• A defensive back must be so well conditioned that he can run hard during every play that he is on the field
• According to football drills expert Tom Bass, defensive back drills should emphasize moving quickly at the snap, recognizing different types of pass patterns, understanding zone coverages, and playing the run
• Tackling drills and interception drills can supplement these coverage drills

Moving Quickly at the Snap

A cornerback must take a stance that allows him to run backward quickly when the ball is snapped. A cornerback should bend his knees and stand in a slight crouch with his front foot turned in with the toe lined up directly below his nose. Only the toe of his back foot should be touching the ground. The cornerback should practice exploding off his front book to get a quick start backward. As he takes his second step he should begin to bring his shoulders up. Safeties can take a square stance before the snap, but they too should be in a slight crouch with knees bent.

Running backward is a key drill for defensive backs. As the receiver comes off the line of scrimmage, the defender needs to be able to run backward almost as fast as the receiver is running forward. As a player practices running backward, he should be leaning forward slightly, and his feet should be no farther apart than the width of his hips. A good agility drill is to take the proper cornerback stance, run backward as quickly as possible for 10 yards, return to the stance, and then run backward another 10 yards. This can be repeated several times. The player should also practice backpedaling at an angle to the line of scrimmage and changing the angle after running backwards 5 yards.

Recognizing Pass Patterns

It is important for defensive backs to learn basic offensive pass patterns. Short pass routes for tight ends are the flat, the look-in, and the short patterns. Short pass routes for wide receivers are the hitch, the quick out, and the slant patterns. Medium pass routes for tight ends are the hook, the out, and the cross patterns. For wide receivers the medium routes are the hook, the in, and the out patterns. Deep pass routes for the tight end are the up, the corner, and the post. Deep pass routes for wide receivers are the up, the post, the corner, and the comeback. If a defensive back learns all of these patterns, he can recognize them quickly and react better, ensuring good pass coverage. A coach should run drills that include receivers running all of these patterns and defensive backs running to the proper zone and calling out the name of the pattern.

Understanding Zone Coverages

Defensive backs also should become familiar with basic zone pass coverages. The three basic coverages are two-deep, three-deep, and four-deep. The defensive player must memorize which zone he is assigned to in each type of coverage. The key idea that the defensive back must keep in mind is to backpedal deep so that he is between the end zone and the deepest receiver in his assigned zone. Drills should include receivers running a variety of routes into the different types of zone coverages, and defensive backs trying to move to the correct location. When the receiver enters a short zone, the coach can yell “Short!” When the receiver enters a medium zone, the coach can yell “Medium!” When the receiver enters a deep zone, the coach can yell “Deep!”

Playing the Run

A defensive back must also learn to recognize offensive running plays so that he can react quickly with help. He must understand his run-defense responsibilities within the defensive formation that has been called on a particular play. If the formation is a zone defense, the defensive back must stay in his assigned zone until the ball carrier crosses the line of scrimmage. If the formation is man-to-man pass defense, the defensive back must stay with his man until the man blocks him or the ball carrier crosses the line of scrimmage. Once the defensive back has made the decision to play the run, he must try to keep the runner to the interior part of the field and away from the sidelines. He also must identify the offensive player assigned to block him and must defeat the block. When taking on the block, he must keep his leg and arm that are closest to the sideline free of the blocker so that he can prevent the ball carrier from getting outside. Six people, including the coach, can be used in a tackling drill that includes fighting off blocks. Two defensive backs line up facing a receiver and a tight end. The fifth player is a fullback behind the tight end, and the sixth is a ball carrier, behind the fullback. The coach calls out the pass coverage and the offensive play, pass or sweep. If the play is a sweep, the tight end blocks and the fullback also blocks. If the play is a pass, the tight end runs up the field and the fullback stays back to pass protect. Depending on the play and coverage, the defensive back takes on a block, runs to an assigned zone, or covers a receiver man-to-man. If the defensive back defeats the block, he can practice the basic tackling drill of leading into the ball carrier with a shoulder and stepping into the ball carrier with the foot that is on the same side as the shoulder.

Tom Bass has also developed drills for linebackers, running backs, defensive lineman, and wide receivers, as well as other positions. His book Football: Skills & Drills (Human Kinetics Publishers, 2004) provides more details on the drills described above as well as other defensive back drills, such as interception drills and other tackling drills.

As an electronic scoreboards continue to light up.