# NFL question - why are defensive backs so bad at catching? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 29, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-question-why-are-defensive-backs-so-bad-at-catching/669934 "2013-09-29T17:22:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-question-why-are-defensive-backs-so-bad-at-catching/669934/21 "2013-10-01T17:58:44Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > I have. A real NFL Quarterback, who was a Division I college QB when I caught some passes from him. And I can say a few things from my personal experience. Without a doubt my hands hurt from my game of “catch” with him, and they hurt for quite a while after we were done. The ball was zipped at me at NFL QB speeds, but I didn’t have any DB trying to break up the pass, hit, or tackle me. I also didn’t have gloves on (big mistake). However, what I learned was this… Catching a ball with your hands and bringing it into your chest is not all that hard. And if I had gloves, I could have done it both longer and better. But I ran routes from anywhere between 10 and 25 yards, just for fun, mind you, and I asked him to throw it as he would in a game. He had one of the most powerful arms I ever had the pleasure to play catch with. But make no mistake… I caught many more than I dropped. I have big hands, and I was a very good athlete in college and my 20’s, so I may not be the average guy out there. Still, I never saw me as anything special either, especially when it came to pass catching. Maybe I had much better than average hand-eye coordination than most people at that time. > > Sure, you have to get used to the velocity and the sting that comes from the velocity. And as long as you don’t jam a finger, you are alright. > > I agree with you that a DB would do better at practicing DB skills at practice, as it is a much better use of his time. But I think being able to catch is right up there for DB’s on the skill set. (I know this isn’t reality, but it should be.). Couldn’t they take 50 passes at the end of practice from one of those automated passing machines? Just to get more comfortable with the whole process? > > I had the pleasure watching Revis in college, and I don’t think he would be a journeyman receiver. He would be much better than average, at least in my opinion. But in reading some of the answers here, I will concede that perhaps we are talking about two different skill sets entirely. > > As I’ve stated, I’ve actually done this, so I am not just pulling this question out of thin air. It was my experience at catching passes with an NFL QB that always made me wonder about this question. And IMHO, hitting a baseball is much harder than catching a football. > > I have the same question about RB’s too, and how some simply can’t catch a pass out of the backfield. > > Maybe **Loach** has a point about how they are concentrating on so many other things, catching it isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But we are talking about professional athletes, and what basically is a reflex action. Perhaps I’m just not seeing what is so obvious to you all. > > As for the guy that dropped the ball in the Steeler game, I may have misidentified the guy. Sorry about that. The hard part is catching a ball _when you’re not focusing on it_, and DBs in general cannot expend more than a tiny portion of their focus on the ball because it takes so much effort to keep up with their man and/or their zone. You could try it with your buddy- keep your eyes on something else, like a tree, and backpedal; tell the QB to throw it near you at a random time. I bet it’s pretty tough to catch. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-question-why-are-defensive-backs-so-bad-at-catching/669934/22 "2013-10-01T18:12:11Z")
> [@theR](#): > > I think it’s important to emphasize your last point. Defensive backs don’t expect the ball to come to them. They have to go to the ball, and a perfect throw is one that allows the receiver a chance to catch the pass while the DB has no shot at it. That’s the main point I think. DBs are typically playing the man, and not watching for passes with the intent to catch them. They’re looking to obstruct the receiver legally, and disrupt his catching of the ball. If that means catching it, great, but the higher percentage play is to bat it away or prevent the receiver from catching it. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-question-why-are-defensive-backs-so-bad-at-catching/669934/23 "2013-10-01T18:20:13Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > The hard part is catching a ball _when you’re not focusing on it_, and DBs in general cannot expend more than a tiny portion of their focus on the ball because it takes so much effort to keep up with their man and/or their zone. You could try it with your buddy- keep your eyes on something else, like a tree, and backpedal; tell the QB to throw it near you at a random time. I bet it’s pretty tough to catch. > [@bump](#): > > That’s the main point I think. DBs are typically playing the man, and not watching for passes with the intent to catch them. They’re looking to obstruct the receiver legally, and disrupt his catching of the ball. If that means catching it, great, but the higher percentage play is to bat it away or prevent the receiver from catching it. I can agree with this. And I’m not expecting these guys to be Jerry Rice out there. But I think we all have seen a DB get a ball right in their hands and drop it. Maybe their mindset is different, and maybe there is a mental part of this I’m not considering. It’s clearly something that is common throughout the league, though, so there must be common threads throughout. