Cory Black

Head Coach

Southeastern High School

I have come to believe that one of the most under utilized positions on a football team is its wide receivers. Most receivers think they only have to play on pass plays (when they have a chance to touch the ball). In fact wide receivers can make more big plays without the ball than with. It all comes down to one thing: BLOCKING.

I was one of those pass catching wide receivers in high school. Unfortunately blocking was not stressed to me as a player, and I gave the effort to blocking in games that was stressed to me in practice. This left our team with many missed opportunities due to my lack of effort.

After leaving high school I played one year of college football as a wide receiver. The very first day of practice we did a one-on-one stalk blocking drill. I had four or five opportunities in the drill and failed to touch any defensive back with either hand. My position coach was not happy with me, and he let the entire stadium know it!

After an entire season of being embarrassed in blocking drills, I began to see the importance of open field blocking. We cheered each other on in practice and in games as great blocks were made by the wide receivers, and big plays resulted.

When I began my coaching career in 1996, it was with a team that was coming off a 0-9 season. I was given the job of coaching wide receivers. Our team’s attitude was far from outstanding, so I had to come up with a way to build pride and self-confidence in the players I coached. Since we didn’t have a great passing quarterback, we were committed to running the football and that meant the receivers were going to block. This is what I was going to hang my coaching hat on.

I convinced my players that open field blocking was the greatest thing in the world. We set a goal of being the best open field blockers in the entire state of Ohio. We committed to blocking and worked very hard at it for the entire season. I was relentless, as a coach, on my players getting their assignment accomplished.

As the weeks and games passed by I noticed how the receivers were hustling and making good blocks for our running backs to cut from. This was very exciting for all of us, and brought us together as a group, or corps if you will. This hustle and great effort helped our team make a great turn around, and led to a 5-5 season.

Over the next few seasons I continued to stress the importance of blocking to the receivers. We began to believe that we were the best blocking receivers in the entire state—now all divisions. The players began to take great personal pride in blocking and went after defensive backs with incredible intensity. It was now understood that we were great blockers and you had to hustle and scrap in the games and practice. The younger players just fell into line with the veterans and continued the newly formed tradition of being great open field blockers. This was a great thing for our team and for our players. We were now known for something good. We were great at something. This reputation built our team’s self esteem, and our confidence grew rapidly.

As the next few seasons went by I began to believe there were four key points for the wide receivers I coached. I believe receivers have to 1) RUN 2) BLOCK 3) CATCH and 4) SCORE. These are the four keys points in my coaching philosophy. And I believe they have to be taught in that specific order.

1)      RUN:  The faster the better, for all the obvious reasons.  I demand players run at full speed in the fourth quarter as well as the first.  I have had players with very little speed turn into great player because they did not slow down as the game wore on.  I preach that slowing down is for defensive backs not receivers.  If the receiver stays fast as the DB slows down the receiver wins.

2)      BLOCK:  I believe this is the heart of wide receiver play.  I spend more time teaching this skill than all others combined, especially early in the season.  Here are the basic rules my receivers have for blocking:

a) ALWAYS attack the outside shoulder of the defensive back.  We do this in an attempt to hook defensive players.  With most defensive ends and linebackers using wrong arm or spill techniques, we find the ball turning toward the sideline on many plays.  If we can hook the last defensive player, we have a good chance of turning the corner and making a large gain.  It will work to your advantage even if the DB does not let you hook him.  He will open a running lane inside to large for the alley running safety to fill.  Either way the receiver wins.         

b) NEVER let a defensive back make a tackle coming forward. If the receiver can keep the DB from coming up to tackle we guarantee ourselves at least a five-yard gain, if the ball gets out there.  If the DB turns and runs sideways you just stick to his outside shoulder and let the ball carrier make a cut.  Either way the receiver wins. 

c) HUSTLE will make up for a lack of talent.  The majority of the receivers I put on the field are best at this.  Hustle makes open field blocks, period.  I have not found a good open field blocker who did not have to hustle to make a block, and I do not expect to.  I use the hustle factor to my advantage as a coach.  I tell my players that if they block I will let them play.   This gives less talented players a chance to get into the game, and improves team attitude and depth.  So what if that player has not caught a pass all year?  I am yet to see a DB not go out and cover a receiver even if he has never caught a pass! 

