball so badly underthrown, if the defender turns his head, he has an interception...to be clear, i am pretty sure no flag came down on this one.

Anyway, can anyone explain to me what i am missing here? Seems so obvious, but maybe it isnt.
 
I get your point but you have to ask yourself...do you really think NFL cornerbacks aren't familiar with the idea of turning your head?

It's not coaching. It's just timing and ability with young guys. If you turn your head too soon, the WR can be 5 yards out ahead on you in a second. It's all happening in a flash as well.
 
Turning your head slows you down. Not exactly what you want to be doing when you have been burnt deep. The CB who is out of position doesn't know if the ball is thrown perfectly, under thrown, or over thrown. He is simply trying to get back into "position" and prevent a reception.

Crawley showed how you hope it works at one point in the game. He got on his horse, got back into position, and the ball hit him in the back BECAUSE it was thrown well. It looked like PI, but because the WR never had to slow down, Crawley didn't plow through him causing the flag to get thrown.

It's part of the game within the game. Tony Gonzalez used to kill it on 3rd downs when the pass was a little off, but the defender had good coverage. He would slow down anyway and let the LB hit him. Flag. Passes over the middle are NEVER ruled "uncatchable." All the QB's in the game for the past 10 years have realized that if your WR wins on a double move, or has the CB completely burnt, it's safer to underthrow it a hair. You give your guy a better chance to catch it (although a less likely chance to score, catching it in stride) and you drastically increase the chance of drawing a PI.

It's basically the football version of flopping in soccer. Chuck it deep and fall down and hope to get a PK.
 
Lack of talent to do so. Aaron Glenn has done a tremendous job and I can't imagine that he's not telling them that they should turn their head.
 
I think our cornerbacks inability to turn their heads wouldn't be such a big issue if refs knew what a pass interference call was. Too many times the refs get lazy and throw a flag for PI when they see a cb didn't turn his head, even though a player turning/not turning their head wouldn't be PI anyway.
 
I get your point but you have to ask yourself...do you really think NFL cornerbacks aren't familiar with the idea of turning your head?

It's not coaching. It's just timing and ability with young guys. If you turn your head too soon, the WR can be 5 yards out ahead on you in a second. It's all happening in a flash as well.

Yeah, the answer is because its really hard. Especially if you are trying to gain ground after the receiver gets separation. Our corners do a good job I think.
 
A lot of times it is a result of being beat on the play. Hard to recover and locate the ball at the same time. If they would try to get their head and body around to make a play they would rarely be in position to make the play and give up the td any way. They are basically using everything they have just to get back in position to prevent the reception and by the time they realize the pass is under thrown their momentum carries them into the receiver.
 
I get your point but you have to ask yourself...do you really think NFL cornerbacks aren't familiar with the idea of turning your head?

It's not coaching. It's just timing and ability with young guys. If you turn your head too soon, the WR can be 5 yards out ahead on you in a second. It's all happening in a flash as well.


Oh, i get it, i do. I would just think that would be a major topic during film study. And maybe they do.
 
Well for one it is quite a learned talent to be able to time it. It is very disorienting to try and locate the ball with a helmet on. You don't quite have the same peripheral vision. Also mind you these men are moving very fast. I used to get a whizzing sound in my ear hole, but that was back with 90s era tech helmets.
 
As pointed out earlier. It has to do also with the talent we currently have at CB. These are very young or players who were not even on a roster. They are playing probably over their current ability. For the most part they are not getting burnt but it's probably all they can do to keep up with some of these top tier receivers. I think Glenn has them playing physical too because they need that pat of the game to help with covering. Plus what does it matter if they get their head around. KV was looking at the ball and hit the ball with both hands. He still got a PI call.
 
Bingo! a lot has to do with timing and experience....
....as stated, turning your head slows you down, as well as limited vision....

as a result, corners learn a ton from game speed experience and being thrown at....
....on of the biggest things is feeding off the receiver as the receiver makes a play for the ball, the biggest indicator at times, is the widening of a receiver's eyes as the ball approaches or the swing of the receivers head, followed by the motion of the arms raising for the ball/to the ball....after time, the corner learns the 'gives/tells' of receivers in general as the ball approaches....when these 'gives/tells' become more instinctive, the corner can learn the timing of making the play on the ball....

due to the youth of our corners, we are in a situation where we just want a guy out there that is fast enough to hang with the receivers on a sprint and have the ability to cover a route....and hopefully get in the way when a ball is thrown their way....

BUT if you watch them over the course of the first 5 games, they have gotten better...they are learning to cover better and stick with receivers....by the end of the year, don't be surprised to see more picks and defended passes, ESPECIALLY if the coaching staff/veteran players work with the corners as we play our division the second time over and see the the same receivers again....
 
well, I want to point out 2 things specifically...

1. A lot of the penalties are in the end zone or sideline, there is no where else for the WR to run. Think of the raiders game on that 4th down play. Granted, that was the crappiest PI call, but instead of "hands up", turn around and it is a non call.

2. Like the play the ball hit the CB in the back, the WR was completely turned around facing the QB and had basically stopped running. That should be an indication to get your head around and locate the ball.

Maybe this is easier said than done, but unlike the play where Moore got beat on the end around WR option...this was just a good play and he had to make up ground....we are just missing opportunities.
 
Turning your head slows you down. Not exactly what you want to be doing when you have been burnt deep. The CB who is out of position doesn't know if the ball is thrown perfectly, under thrown, or over thrown. He is simply trying to get back into "position" and prevent a reception.

That's how I see it. The receiver gets a step and the corners are chasing. They are in a full sprint to close the gap and can't look back to judge the trajectory of the ball. If it's overthrown, they will be fine. If it's a perfect pass or underthrown, you got problems. The receiver is judging the trajectory and is going to adjust. The CB is adjusting to the receiver.
 
Turn your head and risk falling a step behind.
Don't turn your head and risk a PI penalty.

The risk of falling behind and giving up a big play is maybe 50/50? But the chances of a PI call are ~80/20 in the modern NFL.
 
I can think of at least two PI calls where the DB did turn his head. One was Kenny Vacarro's PI which was completely bogus. The other, I can't remember which player it was...maybe Dixon?
 

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