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Photo by Jamie Squire Getty Images |
The prerequisites for a great defensive back include better-than-normal speed, perfect body control, the toughness needed to stop the run, good hands, and confidence-plus an overall attitude that dares the offence to come his way.
In order to develop this necessary attitude, a good defensive back must be a dedicated student of the game. He must continually practice and develop the physical skills he needs to accomplish his job. He also must understand all the coverage's he will use, and he must study the tendencies of the team he will face. He must be familiar not only with the movement and style of the man he expects to cover most often, but also with the other receivers he might occasionally face in the game.
He must also take the knowledge that an incomplete pass--a pass deflected or knocked down--is the same as a running play stopped for no gain, and balance it with the knowledge that making an interception often can be the spark that ignites his team. In other words, he must know when to lay back and when to take a risk.
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A defensive back's life is filled with pressure--one mistake can result a game-breaking score for the opponent. A linebacker or a defensive back can cover up a missed tackle by a defensive lineman, and a pass coverage blown by a linebacker often will be picked up by an alert defensive back. But the defensive back is on his own. As the last line of defense, the defensive back is expected to compensate for the mistakes of others, constantly aware that there is no one on the field to cover for him.
While sure, the aggressive tackling is important, a good defensive back must understand that he can't miss any tackle, sometimes sacrificing a hard hit for a game-saving shoving out of bounds.
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But one of the most important traits of any good defensive back is his intense desire to compete. Poor defensive backs enter a game fearing that the ball will be thrown their way. Great defensive backs hope that every pass will be thrown to the man they are covering. They long to test and re-test their abilities. The better the offense they will face, the more emotional they are in preparing for the game.
Defensive Backs
"Play Football The NFL Way" is the first Instructional Manual for Football Players and Coaches ever published by the NFL. It is the ultimate position-by-position guide of techniques and drills for Offense, Defense and Special Teams. Author Tom Bass is a former NFL coach with more than 20 years of experience with the Cincinnati Bengals, San Diego Chargers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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