How to win without leverage

Two months ago, I published an article discussing the importance of winning leverage at the line of scrimmage. Gaining leverage to the same side as your break makes for an unobstructed cut at the top of the route. If you haven't had a chance to check out that article, I suggest you read that before delving into this one...it's a little less complicated and serves as an introduction to this article. It will also help you better understand some terms and phrases being tossed around. Alright, let's dig in.

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When we are given a specific route, we approach the line of scrimmage with a plan. Our initial thought is that we want to release and win leverage to the same side as our break, but it doesn't always work like that. A defender's shade or alignment can prevent us from winning leverage on the release. Similarly, a skilled DB might slide and cut-off our desired direction at the snap of the football. Elite wide receivers have the capacity to adapt when things don't go as planned. We always want to attack the defender's positioning and assess his reaction. How he adjusts when he feels threatened will tell us what to do next. In this article, we'll assume the defender closes off our desired direction and therefore we lose leverage at the line of scrimmage. Just to ensure we're all on the same page, I'll clarify the two examples of not having leverage: outside leverage for in-breaking routes or inside leverage for out-breaking routes. We know that different routes have different geometry at the breakpoint: posts and corners are 45s, ins and outs are 90s, curls and comebacks are 135s, and stop routes are 180s. How the receiver can win without leverage will be determined by the route geometry.

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45s

Let's say we have a corner route and the defender forces us inside at the line of scrimmage. It is important to stay tight and connected while working to the depth of the route. If you can beat the DB with speed and are above the DB's inside shoulder, this is known as a half-stack. We call it a half-stack because you are above the DB but off to one side. From this position, you will use a rocker step (1, 2, step), in-stride, to get the DB to fall off to the post.

If we cannot beat the DB with speed and cannot stack him, we will use a push-by at the top of the route.

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90s

If we are running a deep over and we're forced to release outside at the line of scrimmage, we will now build a plan based on how the DB runs with us. Again, if we're able to beat the DB with speed and half-stack, we'll use a hip-shift to get the DB to fall outside with the first move. This is essentially a 2-step cut with head and hips shifting away from the direction of the route.

If we are even with the DB, or if we are below the DB (he has a step on us), then we will use a push-by technique at the top of the route. To disguise our plan, we keep our body completely vertical with no tilt. At the breakpoint, we'll use the arm closest to the defender to brush him by, while simultaneously making the plant-and-go.

It's crucial that your hands and feet move in tandem. Think of it like this: if we rest our hand on the defender before making the cut, he is expecting the push-by technique. Similarly, if we make the cut before using our hands to throw the DB by, he is able to adjust and defend the route. For receivers that are less physical, consider taking a couple steps away from the break at the top to get the defender to follow, so that the push-by is easier with his momentum going away from the route.

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135s & 180s

I decided to group these angles together because the technique is similar. Our most used technique for these routes when we don't have leverage will be the push-by, but we need to keep the DB close for this to work.

We don't want to speed past the DB for two reasons: (1) we'll lose our connection and forfeit our physicality and (2) we'll end up colliding with the DB when working back to the football. On the flip side, what if the DB is off and in position to drive on the cut? Consider using change of pace with slight hesitation in your stem, to get the DB to bite before the break. Then when you reaccelerate, the DB has to respect the deep route, and you're able to free yourself back to the ball.

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In closing, never panic when things don't go as planned. You're well-equipped and savvy enough to beat any coverage. Study, apply, and practice these techniques, especially in WR/DB 1 on 1s. You'll find that when you get comfortable with these movements, you can actually use them to your advantage by purposefully losing leverage at the line of scrimmage. For example, when you dive inside on an out-breaking route, the DB is thinking that you are going inside at the top. When you get to the breakpoint, give him a little sauce inside then... well, you know how it ends.