What Does a Defensive Back Do?

Video Transcript

"Hello, my name is Rocky Gillis. I'm with the Broward County Athletic Association and Offense Defense Football Camp. Let me tell you what a defensive back does. Defensive backs have a couple of primary responsibilities. Number one being the coverage of wide receivers who is usually the most widely aligned offensive player on the field. In doing this he will have to be responsible for wide receiver coverage on an individual basis and work in tandem sometimes with the remaining other defensive backs and line backers. His alignment will be dictated by the coverage in which is called for the defense, so if he's in man to man, there's a variety of types of man to ran, he may be in tight one on one, bump and run coverage or he may actually be in loose man where they allow the wide receiver to release off the ball. Then there's zone coverage and there's a number of zone coverages and there's a variety, some cultures have defined and decided to play a combination of man and zone on particular coverages. Defensive backs must remember at all times that even though they're in zone coverage that once a man comes into his area, it kind of converts to a man responsibility. His secondary responsibility, is for tackling would be runners. He is going to be the last line of defense in that defensive scheme. Some in preparation for a defensive back play, there are a number of drills and things that defensive backs can do. They must first learn to run backwards faster than most people so the back peddle is one of the key elements in playing the defensive back. He must also learn to be a good tackler so there's variety of tackling drills including the angle tackle drill, as well as one on one in open space."