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Wednesday, September 6, 2000
Life on the Corner
Battle between receiver, cornerback one of game’s most intense
By Lee Goddard
Caller-Times
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| George Tuley/Caller-Times |
| Brown, in a continuation from the play from above, breaks up a slant pass intended for Ogle during a recent Aransas Pass scrimmage. |
There is nothing, says Chris McAlister, that compares to playing wide receiver.
A receiver for King High School, McAlister enjoys everything his position offers: catching the ball, running the ball, blocking at the line or downfield, and occasionally turning into a defender.
But best of all is the sensation he gets when he burns a defensive back.
"That's one of the best feelings as a receiver," said McAlister, a senior. "When you've got him beat and you know he can't catch up to you and you see the ball leave the quarterback's arm. You can't hear the crowd. It's silence. It's a beautiful thing."
What is a work of art to McAlister is public humiliation for those who cover him. A cornerback may shut down his man the entire game, but one ill-timed play can ruin a corner's evening.
That's life on the corner, where perfection is rare. You're going to get beat eventually, so keep your ego in check.
'I like hitting someone'
Still, there are those out there that would disagree with McAlister, and say corner is the position to play. In fact, at least three area athletes - Marcus Brown of Aransas Pass, Rey Lopez of Odem and Rockport-Fulton's Jacob Scott - play on offense and corner.
All agree it's their favorite position.
Lopez sums up their feelings best. Despite being the area's fourth-leading receiver in terms of yardage last year, he is proudest of not surrendering a passing touchdown last season.
"Offense is fun," Lopez said, "but defense is the best. I like hitting someone, and that's the best part of the game."
Prime requisites
Aside from enjoying contact, there are many qualities that go into making up a good cornerback. Speed is obvious, but a good corner should also possess the ability to read a receiver's body language, have a knack for timing, own a selective memory and be able to make split-second judgements that can determine a game's outcome.
A cornerback's work starts as the offense breaks the huddle. After a check of the offensive formation, the corner finds his man and lines up. Brown's standard is tight man coverage called a two and one (two yards off his man, one yard inside), which tries to force a receiver toward the sideline.
Scott usually plays a seven and one, while Lopez, the only one of the three that normally plays zone, lines up in an eight and three.
Next, the corner reads his keys to see if any player's body language is tipping off a pass or run.
'He's going to stick you'
The receiver also reads certain players. He checks to see if a linebacker will drop into coverage, or if a safety is starting to shade over to his side of the field. For health reasons, he had better make the correct read.
"Sometimes they'll run a free safety over the top," McAlister said. "You have to watch for that. If you get caught running a slant, then the free safety will get a free shot at you. You don't want that."
With the snap, Lopez first takes a step back, checking the tight end's actions to read run or pass.
If they're in tight man, Brown and Scott will try to jam their receiver at the line with a shot to the chest to prevent him from running a clean pattern.
The wideout can use a variety of techniques to get off the line. There's the "swat and swim," where a receiver hits back and makes a swimming motion to work through the jam. To get into the pattern, he may also "rip and pull," grabbing while following with an uppercut.
McAlister may swat and swim, use a stiff arm and run or employ a series of jukes and fakes at the line.
"You've got to make a good move at the line," McAlister said. "If you don't, he's going to stick you into the backfield."
'We keep our elbow in him'
If they don't jam, Brown and Scott backpedal, keeping the receiver in front of them. But as their man pulls near, they must execute the most vital maneuver at the corner: come out of the backpedal, pivot, turn and find the receiver in one fluid motion.
"You've got to be coordinated," said Scott, on what he felt was the most critical point for the corner.
This is one of many spots where the receiver can improvise. As he goes downfield, McAlister finds it can be best to ad lib a bit.
"When you see the cornerback and he starts backpedalling, if he opens right or left, that shows where you make your next break," McAlister said. "If you go out there running blackboard routes - that's what the coaches like to call them - the defense will have a field day with you. They'll pick you off left and right. You have to get creative out there. That's a major thing as a receiver: creativity."
Brown is also creative. He will wedge his elbow above the receiver's arm and pin it to his chest.
"When we get into our running motion with the receiver, we keep our elbow in him," said Brown, who also plays quarterback. "So when the ball is thrown, he can't get his arm up."
'If I miss, I miss'
While Brown and Scott are running with the receivers, Lopez hangs back, responsible for covering a certain area of the field. His main concern is that no one gets behind him.
"In our coverage, you have to use your peripheral vision," Lopez said. "You can't let anyone slip by you or it's a touchdown."
What happens next is determined by the corner's personality. Brown usually plays it safe and only jumps the pattern for a sure interception. But Scott prefers risk.
"I gamble, pretty much," Scott said. "I go for the ball. If I miss, I miss. But if I don't, it's that much better. I try not to make it obvious that I know what I'm doing. I just sit back and watch everything, and then make my move."
The corner has only a brief opportunity to assess the situation. He must quickly decide whether to go for the ball, time the hit or concede the reception and make an open-field tackle.
"A lot of times, that's the toughest part," said Brown. "Because if you make the wrong decision, you're the last line of defense, and they're probably going to score."
'You take their head off'
Sometimes, going for the hit is the best thing. A corner may not be able to close in time for the interception, but a jarring hit can force an incompletion or fumble.
While Brown and Scott, locked up in man coverage, don't often get free shots on receivers, Lopez finds the zone allows him many opportunities to level the pass catcher.
"If they come into our zone, we're either going to take the ball or take their heads off," Lopez said. "If they're in your territory, you take their head off."
The corner may make the wrong choice and lose the battle. He may get beaten, and be burned badly. But Brown, Lopez and Scott must all have selective memories - because the process will soon begin again.
"At first, I'm upset," Scott said. "But then my team cools me down and we go right back to it and start playing again."
Staff writer Lee Goddard can be reached at 886-3613 or by e-mail at goddardl@caller.com
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