Cornerback help!

Question
I am a senior, I'm 5'9" weigh 145 and was moved from 2nd string RB to play corner because I was told they need a good corner. But its 2 days before game time and I was just told I wouldn't play because our other corners can block the deep ball better.  Please can you give me some tips on pass protection so I can get back out on the field, sitting out my senior year is not what I had in mind.

Answer
Dear Jesse:
Today is your lucky day. You are question number 800 on my football question list. Just for that I am going to do my best to make you a starter on your football team.

There are no short cuts to being a great defensive back. However, if you learn to use some of the tips I will be giving you, you will be picking off passes left and right. A word of caution do not tell all your team mates how you are doing this unless you want to sit on the bench and watch them be the ones to pick off all the passes.

If I were you I would work on my pattern reading. Here is a simple system you can use to add pattern reading to your defense.

1. Spend some time looking at the game film of your next opponent and learn his play book.

2. Make a list of your opponents pass plays, and place the pass plays into 3 sets, short passes, medium passes, and long passes.

3. Now place these pass plays into 2 sets of inside passes and outside passes. You can also add, offensive formations and down tendencies, this will give you an idea what to look for in every situation.

Here is a simple tip if you don't want to work that hard to read the offense. The biggest tip I can give you comes from the receiver himself. Watch the receiver carefully on the game films. A lot of the receivers make the same mistakes. When a receiver is running an inside pattern he will release inside shoulder of the corner back. When a receiver is running an outside pattern he will release outside shoulder of the corner back.

Here is where knowing your opponents play book comes in handy. Let us say that it is third and 10. And let us say that the receiver takes an outside release. You know that your opponent has three pass patterns they like to run to the outside. They like to run a 3-yard hitch, a 5-yard out, and 12-yard flag pattern. Can you guess which pattern they are going to run? The hitch and the short out pattern will not give them a first down but the 12-yard flag pattern will.

Now that you know all this you can play the percentage game. The odds are now in your favor to make the big play. Here is where the pattern reading comes in.

Pattern reading is nothing more than a combination of landmark dropping and reading the receivers routes. In fact, defensive backs must know their landmark drops before they can move up to the pattern reading level.

A pattern reading is a simple read of the second receiver from the sidelines. For example, many teams, on the high school level, usually have their tight end run a short pattern while the slot-back will run a deeper route. By reading the tight end's pattern, you will have a good idea of what the slot-back pattern is going to be. The same goes for the two receiver set. One receiver will usually run a short pattern while the other will go deep. If you know what combination patterns the two receivers run, by doing your homework, you will be waiting for the ball when it is thrown.

The information I gave you is gold and I hope you guard it well. I presume this answers your question. If not, please let me know and I will do my best to help you. You can ask as many questions as you would like I am here to help you.

Your friend, Coach Louis