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Tuesday, March 30, 2004
CBs will be forced to adjust
By John Clayton
ESPN.com
Eleven cornerbacks received new contracts worth $287.5 million in compensation during the first month of free agency and two more -- Chris McAlister of the Ravens and Charles Woodson of the Raiders -- were designated as franchise players at a little more than $7 million apiece.
Starting next season, their $300 million values may be worthless unless they adjust. The NFL's decision to call more pass interference and illegal contact penalties against defensive players is the most noticeable change coming from this year's NFL annual meeting. Already, defensive coaches are screaming.
"I think they are opening Pandora's Box," Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer said. "I don't know how to coach it. I don't know how to coach the offensive guy. I think it's Pandora's Box."
The timing couldn't be any worse for cornerbacks. Next month's NFL draft features some of the most dangerous receiving specimens to enter the league ever. From Larry Fitzgerald of Pitt to Roy Williams (Texas), Mike Williams (USC) and Reggie Williams (Washington), the NFL is going to be loaded with tall, big, powerful receivers with speed. Finding cornerbacks big enough to match up with them is nearly impossible. It's rare enough to fine a 6-foot-3 cornerback who can run.
In fact, most of the corners paid to cover these guys are giving up 4-6 inches and some don't run as fast. Over the past three or four years, drafts have provided bigger receivers and not enough big cornerbacks to balance the equation.
But after reviewing recent statistics, the Competition Committee uncovered some scary trends. Receiving yards are retreating. Completions are down to 11.3 yards per catch. Defenses have been using more "Cover 2" zones. Receiving yards dropped to 213.8 yards a team per game last season.
Committee members didn't particularly like what they saw on videotape.
"The number of (defensive) penalties were down," said Titans coach Jeff Fisher, the Competition Committee co-chairman. "Passing yards were down to their lowest level in 11 years."
Particularly disturbing was the amount of grabbing that went on in routes. Defenders get a chance to "chuck" a receiver during the first five yards, but after that, the receiver should have a reasonably free ride. With receivers getting taller, bigger and stronger and the majority of cornerbacks not growing at the same proportion, cornerbacks were grabbing more to keep the receiver under control.
No more.
"Now, if you grab an offensive player's jersey, you are going to get penalized," Fisher said.
Interference penalties dropped to 221 last year, roughly seven per team or a little less than one every two games. There were only 50 contact penalties, less than two per team for the whole season.
Watch those numbers go up, particularly early in the season.
"The reason I was swayed by the Committee was how the people studied the tape," Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi said. "When they studied the tape from years ago, they were amazed how clean it was. It's gotten to the point where there is a lot of contact now. To get back to the point where it was, you are probably going to get a few penalties to get it back. I'm all for it."
Some coaches aren't.
"We're talking about jams and reroutes in the secondary after five yards," Browns coach Butch Davis said. "What I wonder about is that an official who is 25 yards downfield will be making a call on it. It's going to make you coach differently. Every time you make a rules adjustment, it makes you adapt."
Teams such as the Dolphins will have to make some major adjustments. Cornerbacks Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain love bump-and-run, press coverage. They try to blanket receivers from the line of scrimmage and down the field. To stay with the bigger, faster guys, they have to use their hands.
Until last year, both cornerbacks drew a bunch of flags. Last year, the Dolphins were called for six interferences and two illegal contacts, according to Stats, Inc.
"The emphasis is going to be not grabbing anybody after five," Saints coach Jim Haslett said. "I don't think it's going to be a big change. I think it will cause an adjustment for a little while. Then everything will be fine."
Schottenheimer disagrees. During his coaching years, he's had some of the best man-to-man coverage schemes in the game.
"You are going away from the basic guiding principles applied to officiating," Schottenheimer said. "The principle has been 'Does the act give someone an advantage or is it material to the play?' The way it is being discussed, it's going against the applicable element."
In 1994, officials adjusted their point of emphasis in regards to the cornerback-receiver battles. The applicable standard involving cornerbacks was that as long as his acts didn't materially alter the route of a receiver, he could get away with it and there would be no flags.
The Competition Committee felt cornerbacks were getting away with more and more each year, and they needed to do something. The NFC and AFC championship games brought the subject into more of a focus.
Few calls were made against defensive backs, and the Eagles and Colts receivers and tight ends felt the playoff games were being called differently than the regular season. The Committee wants to make it easier for the contact and interference rules to be applied so there is consistency in regards to playoff or regular season games.
"I think they want to create a situation where they take more judgment out of officiating," Schottenheimer said. "But there is still judgment in all of the officiating we have."
The point of emphasis change won't be as dramatic as the rule change in 1978 when the league installed the rules to protect a receiver from being mugged after he gets five yards past the line of scrimmage. That one rule opened up offenses more than most people can remember.
But I believe there will be more of a change than even the Committee anticipates. Over the season, penalty numbers may not increase to more than 235 to 240 for interferences and to more than 70 for illegal contract. That's not the big issue.
What I wonder about is how cornerbacks are going to match up against the continuing infusion of better receivers. Yards per completions should improve. Passing yards per game should rise some.
Owners authorized the biggest spending spree on cornerbacks in the history of the sport. Thanks to this rule adjustment, their $300 million cornerback adjustments are getting devalued.
