Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 168 Catch Test
In the 2015 season, Derrick Henry swept the NCAA with his incredible performance, defeating McCaffrey and Watson to win the Heisman Trophy.

After the season, Henry declared for the 2016 draft.

Judging from various analyses and signs, Henry, who has shown absolute dominance in the college arena, should naturally be a popular and sought-after player.

However, the reality is not the case.

First, Henry is strong and has a clear target, making him easy for his opponent to catch him; his center of gravity is high, making him easy to lose balance.

Secondly, in the NCAA, Henry was always able to break through with his explosive power, but in the NFL, the defensive intensity is obviously raised to a higher level, so this trick may not work.

Finally, based on past experience, giant running backs as tall and strong as Henry, such as Brandon Jacobs, LeGarrette-Blount, Marshawn Lynch, etc., can often only be used as one-dimensional running backs in the first gear. When the ground offense tactics are discovered in the second and third gears, their strength advantage is often drowned in the human wave tactics.

The so-called one-dimensional running backs here not only refer to their running style, but also refer to the fact that they can only run the ball but not catch it.

From this perspective, Henry's shortcomings are more obvious than his advantages. After the National Championship Game, NFL scouts generally predicted that his draft pick would be in the fourth or fifth round, or even lower. Fortunately, Henry conquered the scouts with his excellent performance in the rookie training camp and the Alabama Crimson Tide's on-campus training day.

Finally, with the 45th pick in the second round, the Tennessee Titans selected Henry.

however.

In March before the draft, the Tennessee Titans had signed Pro Bowl running back DeMarco Murray as their starting point guard, so Henry had to start his rookie season from the bench.

The Tennessee Titans' quarterback is 2014 Heisman Award winner Marcus Mariota, a running quarterback who is best at holding the ball and advancing on the ground, but has average passing ability. In addition, Murray and Henry have similar characteristics, both of whom are running backs who are good at rushing but not good at catching the ball, so their roles on the field are completely overlapping.

As a result, head coach Ken Whisenhunt could only use Henry when Murray was exhausted.

Throughout his rookie season, Henry only completed 490 ground carries and five touchdowns, which was only one-fifth of his Heisman season the previous year.

This is the current situation.

The entire NFL has entered the era where passing is king. The traditional power-type fullback is gradually being eliminated, and the halfback who can take on multiple tasks is becoming the main running back.

The living space for one-dimensional running backs in the league is getting narrower and narrower. Running backs cannot have only one professional ability. They must not only be able to run the ball and break blocks, but also be able to catch the ball. Occasionally - very, very occasionally - in unexpected situations, they are also responsible for passing the ball.

then.

The running back does the hard work of four or even five positions, but is paid the minimum wage of the offensive team. He can be easily given up by the team. After all, he is a hard-working laborer, and if one fails, just replace him. Isn't it a good deal to recruit a tool in the sixth or seventh round?
Reality is so cruel.

To be precise, this practice is gradually becoming popular in the NCAA arena, using running backs as wide receivers to break the balance of offense and defense in a staggered manner. McCaffrey and Kamara often serve as wide receivers in the team to catch the ball.

Analyzing the data will help you understand Kamala's feelings——

In the 2016 season, he rushed the ball 103 times for 596 yards and was targeted 40 times for 392 yards.

No wonder the teams didn't notice Kamara, and no wonder Levi didn't remember Kamara at all. As a running back, his performance was indeed unremarkable; but as a wide receiver, his performance was really good, which also made him a dual threat in running and passing.

Of course, as mentioned before, there are still very traditional teams in the NCAA that adhere to the traditional ground offense system and do not use running backs as wide receivers.

The Alabama Crimson Tide is one of them.

In addition, Levi has only been in the football world for a short year, and even his basic running back abilities are still being learned and grown. Burns has no intention of letting Levi bite off more than he can chew. Throughout the entire season, Levi has never appeared as a wide receiver in an actual game. This is an unfamiliar field.

And now, the running backs are about to take a catching test in the rookie training camp - all eyes are once again focused on Levi.

The test items are not secrets, and there is no surprise attack here; but the point is that the ability to catch the ball cannot be trained in just six weeks.

Perhaps this is the key reason why Levi is training in seclusion, even more important than the bench press numbers.

After all, a running back who lacks strength and confrontation is only slightly worrying. The ever-changing offensive tactics of the NFL can always find a place for such running backs; but the living space of one-dimensional running backs in the professional arena is getting narrower and narrower.

So, how did Levi perform?

The air was slightly boiling.

call.

Kamara let out a long breath. He had no way out now.

The plan has been completely disrupted and things have long been out of control. He really wants to swear but now he is not in the mood. If he still wants to use Levi as a stepping stone to prove himself, if he still wants to improve his draft pick, this is the last chance and he must seize it.

The catch test does not test time, but tests agility and accuracy.

The starting point is a cross building block distributed on the ground, about twenty centimeters high. The player stands in one of the quadrants, and then must switch to the next quadrant with one foot, and then switch to the same quadrant with the second foot, ensuring that one foot and the second foot enter separately and finally both stand in the quadrant, and then switch to the next quadrant in the same way.

Whether clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on the player's own habits, starting from one quadrant and returning to the same quadrant to complete a circle.

Then, start.

In the same way, we crossed three 20-centimeter roadblocks arranged horizontally and vertically in front and continued to move forward.

In front of you are three round air cushion sandbags, arranged in a triangular shape. Behind each air cushion sandbag is a coach who will swing the sandbags to indicate the defensive players' positions. The running back must find the correct position in the two channels in the middle of the triangular shape and break through to move forward.

At the same time, you cannot touch the sandbags and must dodge them successfully.

Continue going straight, and there is another coach standing bare-handed in front of you. He will raise his hand to signal, left or right, and this time it is not about dodging, but following. The players follow the direction instructions and run a sideways parabola, ready to catch the ball at the end point of the parabola near the sideline.

The person responsible for passing the ball is still a coach.

After the running back catches the football, he continues to run along the sideline into the end zone.

The whole process seems simple but is actually complicated.

It tests footwork, judgment, on-the-spot adaptability, change of direction, catching the ball, center of gravity control after catching the ball, and the final sprint.

Time is not important, as no one tests the time, but everyone can see the agility of footwork, on-the-spot judgment, smoothness of breakthroughs, secondary reaction, etc. This is a comprehensive test of the running back and wide receiver's abilities.

It's difficult, very difficult, but Kamala is ready.

Second update today.

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(End of this chapter)