Through the first two weeks of the NFL season, Washington Redskins' cornerback Josh Norman hasn't shadowed the opposing team's top receiver. That has sparked plenty of debate about the best way to cover the NFL's elite pass-catchers, as Antonio Brown and Dez Bryant both made big plays when Norman didn't shadow their every move.
I want to be clear: Shadowing an opponent's top wide receiver isn't always the answer to building a smart defensive game plan. With Norman and the Redskins changing their philosophy versus Odell Beckham Jr. this weekend, let's first look at what not to do when defending a team's No. 1 receiver, before digging into three coverages that defenses should use more.
Avoid static single-high looks
Let's start with Week 1 Monday Night Football, when Brown went off for 126 yards and two touchdowns versus the Redskins. With Norman lined up as the left CB on 81 percent of snaps, Brown went to work on Bashaud Breeland, beating the young defensive back over the top (twice).
But where was the help? Where was the game plan to limit the explosive ability of the best wide receiver in the game? Think about it: Matching up to AB in a one-on-one situation is a tough job for anyone in the league -- especially when there is no immediate help over the top versus the deep ball. And if your top cornerback isn't going to check Brown, you need to adjust your scheme to take the Steelers' No. 1 receiver out of the game.
When Ben Roethlisberger walks to the line of scrimmage, he sees straight man coverage or Cover 1. No real disguise. Just line up and play. This is preseason stuff from the defense. And it automatically puts Breeland in a tough spot while giving Roethlisberger the exact look he wants to attack. With free safety DeAngelo Hall aligned as the deep middle defender, Roethlisberger knows he has Brown in a true one-on-one matchup to throw the fade.
When I was watching the tape, you know the first thing that jumped out to me? Roethlisberger's eyes at the snap. He didn't open his shoulders to the opposite side of the formation or hold the free safety over the top. Instead, he took the snap and immediately stared Brown down. Why? Because of the defensive look from the Redskins. Roethlisberger knew that Hall couldn't make it over the top due to his pre-snap alignment. No chance.
With one-on-one all the way, Big Ben delivers a perfect throw -- ball on the outside shoulder, away from Breeland's leverage. Now, one could say that Breeland has to jam, or has to reroute Brown and then stack on top of the fade. I get it. That's coachspeak in the defensive back meeting room. But it's not that easy. Brown is electric off the release and his acceleration is legit.
This is nothing more than poor game planning from the Redskins. It's one thing to take Norman -- who doesn't usually travel with receivers -- and align him on the left side of the defense. That caters to his skill set more in Washington's zone schemes. But when you essentially leave Breeland on an island, with no true help to impact the deep ball, you are asking for trouble.
So how would I game plan a receiver like Brown, Beckham, Julio Jones, DeAndre Hopkins or A.J. Green? Put the No. 1 cornerback on the opposition's No. 2 wide receiver and use the scheme to take away the top wide receiver. No different than what the New England Patriots used to do with Darrelle Revis.
Here are three ways to get that done -- drawn up for you to see.