Thursday, October 19, 2006

San Francisco Chronicle: HOW TO COOK A DEFENSIVE BACK

Swiftness on offense is a recipe for disaster for opponents

Jake Curtis, Chronicle Staff Writer

New Mexico State coach Hal Mumme delights in the memory of Chris Williams' 96-yard touchdown catch against Idaho two weeks ago. "He wind-burned the cornerback," Mumme said. Wind-burning afflicts a defender who is scalded by the gale-force gusts created when an offensive speedster blows by him. It results in a big play and is exciting for everyone but the player who is wind-burned.  The value of speed is no revelation. As Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville noted recently, "When you have team speed, you have a chance to win."  This is not about team speed, though. Nor is it about defensive speed or deceptive speed or so-called football speed. This is about jaw-dropping individual offensive speed of the Reggie Bush mold. It's players such as Ohio State's Ted Ginn Jr., Indiana's Marcus Thigpen, Florida's Percy Harvin, Boston College's Jeff Smith, Clemson's Jacoby Ford and New Mexico State's Williams, who are track standouts terrorizing defenses and delighting spectators on the football field.

Read the entire article here.

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