For the Defensive PLayers: How Do You Play With Your Eyes?

[Senator Palmer]

This is something I've always been curious about. We all know that playing football, especially defense is about what you do with your eyes; reading keys, coverage, quarterback's eyes, etc. And I've always wondered what you players who have success on D do with your eyes?

I made a discovery last year when I was mastering MLB that I don't even look at my player, not to guide him through a gap, drop into coverage, scrape, anything. At the snap, I read the line, mainly the center for run/pass then react accordingly and I found that my sticks moved with my eyes. I found the ballcarrier 9 time out of ten; toss sweeps and stretches were automatic for me, for runs up the middle I made stuff after stuff, and I even got good at man-to-man coverage on TEs and HBs.

But this year I've been a bit befuddled. I don't know if it's the improved run blocking or the slower speed, but I haven't mastered flowing to the ball and find my eyes going to my manually controlled player more and more, then trying to look back up and find the ball carrier. All of this is split second stuff but it makes a difference between a stop for a loss and being gashed.

So, how do you play your defense whether you're a lineman, linebacker or DB? Do you look at your player or do your eyes stay on the play?

[ridemooses]

Interesting post I usually control a linebacker who plays a zone that way I can read what is happening in the play and usually I try to cover the slot guy that gets open over the middle. A lot of people use drags or slants so I look for those or I just cover the middle of the field. I've never tried to do what you suggest by following the play without even looking at your guy, I think suction blocking really stinks for doing this kind of thing. It's so common that your guy is running full speed to the play and then gets totally intercepted by a blocker who he should avoid easily.

I think this is a major flaw in now defense works and hopefully it gets adjusted. I would suggest playing more zone coverage and trying to let your other plays do some work where you can clean up with a big hit. I gotta try reading the line more as well as not always staring at my player or one or two of the offensive players. It would really help if you could use what NCAA has with the player lock giving you a better look at the field.