s0phr0syne
06-19-2009, 08:54 PM
Good article by Legwold up on msn.foxsports.com/nfl; not necessarily anything new or groundbreaking though.
It's a pretty long piece that I tried to edit while retaining the most salient points to conform to our "article policy"...I'd encourage you to check it out in its full length glory:
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9696606/Is-cornerback-the-NFL's-second-toughest-position?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Is cornerback the NFL's second-toughest position?
by Jeff Legwold, Special to FOXSports.com
...
Cornerback is indeed an island it seems, an island of short-lived careers — one where you get tossed off because most front office folks in the league just don't trust anybody over 30 and one where you can't get on very quickly either.
....
[Bly:]"You have to be like a young guy, at least from the neck down.''
Yet not too young either, as just four rookies started at least eight games at the position league-wide last season as well with two of those — Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr — having done so for the rebuilding-from-the-ground-up Kansas City Chiefs.
"And man-to-man, it's like man-to-man in basketball and at the end of the day, you know that Kobe and LeBron are going to get theirs, you have to just to limit what you can and keep them from beating you,'' Goodman added. "Most of the good receivers are big, fast and you have to guess all day. It takes building instincts and finding a way to keep your confidence. Young guys have athletic ability, but they don't have the knowledge and they don't have the ability to maintain their confidence.''
For his part, Goodman once again finds himself part of a matched-set of 30-somethings at cornerback, now paired with Champ Bailey in the Broncos secondary. The Broncos will push the limit even further this year, already poised as their OTAs drew to a close this past weekend to start four 30-year-olds in the secondary overall.
But what happens, why the short list?
The rules book for one. With the flags flying more for even less contact after five yards, cornerbacks say they find themselves leaning on their ability to run more than they did in seasons past.
Bailey, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, said he has had to make a transition from almost constantly using his hands to guide a receiver after he first came into the league in 1999 to playing the minimal-contact game now as illegal contact has been a "point of emphasis'' for the league's officials for several seasons.
"So knowing what could happen on each play is important, it's the first thing,'' Bailey said. "You might lose a step or two, and I don't think I have really, but your anticipation, your ability to read the route helps you get there faster. You aren't faster, but you play faster. But what that means is you have to study, you can't just believe you're going to be fast forever.''
"The way I put it is, it's like being asked go out and guard the best athletes on the field one-on-one, but you can't touch them,'' Goodman said. "In basketball you can't guard Kobe or LeBron one-on-one anyway, but if you can't touch them, no way.''
Which is the hurdle for the newbies at the position. Rarely challenged in college, a top-flight corner has often simply run sprints up and down the field for many autumn Saturdays as the ball routinely went elsewhere. Or they sat back in a zone, facing the quarterback, simply played the ball in flight and ran to a spot.
But once they're in the NFL, they are asked to match up with some of the best and brightest on the outside, and they have to play with far less contact down the field than they did on scholarship.
"So they give up a play here, a play there and pretty soon their confidence is hit, they don't bounce back right away,'' Goodman said. "Bottom line, you can't defend a good quarterback, a good route and a good pass to a good receiver, so you have to deal with it out there. So, it's hard to be young, hard to be an older guy.''
Goodman, Bly and Bailey have all said they prefer workouts with lighter weights and more reptitions, that endurance becomes more important as they age rather than power. Bly has gone as far as to fly an exercise therapist he used during his time with the St. Louis Rams to both Denver and Detroit when he played in those cities to continue a workout developed for him to maintain his flexibility.
It's a pretty long piece that I tried to edit while retaining the most salient points to conform to our "article policy"...I'd encourage you to check it out in its full length glory:
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9696606/Is-cornerback-the-NFL's-second-toughest-position?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Is cornerback the NFL's second-toughest position?
by Jeff Legwold, Special to FOXSports.com
...
Cornerback is indeed an island it seems, an island of short-lived careers — one where you get tossed off because most front office folks in the league just don't trust anybody over 30 and one where you can't get on very quickly either.
....
[Bly:]"You have to be like a young guy, at least from the neck down.''
Yet not too young either, as just four rookies started at least eight games at the position league-wide last season as well with two of those — Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr — having done so for the rebuilding-from-the-ground-up Kansas City Chiefs.
"And man-to-man, it's like man-to-man in basketball and at the end of the day, you know that Kobe and LeBron are going to get theirs, you have to just to limit what you can and keep them from beating you,'' Goodman added. "Most of the good receivers are big, fast and you have to guess all day. It takes building instincts and finding a way to keep your confidence. Young guys have athletic ability, but they don't have the knowledge and they don't have the ability to maintain their confidence.''
For his part, Goodman once again finds himself part of a matched-set of 30-somethings at cornerback, now paired with Champ Bailey in the Broncos secondary. The Broncos will push the limit even further this year, already poised as their OTAs drew to a close this past weekend to start four 30-year-olds in the secondary overall.
But what happens, why the short list?
The rules book for one. With the flags flying more for even less contact after five yards, cornerbacks say they find themselves leaning on their ability to run more than they did in seasons past.
Bailey, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, said he has had to make a transition from almost constantly using his hands to guide a receiver after he first came into the league in 1999 to playing the minimal-contact game now as illegal contact has been a "point of emphasis'' for the league's officials for several seasons.
"So knowing what could happen on each play is important, it's the first thing,'' Bailey said. "You might lose a step or two, and I don't think I have really, but your anticipation, your ability to read the route helps you get there faster. You aren't faster, but you play faster. But what that means is you have to study, you can't just believe you're going to be fast forever.''
"The way I put it is, it's like being asked go out and guard the best athletes on the field one-on-one, but you can't touch them,'' Goodman said. "In basketball you can't guard Kobe or LeBron one-on-one anyway, but if you can't touch them, no way.''
Which is the hurdle for the newbies at the position. Rarely challenged in college, a top-flight corner has often simply run sprints up and down the field for many autumn Saturdays as the ball routinely went elsewhere. Or they sat back in a zone, facing the quarterback, simply played the ball in flight and ran to a spot.
But once they're in the NFL, they are asked to match up with some of the best and brightest on the outside, and they have to play with far less contact down the field than they did on scholarship.
"So they give up a play here, a play there and pretty soon their confidence is hit, they don't bounce back right away,'' Goodman said. "Bottom line, you can't defend a good quarterback, a good route and a good pass to a good receiver, so you have to deal with it out there. So, it's hard to be young, hard to be an older guy.''
Goodman, Bly and Bailey have all said they prefer workouts with lighter weights and more reptitions, that endurance becomes more important as they age rather than power. Bly has gone as far as to fly an exercise therapist he used during his time with the St. Louis Rams to both Denver and Detroit when he played in those cities to continue a workout developed for him to maintain his flexibility.