Khalil Mack now the NFL’s most dominant defensive player

Nov 29, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Oakland Raiders cornerback David Amerson (29) breaks up a pass intended for Tennessee Titans wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham (17) during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Oakland won 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Coverage

Once again, the team around you is everything when it comes to your individual success in the field. As mentioned a couple of slides ago, it the quarterback gets the ball out, there isn’t much you can do. And if you don’t have good coverage in the secondary, receivers get open and the ball comes out quickly.

Last year and the beginning of this year, the Raiders press-bail coverage always turned into bail coverage. By the time the ball was snapped, the corner was 10 yards off the receiver and the ball can be thrown quickly. What defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. called bend-but-don’t-break was bend-and-break defense.

D.J. Hayden is a bust and T.J. Carrie, is average with a bunch of other average corners at the start of the season. But the the Raiders got lucky when David Amerson was cut by the Washington Redskins. The Raiders pounced on him and he was able to come in and play due to an injury that forced Carrie to play safety.

When Carrie came back to corner, the coverage got worse because Hayden got charbroiled on the other side. Then the Raiders finally realized Amerson is the best corner on the team and started him. Hayden then came in to cover the slot and the Raiders had sticky, bump and run coverage.

Slot receivers are Hayden’s size so he could be more comfortable playing close to the line of scrimmage. Amerson and Carrie are good-sized corners so now, there is more press and less bail. That means the quarterback has to wait longer for the receivers to break open, giving Mack time to get his sacks.

Next: The offense