hagan714

You do not want to be a defensive back. At least not in public, these days, without a disguise.
Not with 14 quarterbacks in the NCAA top 100 having thrown at least five touchdown passes in a game through three weeks. And especially since only 12 accomplished that feat all of last season.

Your position makes you among the smallest players on the field. The game's rules are legislated against you. Lay hands on a receiver and you expect Chris Hansen to pop out from behind a wall. You're doomed to failure, eventually and, sometimes, frequently. There's even a website dedicated to your misery. Check out YouTube this week. The other side of those late, game-winning scores by Kentucky and Alabama? The humiliation of Louisville cornerback Woodny Turenne and Arkansas' Jamar Love, who were both beaten on passes in the final minute.
"You've got to know your highlights are not on there," said Kansas preseason All-American cornerback Aqib Talib. "That's all in the contract."
There a few occupations with lower self-esteem, but not many:
O.J.'s lawyer.
Tick breeder.
Spokesperson for China's lead paint industry.
Buick salesman.
In each case it helps to have amnesia, unless you breed some kind of super tick or are able to get O.J. off -- again.
"If you can't forget the bad plays, it's pretty difficult to play corner," said Kansas freshman Chris Harris, who starts with Talib on the other side of the field. "If you flunk a test you've got to come out and pass the next one."
We all know about the man-on-an-island thing, but the embarrassment factor is up for the position. Pity is down. Half the battle is always having to rely on someone else. You can be the best athlete in the world and be totally burned by a slow linebacker corps. Try to name a shutdown corner with a middling defensive line. Try to name a shutdown corner in college football, period.
Talib might be one of the few. Teams have stopped throwing to his side after Talib broke up an incredible 22 passes last season and intercepted six. Kansas goes into Saturday 10th nationally in pass defense.
"Deion Sanders was the first one that I was able to see," said Talib, a junior from Richardson, Texas. "The second one is Champ Bailey. I feel like that (label) has to come on the next level, playing against the best competition in the world."
The only returning member of the Football Writers Association of America's All-American defensive backfield, San Jose State's Dwight Lowery, now plays for the No. 86 pass defense in the country. Aaron Ross was the second consecutive Texas player to win the Thorpe Award (best defensive back) last season. He must have been pretty good, or maybe the Thorpe folks couldn't find anyone better. Texas was 99th in pass defense in 2006.
The only thing harder than developing good defensive backs -- particularly corners -- is finding them. Of the 34 players on the Thorpe preseason watch list only four of them currently play in a top 10 pass defense.
The reason? The spread offense, of course. It's the cause for everything from global warming to Britney Spears' gut so why not blame it for arson in the secondary? Almost every program has the scheme in their playbook, if not as a base offense. To counter four and five receiver sets, coaches have to put a lot of chaff in the defensive backfield.
"You might have two (reliable) corners, maybe three," Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said. "I doubt there's very many coaches that feel better having anything beyond their top three cornerbacks on the field.
"It's hard to find five quality defensive backs when people put five wide receivers on the field. People used to play two wide receivers, one tight end and a tailback."
Yeah, and I Love Lucy used to be funny too.
Those statements come from a man who was part of coaching staff that once rejected Asante Samuel as a quarterback at Iowa. Samuel is now a star corner for the Patriots.

"A lot of times those guys are projections," Bielema said. "The bottom line is you have to have great athleticism. Four-six (seconds in the 40) just can't cut it. You have sub-4.5 guys covering guys who are 4.4 or better. "For us it's one of the most difficult positions to recruit and sign. If they can't cut it at corner, we make them into safeties."
The scales are tipped so much in favor of offenses that the likes of Rusty Smith are having their day. A Rusty should be fetching your morning paper, not torching a Big Ten secondary, but that's what happened last week. Smith is the Florida Atlantic quarterback who threw five touchdowns in a win over Minnesota.
The Owls came out in a spread, no huddle and wore down the Gophers in the 88-degree South Florida heat. A guy can't help his name, but it's fitting that Minnesota's defensive coordinator is Everett Withers.
Kansas got lucky with Talib, whose reputation has spread so much that he hardly sees the ball on his side. Central Michgian did throw a touchdown "against" him but only, coach Mark Mangino pointed out, because a safety didn't come over to lend help.
"I've got to tell our offensive coordinator in practice, 'Throw the ball there. Let's work him over a little bit,' "Mangino said.
Playboy and CBSSports.com were on him early as a 2007 preseason All-American, but Talib would like to be more widely known.
Projected as a safety, Talib proved he could play corner at the Gigantor-like height of 6-2. As a youngster he was tutored by Charles Gordon, an all-Big 12 corner who is now with the Vikings. Talib has developed to the point that he is a poor man's Charles Woodson, playing on both sides of the ball (five catches, three touchdowns in three games).
"Deion Sanders needs to read this article and give me a couple of tips," Talib said. "I know he's never helped anyone from Kansas before. Hey, Deion, shout out!"


NCAA Football - CBSSports.com

I know this was written from a college perspective but it applies to the pros too. Please take note of the names mentioned here. they will be names we talk about in next years draft.

"We may have lost the game, but you'll be hurting tomorrow." Doug Atkins

darstep

Good post! We need to be looking for next years help right now. Give me AT's address and I'll send his mom some flowers. CB is a tough spot. Fast is good...Big is great...but big and fast is better - and that is hard to find. Most of the big /fast guys (if they have good hands) want the glory and the money on the receiver side of the ball. On top of it all, you have to love to hit. I MEAN YOU HAVE TO LOVE IT! Catching crossing patterns blind-sided tastes sweet, but you have to hit steam rolling tight-ends and full backs that break through and are at a full gallup - that will knock that sweet taste right out of your mouth. Then you have to line up and do it again. YEP! CB's are a rare breed and need all the help they can get. Ours surely need help - and we're not alone.

**SaintSince67**

TheDeuce

Well Jason David sure needs help. I don't understand why we aren't giving the guy more safety help over the top. Or at least playing more zone coverages so he isn't getting toasted by wideouts in man situations. Hopefully he'll get better this week; besides, can anybody name a starting Titans wide receiver?

hagan714

just remember that safety help is young too. KK is not on the field that much. So that complicates matters.

LordOfEntropy

I'm sure we'll all be able to after Monday night.

Wanna be a star? Not getting it done? Tired of being an unknown receiver in the NFL? Well, just play New Orleans, and find out what it feels like to have a 500 yard game.

I can't stand this.... something's got to change.

Euphoria

The reason is there is no help is that we play to much man to man. Give the QB enough time someone will get open... its the nature of the man to man.

djnatas

I agree 100%. I think its time to start researching other options.

Nemesis

Pressure on opposing QBs makes any CB look good. The WR will win most battles. The Saints need a stud DT and LB more than a CB. JMO.

TheDeuce

OK fine, we need to get pressure on the QB. To do that we have to mix it up, and send some blitzes. Also, just because we're in man, doesn't mean you can't have a safety in zone coverage over the top for help....

QBREES9

whos the best corner in college ???