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Why the nickel corner is different and harder

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MightyGiants:
Former Seahawk starting QB Marcus Trufant is moving inside and talks about the adjustment


--- Quote ---Trufant’s also learning a new position. With Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman thriving in his absence last year, Trufant will move inside and serve as Seattle’s nickel back in passing situations.

Green Bay’s Charles Woodson and St. Louis’ Cortland Finnegan are two examples of veteran cornerbacks who have successfully made similar transitions later in their careers.

“It’s a little bit of an adjustment,” Trufant said about the new position. “You’ve got to see a little bit more. You’re not as focused on the wide receiver – you have to see the quarterback, you have to see the running back and you have to see the receiver. So you have a little bigger window.

“But I’m learning it, and it’s fun. You get to show on the line and do a little bit of blitzing, so it’s a good look.”

The Seahawks used five defensive backs 40 percent of the time last season, so Trufant should see a lot of time on the field in that role.

So far, Seattle coach Pete Carroll has liked what he has seen.

“He’s picking it up,” Carroll said. “He’s really working hard at it. There are a lot of nuances about this thing that he never had to pay attention to before, so he’s learning kind of like a first-timer. But he has so much savvy and ability, we think that it could be a great spot for him.”
--- End quote ---


Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/06/02/2166101/old-man-seahawk.html#storylink=cpy
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President Rick:
today, a team needs three CB's just to start the game [in a passing situation].  given nfl injuries, having a solid 4th CB is a given.  then, 2-3 backups are needed as well.  it's like DE.  for me a lot of this relates to the still absurd 53/45 man roster rules.  you have 22 positions, plus P, K, and LS.  that's 25 guys if no one gets hurt.  53 / 45 just aren't enough unless you want to have starters on the ST's all day long.  and with fatigue and injuries, THAT would diminish the quality of play.

murderhill:

--- Quote from: President Rick on June 03, 2012, 08:52:10 AM ---today, a team needs three CB's just to start the game [in a passing situation].  given nfl injuries, having a solid 4th CB is a given.  then, 2-3 backups are needed as well.  it's like DE.  for me a lot of this relates to the still absurd 53/45 man roster rules.  you have 22 positions, plus P, K, and LS.  that's 25 guys if no one gets hurt.  53 / 45 just aren't enough unless you want to have starters on the ST's all day long.  and with fatigue and injuries, THAT would diminish the quality of play.

--- End quote ---
rick- we do have starters on ST.  I don't think fatigue would play a big part and I am not positive, but I don't think we had a lot of ST injuries either.  Do you know if the 53/45 rule gets debated/reconsidered? 

MightyGiants:
The Giants kept 5 CBs and 5 Ss last year.

Also didn't they bump the game day roster to 46 and did away with the 3rd QB rule?

Painter:
That's a good explanation of the added difficulty posed by the slot corner position. It always have been a fact; it simply has become much more significant in recent years.  Not long ago, the only time the offense put three WRs on the field was on an occasional 3rd and long, or more likely when they were trying to play catch up. Now they may do it on any down and distance, and at anytime in the game. And so the 3rd receiver, the one in the slot has become a weapon not just a sub.

Correspondingly, the third DB, the guy we have referred to in an almost dismissive manner as the Nickel Back, has become a specialist as well.  He's no longer just a Nickel Back or Nickel Corner; he's the Slot Back.

But we tend to think that the outside, the perimeter Corners have the toughest job because they may be covering the opponents best receiver. True, but when a corner is lined up on the outside, coverage actually can be easier. The opposing receiver is limited as to where he can go. He has the sideline constraining him. A good corner can use the sideline as a defender and pin receivers against it. And he almost always has a Safety behind him.

But unlike perimeter DBs who can often dictate the release of the receiver by their leverage - how far inside or outside of the receiver they line up- the slot DB needs to be quick enough to react to a “two-way go” from the guy he's covering. That takes a special kind of quickness and reaction speed that not all DBs possess.  So indeed, the slot is a difficult place for a defender. A receiver can run up the field. He can stop. He can cut either way and frequently has an option built into his routes based on how he reads the coverage. That can require a lot of study, a lot of mental effort and concentration.

Slot receivers also line up behind the line of scrimmage at the snap, making it difficult for the defender to get a jam on the him. And because he's closer to the line of scrimmage, slot players have to be able to defend the run, and make tackles to prevent yards after the catch.

And of course, we have talked more than once about the trouble that so called elite CBs, Asante Samuel and Nnamdi Asomogha had in trying to play the slot, and also why Rolle rather than Ross had to play it for the Giants.

But does anyone reads this stuff before the flood of fluff and non-football threads pushes it out of sight?


Cheers!

 

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