NFL
The Ultimate Test: What’s the Most Difficult Position to Play in the NFL!
The defensive back has proved to be a ‘hard nut’ in the array of NFL positions. To be specific, the cornerback stands out as the hardest position due to the physical and mental demands that need to be met and the extreme discipline that a player needs to maintain.
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The question about the hardest position in the NFL raises a passionate debate, with most parties raising divided opinions as to whether the cornerback or quarterback is the toughest. Often, the quarterback position receives heaps of praises and attention since it is one of the most coveted positions in the NFL. However, the cornerbacks are more constricted, given the physical and mental demands of the position.
In the NFL, the cornerback position is a high-wire placement that, for the larger part, is majorly earmarked by failures, disadvantages and the exclusive mental toughness. Cornerback’s mistakes are quick to pick, making them an open book for scrutiny by both fans and coaches. A single miscalculation or mistake by a corner can cost a team a touchdown, a win, or even a championship.
Why is Cornerback the Hardest Position in the NFL?
Unlike the quarterbacks, who know what play to expect, the cornerbacks are often in the dark. Cris Dishman, a former cornerback who played in the NFL for 12 years, once ascertained that not knowing what to expect from the offense is one of the aspects that makes the cornerback the hardest position in the NFL.
Cris noted that cornerbacks are always wallowing in the fear of the unknown, since they have to guess the next course of action of the offense. This calls for the need to have unwavering confidence, resilience, and unshakable mental stability.
The continuous change of rules by the NFL’s Competition Committee has solidified the challenges that cornerbacks have to beat to remain successful in their positions. One of such rule dictates that a corner may not run into a passer of a legal forward pass after the ball has left his hand (15 yards). Cornerbacks are also flooded by tight penalties that are enshrined in the rules. For instance, exercising the wide receiver’s role carries a costly penalty.
A touchdown pass is an embarrassing reality and if it happens, a cornerback grapples with immense guilt, knowing that they are the sole cause. This is because corners key barriers between wide receivers and the end zone, although there are times when safeties help to pull strings together.
The Mental and Physical Demands of Cornerbacks
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At the NFL entry level, the best athletes with the abilities and skillset to play either cornerback or wide receiver often gravitate toward the latter position. During scouting, NFL evaluators seek hard-to-find physical traits in cornerbacks, which can prove challenging when drawing a line between confidence and arrogance.
Cornerbacks merely receive the immediate help of teammates despite being matched against some of game’s most dynamic players. This reveals the reason behind the position’s nickname, “The Island”. Players in this position are usually detached from other players on the field.
A corner knows that all attention is re-redirected to him as soon as the quarterback launches the deep ball. Whenever a touchdown happens, angry glares equally fall on him. Therefore, the fear of failure, though unavoidable in certain instances, is a pressure-trigger for corners.
Corners tend to have short-lived career peaks. Losing a step, especially at an advanced age, makes it difficult or even impossible to compensate. The life of an NFL cornerback is risk-filled, as they are constantly placing their bodies under pressure. The physical and mental demands of the position make players vulnerable to me pressure and injury. Among the injuries that corners suffer are hip libral tears and hamstring strains.
The need for cornerbacks to outperform their opponents is unquestionable, hence the need for relentless resilience and dedication to the game. Pressure is an ever-present companion for corners since they are ‘lonely’ players with a difficult role of playing backwards to make progress. When the rules are factored in, such as having to make minimal contact with the receiver to avoid a penalty, it becomes evident that the cornerbacks indeed have a very hard shell to break, to remain successful and relevant in the NFL.
Ian Mugo Wanyeki is based in Nairobi, Kenya. He is a sports enthusiast with vast knowledge of different sport disciplines. Ian is a graduate with a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Kenyatta University. He is a Kenyan journalist who’s worked as a sports analyst at Covenant Television Network, as a sports reporter at NTV and as a Sports Correspondent/contributor at Quartz Africa.