A defensive back in man coverage is said to be alone..."on an island"...with no expectation of friendly company or help of any kind. How long can he survive, alone on this island? Considering the speed and talent level of SEC recievers, the answer is most often...NFL -- not for long.
When Bama shifted to man coverage and brought the safeties up to defense against the running threat posed by FSU QB Xavier Lee, Bama CBs were lit up for several long pass plays. Was it totally their fault? Yes and no. Cornerbacks get burned...it's just part of the game, but open field tackling ability after the catch is as much a requisite CB skill as speed and good hip swivel. As the last line of defense, a CB in man coverage absolutely must make the tackle after the catch.
In reality, CBs aren't all alone. They have allies in those rushing the passer. The pass rush disrupts timing and puts presure on the QB. If effective (and fast) it limits the time the CB must cover and can make a defensive secondary look like world beaters. Of course, the converse is also true, if the CBs are true "lock down" types, they can create coverage sacks by eliminating pass options for so long that the pocket finally collapses.
Bama is last in the league in sacks and haven't really blitzed all season. The question is: which part of this delicate balance is Bama lacking? If you ask me, I think the secondary is being asked to cover about 1.5 seconds too long. I think the secondary is covering long enough to allow the pass rush to reach the QB...however, I must admit that I've seen very few times when the secondary served up a "coverage sack" to the guys up front.
What do you think? Is Bama just weak enough in both areas that we're getting the worst of all worlds -- no sacks and explosive pass plays or is one segment of the defense letting down the other?
I honestly don't know the answer, but do know that until it's figured out, Bama needs to make certain the corner guys are superb open field tacklers.
When Bama shifted to man coverage and brought the safeties up to defense against the running threat posed by FSU QB Xavier Lee, Bama CBs were lit up for several long pass plays. Was it totally their fault? Yes and no. Cornerbacks get burned...it's just part of the game, but open field tackling ability after the catch is as much a requisite CB skill as speed and good hip swivel. As the last line of defense, a CB in man coverage absolutely must make the tackle after the catch.
In reality, CBs aren't all alone. They have allies in those rushing the passer. The pass rush disrupts timing and puts presure on the QB. If effective (and fast) it limits the time the CB must cover and can make a defensive secondary look like world beaters. Of course, the converse is also true, if the CBs are true "lock down" types, they can create coverage sacks by eliminating pass options for so long that the pocket finally collapses.
Bama is last in the league in sacks and haven't really blitzed all season. The question is: which part of this delicate balance is Bama lacking? If you ask me, I think the secondary is being asked to cover about 1.5 seconds too long. I think the secondary is covering long enough to allow the pass rush to reach the QB...however, I must admit that I've seen very few times when the secondary served up a "coverage sack" to the guys up front.
What do you think? Is Bama just weak enough in both areas that we're getting the worst of all worlds -- no sacks and explosive pass plays or is one segment of the defense letting down the other?
I honestly don't know the answer, but do know that until it's figured out, Bama needs to make certain the corner guys are superb open field tacklers.
