Why NFL receivers don’t get enough credit

EGAN, Minnesota — The NFL is a passing league, so quarterback names — rightfully so — get top billing.

But marquee throwers also need teammates to catch passes, and receivers are often under-appreciated for their role in making big plays successful.

Tua Tagovailoa, Kirk Cousins, and Jalen Hurts led the team to the playoffs after posting career-best stats this season, thanks in part to their receivers. The choices the pass catcher makes long before the end bends in his zone often determine as many offenses as the quarterback decisions.

The New York Times spoke with five of the NFL’s elite receivers. Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen of the Minnesota Vikings, Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins, Devonta Smith of the Philadelphia Eagles and Sheedy Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys. They helped us analyze the art of route running and reviewed footage of some of their touchdowns this season. I described the battle in detail. This happens in a fraction of a second that most football viewers tend to miss.

Coverage diagnostics

Before play begins, the receiver must identify the coverage being used by the defenders. Because understanding what responsibilities a defender has will influence pass catcher decisions as the route evolves.

Seeing where defenders line up and using motion throughout the formation are the two main ways to deduce coverage before the ball is snapped, players said.

Jefferson, who led the league in yards this season (1,809), said he studied film at least six hours a week. I know very well how to play him.

He seeks out defensive backs to reveal how they will be covered before the snap.

Jefferson looked for small cues against the Bills’ defense in the Vikings’ comeback win on November 13th. Amazing 4th Quarter Catch, Jefferson scored a 22-yard touchdown in the first quarter, realizing how cornerback Dane Jackson was playing him. Jackson lined up near the line of scrimmage to pick up Jefferson shortly after the man’s coverage snap. This play required the Vikings receiver to run a fade his route or execute a straight sprint designed to end with the receiver creeping towards the sideline once the pass was thrown.

Seeing Jackson play tight, Jefferson sped and broke to the outside, putting Jackson in a bad position. I could only hope to use my body as a shield against the ball.

“For the whole week we were saying, ‘If they fail, we’re going to throw it out,'” Jefferson said in an interview. “I wanted to be in a position where he couldn’t see the ball or where it was going to be, block him and catch the ball.”

Winning from the line of scrimmage

Perhaps the most important step for a receiver is his first step. Scrimmage his ability to pop off his line as soon as the ball is snapped determines whether a receiver can create a spot away from a defender. In that window, quarterbacks can take milliseconds to thread a pass.

Considered one of the fastest players in the NFL, Hill often sees cornerbacks giving him an extra cushion of distance at the line of scrimmage. However, on his first play with the Bills on December 17, that didn’t happen when Hill faked his release inside against cornerback Tredavius ​​White. Hill then switched and ran outside, scoring a half-step on White and scoring a 20-yard touchdown.

“It’s about creating space and being able to have an Allen Iverson crossover,” Hill said in an October interview.

Lam said in a phone interview that beating defenders on the line relies as much on strength as she does on sheer speed.

“I think people don’t talk about physicality a lot,” said Lamb, who has 1,359 receiving yards this season and was named to the Pro Bowl for the third-most receiving yards in the NFC. Scrimmage his line requires him to drop his hand and enter the route. A defender’s job is to confuse you, and the only way he confuses you is for him to get you. ”

NFL rules allow hand fighting (e.g., batting the arm of a defensive back) within the first 5 yards of coverage, but the best receivers use footwork and skillfully engage other parts of the body. Move to remove the defender. Ram said he alternated between jab and stutter steps and shoulder movements during the match to confuse his opponents.

root camouflage

The receiver tries to surprise the defender with the first few steps, but wants to calm the opponent down with familiarity in the next step. Even more so to have the guy who covers them back up.

“I want to release the ball at a speed that makes them feel like me,” said Smith, a second-year wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles. “We want them to feel that speed and then get up from the spot.”