     Not only does this philosophy of play keep players happy, it keeps parents happy too.  Everyone wants to see their son in the game, and I use the hustle factor as leverage for playing time.  When parents have came to me and asked why their son was not playing, I could tell them that their son may not be a great blocker and does not hustle enough.  If you block you play.  That slogan lets players and parents know what is expected for playing time.  So if they hustle and block, they get to play, and that is a guarantee from me because when they get into a game and hustle and block the receiver wins. 

My COACHING POINTS for open field blocking include the following:  STANCE:  I teach every receiver to keep their feet shoulder width apart.  I also teach them to keep one foot in front of the other.  The heel of the front foot should be 6-8 inches in front of the back foot’s toes.  This is very important because it give the receiver balance and strength in all four directions.  Too often I see receivers get thrown down onto their facemasks, which is a result of having your feet side by side and not one in front of the other.  It does not matter to me which foot they put in front.  I do not want to over coach this, so I tell them to put whichever one is most comfortable up front and go with it.  BODY POSITIONING for the receiver is curtail.  You have to remember that a block cannot happen until the ball get there.  I tell my players to work to get into a good position until the ball carrier gets there, then seal off his outside shoulder, and stick to him until the ball is passed.  The vast majority of blocks my receivers get last only 2 or 3 seconds, so it is imperative that they get outside position on the DB quickly, wait for the ball the get there, then make the block.  HANDS have to stay inside the frame of the DB is the written rule, so that is another important skill to teach.  I teach them to place their outside hand on the outside upper arm of the DB.  Their inside hand should be on the outside number.  If they slip off they have to be replaced in those specific places.  This helps the WR focus his eyes on the DB in detail, and makes it easier to reengage the block.  STAYING ON YOUR FEET is also very important.  No one can make a block lying on the ground.  Never leave your feet.  Refuse to be thrown down. 

3)      CATCH:  The ability to catch a football is more about poise than anything else in my opinion.  We do all the regular pass catching drills that everyone else does and commit ample time to them.  No matter how well we catch, or do not catch, the ball in practice has less to do with repetition than it does with poise under pressure.  All the distraction drills in the world will not make up for a player panicking under the pressure of the Friday night-lights.  I have never had a player who came to me as a freshman that could not catch at all and leave four years later a great pass catcher.  Some people just do not catch very well for a number of reasons.  Whether it is a lack of hand eye coordination, blurry vision, or not being able to judge the trajectory of the pass, some do not possess the skill needed to catch well.  We work on it hard, but I do not get upset with kids who struggle to catch passes.  They can help the team win in ways other than catching passes.  A player is or is not a good pass catcher.  Either way the receiver wins. 

4)      SCORE:  The ability to score after the catch is the hardest skill for me to teach.  My players fall into one of two categories in this area: elusive or physical.  Seldom do I see one that is both.  I do teach all players skills for each style, but they often pick a favorite move or two to use most often.

All of my players learn how to stiff-arm a tackler.  We have worked intensely on this recently.  I seem to have a group of players that are tall and lanky with long arms.  To take advantage of this we finish all pass catching drills with a stiff-arm and run.  This has not become second nature yet, but I hope it does soon.  It is a great way to escape DBs and gain yardage. 

Being elusive is another skill that some people seem to be born with.  No matter how hard a player works it is a difficult talent to master.  My main drill for this is the 3-step cut.  I line all the receivers up on a line and make them run forward.  They start by running, step with the right foot first, at a slight angle to their right while counting their steps.  On their third step, (stepping on the right foot), they break at a 45 degree angle to their left.  The players then take three more steps and cut from the left foot back to the right.  We do this drill until they have made three cuts off each foot. This usually takes about 15-20 yards.  This teaches players 1) to cut off their outside foot, 2) to cut without losing speed, and 3) how to change directions quickly.  Those three things are what being elusive are all about.   

I have shared my philosophies regarding wide receiver play and my techniques for implementing these philosophies. I hope that you find them informative and useful. I would like to extend a special thank you to the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association for giving me the opportunity to write this piece, and to the Amanda-Clearcreek coaching staff for allowing me to join their ranks.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at  cblack@mail.gsn.k12.oh.us