Film Room: Understanding Cornerbacks

Good football analysis article about cornerbacks, with a lot of discussion of Asante Samuel in case you’re still broken up about the Patriots letting him go, which you probably aren’t…

Samuel is not, and has never been, a shutdown corner. On one out of every five occasions, Samuel might jump a pass and either knock it down or take it back for six. But with his perpetually soft cushion, a great quarterback knows that he could, theoretically, go after Samuel. He could do that by throwing at him, but the offense also could run at him and manipulate other play designs to capitalize on his distinct weaknesses.