The defender should not be able to determine if the route is for setting up a 10-yard catch or a 35-yard catch. Deception will help later on when the recipient breaks in the other direction.

If Smith runs hard in the early part of the route, the defender gears up to protect the end of the run, leaves Smith’s room, goes off course, and catches a short pass, just like it was completely set in the end zone. To do.

Against the Titans on December 4, Smith ran about 10 yards vertically and appeared to streak into the end zone. This forced cornerback Roger McCreery to respect the action and he flipped on his hips to defend the goal line. However, Smith cut inside for a post pattern, leaving him free for a 34-yard open touchdown.

Camouflaging a route is a difficult skill to master, Hill said. Because players naturally want to stand too high.

Infamous route runner Thielen said in an interview that one of the keys to disguising his route is staying as low as possible before breaking. He said he would look his defenders in the eye while running to keep his center of gravity low and his shoulders and head in line.

“It’s about keeping everything explosive and vertical and pointing it at the defenders,” said Thielen. “It’s about keeping everything tight and moving forward.”

Create Separation

Once the receiver reaches the top of the route, the proper yardage depth demanded by play, the physics and geometry of the matchup become even more important.

A pass catcher has an inherent advantage over an opponent who largely guesses what the receiver’s pass will be. At this point, the quarterback may have already thrown the ball in anticipation of where the receiver should go. Moving away from defenders early in the route gives the quarterback a window to put down the pass and gives the receiver space to catch it.

To do so, the receiver attempts to capitalize on the defender’s momentum. Vikings receiver coach Keenan McCardell, who played 17 seasons in the NFL, said Jefferson is adept at the top of his route thanks to his body control.

“The man upstairs gave him wonderful wiggles and blessed body movements so that he could give the man the illusion that he was going in one direction when he really was going the other way.” I did,” McCardell said in an interview.

Jefferson showed his agility in the fourth quarter of the Vikings’ overtime victory over the Colts in December. He was held to his five catches for his 48 yards through his third quarter as the Colts took a 36–14 lead from him. On his third and his second play from his 8-yard line for Indianapolis, Jefferson surprised cornerback Stephon his Gilmour with a series of moves.

Not all routes are so drastic. Smith, he said, likes to cunningly glance and nod at his head as he runs. This allows the defender to trick you into thinking it will move in a different direction.

“It’s very subtle, but you understand things like that as you play football,” Smith said. “It’s another thing to give and give false information to them.”

With Cowboys backup quarterback Cooper Rush playing against the Commanders in early October, Lamb used deception to become an easy target for inexperienced passers.

On the second and fifth plays from Washington’s 30-yard line, Lamb found cornerback William Jackson’s back turned to the sideline, allowing Lamb to take a short route down the middle to pick up the first down. I expected that I might run in. Instead, Lamb ran a post route near the border to squeeze Jackson.

He then sold a head fake to the outside and cut in, eluding Jackson for a 30-yard touchdown catch.

“It’s part of mind control, understanding the speed of the route,” Lam said. “I know you want me to go this way, but I’m going the other way now.”

put it all together

Feints, speed, physical and mental games help receivers outmaneuver defenders at various points along the route, but football’s elite pass catchers may have all these tools available in one play. .

In the fourth quarter of the December matchup, Jefferson pulled off every trick to score a touchdown for Minnesota as the Vikings were adamant about leading the Giants 17–16.

He took an outside release on the snap when cornerback Fabian Moreau tried to take advantage of him on the inside. Jefferson fought Morrow’s hand on the line before he sped past as if he were running the goal route. After running straight for about 12 yards, Jefferson suddenly entered an excavation route and ran across the middle of the field. He caught Kirk Cousins’ pass just before a safe Jason Pinnock reached him.

“Of all the routes you’ve run this year, it was the best route you’ve run all season,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell told Jefferson after a 17-yard touchdown. Said. “Inside leverage doubled, great big brother. There’s no one like you.”

video production by Ann Lee.