B.J. Cunningham overview and analysis nfl.com

[RobertHorry]

Well, these are option routes, not curls/comebacks. Cunningham has to hitch up at the mark... if the ball isn't on him when he turns around, he has to drift inside or out from there to find the soft spot in the zone dependent upon how the defender is playing his zone.

A curl is a turn towards the hash out of your break and works back towards the quarterback and back down the stem of the route. A comeback is a break away from the hash towards the sideline and works back towards the quarterback. A comeback doesn't work back down the stem.

This.

Also on curls and comebacks you are not supposed to "plant" your foot and turn around". Thats the worst way to run curls, comebacks hitches. You are supposed throw your head and chop your feet and sinking your hips and then turn around. You plant your foot for an explosive cut on routes like speed outs, post-corners, dino routes, digs, etc.

[ckparrothead]

Not according to Terry Robiskie.

[DominateTheLine]

How big of an issue will his small hands be? I know in Draft Winds you were saying that was a major predictive variable for WR success.

[TedSlimmJr]

A curl or option route has to be packaged with some sort of route combination where you threaten the flat (defender). All routes combinations are packaged. Receivers don't just curls or option routes just for the hell of it.

The formation the offense is running it out of (3x1, Twins-Flex, 2x2, etc.) combined with the coverage the defense is playing determines the read by the quarterback. Coach Roushar at Michigan St. has his quarterbacks operating from under center a significant amount of time, making these route combinations tied to the quarterback's drop. (3 or 5 step) This concept obviously varies if you're an Air-Raid, Run-&-Shoot, or any other type of spread offense where you have your quarterback playing from the gun. The quarterback's drop isn't what your synchronizing with. They then become pre-determined reads.

Quality defenses are fairly good at disguising coverages and weaker defenses don't always play good technique within the coverage.... which is why it's best to go with an MOFO/MOFC read. It eliminates the variable of poor technique by the defense or disguised coverage pre-snap. Once the ball is snapped you'll see the rotation.

Against 2-high/MOFO we like to run fade/out (3-step), or fade/flat. If you run it out of trips (3x1), you have the #3 run a skinny post and hit the fade in the honey hole of the Cover-2 which is outside the numbers about 10-15 yards deep.

We'll also run mesh (5-step), or curl/flat (5-step) reading the high safety to that side and have a middle of the field seam stretch from the #3 in an attempt to split the safeties.

If you're a spread or 4-verts offense, you'll do the exact same thing on the option routes that you would from a conventional set.... the option to bend for inside verts or break out for outside depending on the defender's leverage. It's up to the receiver to make the adjustment.



Against 1-high/MOFC, we like stops (3-step) with the option to go vertical based on the leverage and depth of a specific defender. You have the choice here to read linebackers or just run past them and read only the highest defender... the safety in the middle of the field.

Once again, a curl/flat except with a 5-step drop with a middle of the field seam to occupy the high safety. You can also run Switch (5-step) front side routes where you have 3-verts from the middle of the field to the bottom of the numbers. This is the coverage where you run comebacks, comebacks, and more comebacks.

If a defense likes to blitz you out of that situation, you'd run slants (3-step). It could be a slant/slant, slant/shoot in 2x2, or slant/slant/shoot in 3x1.

If you're getting 0-coverage you're going to package the slants same as above, or run fade/out, mesh, switch. Again, it all depends on what type of offense you run, but you want to package slants here any way you can get 'em.



Cover-4 you're going to run Spacing.... if the defense commits to not getting beat deep or in the vertical seams, you need to make a living off of stretching them horizontally (see Art Briles at Baylor, etc.)


If you've played or coached football beyond the Junior Varsity level, you understand that 4-verticals is the weakness and way to attack Cover-3. You're going to hit the seams here... or curl/flat. If their flat defender is aggressive, hit the curl route. If he's well coached and disciplined, take the flat route until his instincts override his coaching.


Cover-2 with man underneath gives you plenty of time to run a lot of double moves, etc. since the defense can only rush 4 and dropping 7 into coverage. This changes if you're weak up front or they have an elite pass rusher or two. That's when you hit 'em with screens and draws.




The touchdown B.J. Cunningham scores here against Wisconsin is on an option route tied to the 5-step drop by the quarterback. They're running it out of their Twins-Flex formation. From the endzone angle you'll clearly see the flat defender (Sam linebacker here) jump the flat route by the TE Brian Linthicum who was flexed out. As I mentioned previously, you have to package option routes with a threat to the flat.... you don't just run curls. When the ball isn't on top of Cunningham as he completes his stop route, he's required to work the zone based on how the defenders are playing.

They're running one way, he's running the other... (then endzone angle starts at 2:43)

[RobertHorry]

Not according to Terry Robiskie.

Planting your one foot on a curl or comeback is probably the worst way you can run the route. It hinders the ability to set up the defender later in the game.

[Lee2000]

Not according to Terry Robiskie.

Do you not see BJ as having the same potential as a kid like Colston, abeit he is shorter. He might actually run faster than him. I was going to ask about the difference in him and Sanu, but I am guessing you would say Sanu has more burst. But Sanu has 4 plays for 20 yards or more in 2011, but more previously. I watched the Wisconsin game and he appeared to have a little burst, but certainly not to the level of Martin. This guy has reviews that go everywhere between 3rd round to undrafted, and I know where you stand with that. I am guessing the Matthews pick makes you feel a little better because you are probably saying he has more explosion. I believe in the WCO a guy like Cunningham will be ok. His speed is 4.59. It isn't blazing, but adequate for a possession receiver. The kind of patterns he will run and the way the wco is implemented should cater to his strengths. His hands looked good to me. Very good level of concentration. With it being a 6th round draft pick, it isn't a great gamble, and the Matthews pick might take some of the pressure off. The real question is whether getting Vernon and Egnew was worth missing on a guy like Sanu, who i am not clear they were targeting any way.

[ckparrothead]

Planting your one foot on a curl or comeback is probably the worst way you can run the route. It hinders the ability to set up the defender later in the game.

Curl yes. Comeback, I'm not sure Terry Robiskie would agree. Regardless of whether you chop your steps or not, you still need to dig in that one foot during the break to help you explode out of it and back down the stem.

[RobertHorry]

Curl yes. Comeback, I'm not sure Terry Robiskie would agree. Regardless of whether you chop your steps or not, you still need to dig in that one foot during the break to help you explode out of it and back down the stem.

On comebacks? I'm not sure I would listen to what Robiskie says and much rather listen to Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce.

You dont dig one foot in during the break. You chop still but sinking your hips should be enough to help you explode back down the stem and towards the sideline



Both Gonzales and Wayne run it correctly here although they should be throwing their head more

[torontodolpfan1]

great pick