Why don't our DB's turn around and look for the ball?

[aRmo]

Then you haven't been paying attention. It's because Willie Martinez is a garbage DB coach, and that's been said MULTIPLE times in MULTIPLE threads. He's had this pattern everywhere he's coached. He keeps getting hired, fired, and re-hired, all with the same results. I do not understand .

Our DBs havent turned to look at the ball since the Fulmer era.

 

[VOLnBama01]

I don't know about all you other oldtimers on here but I just shook my head when I heard Martinez was hired.

 

[Jimmyandjoes]

I'm not a Martinez apologist but I see on every college team and in the pros. It seems to be the norm. The special talent are the guys who can turn, keep their spacing and make a play on the ball

You Had Great Coverage So Why Didn't You Turn Your Head Around - alleyesdbcamp

Amateur fan and professional coach alike will tell you that one of their pet peeves when it comes to defensive backs is not looking for the football. There’s nothing like a guy being in a player’s hip pocket and having the wide receiver catch the football for no reason other than the defensive...

alleyesdbcamp.com

 

[FLVOL_79]

Could be they are instead teaching them to watch for their hands to start going into the catching motion and then trying to rake their hands. Nothing wrong with this technique but it leaves you vulnerable to PI calls and obviously won't get as many ints.

This

 

[Volnuck]

I think it's a matter of the athleticism/confidence of the individual players and the technique that is coached.

It's obvious that if a DB does not have confidence in his ability to stay in phase without having eyes on the receiver, then he will be hesitant to turn his head for fear of getting burned. On the other hand, an overconfident DB can be just as bad. Hadden's recent play has been less confident and it's caused him to miss some opportunities. While a guy like Slaughter played with a ton of confidence last year and had mixed results. We all remember him making highlight plays like the high-point interception against Kentucky last year, but some receivers were able to use his overconfidence to their advantage and make him bite on double moves and such.

I recently read some coaching material from a DB camp that specifically teaches DBs to keep their eyes on the WR and read his cues in order to react to a ball in the air, sometimes you'll hear this referred to as "playing through the receiver's hands". It's a constant battle between DBs and WRs trying to read one another's cues to anticipate what their next move should be. The best receivers can trick a DB with their eyes and hands into not reacting to a ball in the air. I don't know if Martinez explicitly coaches his guys to play this way, but it definitely seems like some of them are attempting this technique.

It all looks very simple from the comfort of your couch on saturdays, but these guys are playing constant mind games to gain advantages.

You mean like when Kamal Haden ran across the field to one of the best backs in the SEC, and he tried to give him a shoulder nudge thinking that would knock him over (He went for a 50 yard TD). Or maybe when he is always running from behind to catch a receiver and never looks back at the ball. I try to never use player names but he has been a liability since South Carolina last year.

 

[Jxn Vol]

Martinez Sucks. Period

 

[Volfan1000]

Hiw many time is this question going to be asked and answered by the numerous and very varied explanations. Every week it is asked. The reason is not going to change unless the basic philosophy of the DB coaching does, either changing coaching style or changing coach.

Who should be on the list to potentially replace CWM?

 

[papatomany]

And yet, somehow their longest pass play was 18 yards.

 

[Credo2]

 

[cyclevol]

I don't claim to know, but I would assume the best teams get the most interceptions because they have the same speed at DB as they do at WR. So, you're talking about the top 5 teams in the country. That's why Bama and UGA are so good on both sides of the ball. When they can recruit speed and get them to play defense instead of offense, that's when you know you are reaching that top level. Otherwise, your DB's have to keep everything in front of them so as not to get burned. Also, most game footage doesn't show the seconds before the ball reaches the target. Just because the DB did not look for the ball, maybe he was trying to catch up with the receiver. Yeah, I get it that it looks like they would have had an INT if they had turned around on many occassions, but where were they before you see the ball get there?