John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=1771795
CBs will be forced to adjust
By John Clayton
ESPN.com
Eleven cornerbacks received new contracts worth $287.5 million in compensation during the first month of free agency and two more -- Chris McAlister of the Ravens and Charles Woodson of the Raiders -- were designated as franchise players at a little more than $7 million apiece.
Starting next season, their $300 million values may be worthless unless they adjust. The NFL's decision to call more pass interference and illegal contact penalties against defensive players is the most noticeable change coming from this year's NFL annual meeting. Already, defensive coaches are screaming.
"I think they are opening Pandora's Box," Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer said. "I don't know how to coach it. I don't know how to coach the offensive guy. I think it's Pandora's Box."
The timing couldn't be any worse for cornerbacks. Next month's NFL draft features some of the most dangerous receiving specimens to enter the league ever. From Larry Fitzgerald of Pitt to Roy Williams (Texas), Mike Williams (USC) and Reggie Williams (Washington), the NFL is going to be loaded with tall, big, powerful receivers with speed. Finding cornerbacks big enough to match up with them is nearly impossible. It's rare enough to fine a 6-foot-3 cornerback who can run.
In fact, most of the corners paid to cover these guys are giving up 4-6 inches and some don't run as fast. Over the past three or four years, drafts have provided bigger receivers and not enough big cornerbacks to balance the equation.
But after reviewing recent statistics, the Competition Committee uncovered some scary trends. Receiving yards are retreating. Completions are down to 11.3 yards per catch. Defenses have been using more "Cover 2" zones. Receiving yards dropped to 213.8 yards a team per game last season.
Committee members didn't particularly like what they saw on videotape.
"The number of (defensive) penalties were down," said Titans coach Jeff Fisher, the Competition Committee co-chairman. "Passing yards were down to their lowest level in 11 years."
Particularly disturbing was the amount of grabbing that went on in routes. Defenders get a chance to "chuck" a receiver during the first five yards, but after that, the receiver should have a reasonably free ride. With receivers getting taller, bigger and stronger and the majority of cornerbacks not growing at the same proportion, cornerbacks were grabbing more to keep the receiver under control.
No more.
"Now, if you grab an offensive player's jersey, you are going to get penalized," Fisher said.
Interference penalties dropped to 221 last year, roughly seven per team or a little less than one every two games. There were only 50 contact penalties, less than two per team for the whole season.
Watch those numbers go up, particularly early in the season.
"The reason I was swayed by the Committee was how the people studied the tape," Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi said. "When they studied the tape from years ago, they were amazed how clean it was. It's gotten to the point where there is a lot of contact now. To get back to the point where it was, you are probably going to get a few penalties to get it back. I'm all for it."
Some coaches aren't.
"We're talking about jams and reroutes in the secondary after five yards," Browns coach Butch Davis said. "What I wonder about is that an official who is 25 yards downfield will be making a call on it. It's going to make you coach differently. Every time you make a rules adjustment, it makes you adapt."
Teams such as the Dolphins will have to make some major adjustments. Cornerbacks Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain love bump-and-run, press coverage. They try to blanket receivers from the line of scrimmage and down the field. To stay with the bigger, faster guys, they have to use their hands.
Until last year, both cornerbacks drew a bunch of flags. Last year, the Dolphins were called for six interferences and two illegal contacts, according to Stats, Inc.
"The emphasis is going to be not grabbing anybody after five," Saints coach Jim Haslett said. "I don't think it's going to be a big change. I think it will cause an adjustment for a little while. Then everything will be fine."
Schottenheimer disagrees. During his coaching years, he's had some of the best man-to-man coverage schemes in the game.
"You are going away from the basic guiding principles applied to officiating," Schottenheimer said. "The principle has been 'Does the act give someone an advantage or is it material to the play?' The way it is being discussed, it's going against the applicable element."
In 1994, officials adjusted their point of emphasis in regards to the cornerback-receiver battles. The applicable standard involving cornerbacks was that as long as his acts didn't materially alter the route of a receiver, he could get away with it and there would be no flags.
The Competition Committee felt cornerbacks were getting away with more and more each year, and they needed to do something. The NFC and AFC championship games brought the subject into more of a focus.
Few calls were made against defensive backs, and the Eagles and Colts receivers and tight ends felt the playoff games were being called differently than the regular season. The Committee wants to make it easier for the contact and interference rules to be applied so there is consistency in regards to playoff or regular season games.
"I think they want to create a situation where they take more judgment out of officiating," Schottenheimer said. "But there is still judgment in all of the officiating we have."
The point of emphasis change won't be as dramatic as the rule change in 1978 when the league installed the rules to protect a receiver from being mugged after he gets five yards past the line of scrimmage. That one rule opened up offenses more than most people can remember.
But I believe there will be more of a change than even the Committee anticipates. Over the season, penalty numbers may not increase to more than 235 to 240 for interferences and to more than 70 for illegal contract. That's not the big issue.
What I wonder about is how cornerbacks are going to match up against the continuing infusion of better receivers. Yards per completions should improve. Passing yards per game should rise some.
Owners authorized the biggest spending spree on cornerbacks in the history of the sport. Thanks to this rule adjustment, their $300 million cornerback adjustments are getting devalued.
John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=1771795