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-question-why-are-defensive-backs-so-bad-at-catching/669934/24 "2013-10-01T18:30:09Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > I can agree with this. And I’m not expecting these guys to be Jerry Rice out there. But I think we all have seen a DB get a ball right in their hands and drop it. Maybe their mindset is different, and maybe there is a mental part of this I’m not considering. > > It’s clearly something that is common throughout the league, though, so there must be common threads throughout. I think this is the common thread- it’s really tough to catch a football at NFL speeds when your focus is elsewhere. Think about it this way- which is more likely: NFL DBs have really bad hands (like worse than the average adult American male), or it’s really hard to catch a ball in the position that NFL DBs are usually in? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-question-why-are-defensive-backs-so-bad-at-catching/669934/25 "2013-10-01T18:46:50Z")
You could try this- bring out your buddy and a dog. Play with the dog- chase him around and wrestle and stuff. Instruct your friend to throw a football near you at some random point. I bet you don’t catch it. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-question-why-are-defensive-backs-so-bad-at-catching/669934/26 "2013-10-01T18:54:38Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > But I think we all have seen a DB get a ball right in their hands and drop it. Maybe their mindset is different, and maybe there is a mental part of this I’m not considering. We’ve also all seen wide receivers get a ball right in their hands and drop it. They knew where to expect it, they were prepared for the ball, and they practice with the QB and they still drop a disturbing number of passes. In a real game situation all these tasks are considerably harder than just chucking a ball around on the practice field. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-question-why-are-defensive-backs-so-bad-at-catching/669934/27 "2013-10-01T18:56:27Z")
I think it’s worth noting that the OP is a Steelers fan and therefore has had to endure years of watching Ike Taylor drop catchable INT’s. That guy really does have hands of stone. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-question-why-are-defensive-backs-so-bad-at-catching/669934/28 "2013-10-01T18:57:28Z")
Well, his hands are always full already. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-question-why-are-defensive-backs-so-bad-at-catching/669934/29 "2013-10-01T19:04:05Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > Well, his hands are always full already. Ha, yeah. And I saw someone else mention it, but the height/speed thing in what determines a CB versus a WR is important to note. Very few NFL receivers are successful under a certain height (much like QB’s), but almost all NFL CB’s are in that 5’9" to 6’1" range. CB’s tend to be faster than WR’s as well. I think that means a lot more than how well they can catch a football in terms of why these guys end up in the positions they are in. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-question-why-are-defensive-backs-so-bad-at-catching/669934/30 "2013-10-01T19:15:49Z")
There certainly WAS a time when “If that cornerback could catch, they’d have made him a receiver” would have been valid, just as “If that relief pitcher were really good, they’d have made him a starter” was once valid. But in today’s NFL, a lock-down cornerback is at LEAST as coveted and as highly paid as a star wide receiver. Probably MORE so. You rarely see wide receivers drafted in the top 5, do you? That’s because coaches increasingly think that a good quarterback can make average receivers look like stars. The Patriots didn’t mind letting Wes Welker go because they believe (with some justice) that Tom Brady can give almost ANY receiver All-Pro type numbers. If Deion Sanders Jr. and Jerry Rice Jr. were both in next year’s draft, I suspect Deion Jr. would go higher. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-question-why-are-defensive-backs-so-bad-at-catching/669934/31 "2013-10-01T19:28:14Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > But in today’s NFL, a lock-down cornerback is at LEAST as coveted and as highly paid as a star wide receiver. Probably MORE so. You rarely see wide receivers drafted in the top 5, do you? Justin Blackmon, AJ Green, CJ, Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, Braylon Edwards, Charles Rogers. Conversely, if we’re looking at the top 5, going as far back as Woodson, I’ll be damned if I can think of another cornerback other than Terence Newman and Quentin Jammer. I mentioned it earlier, but I think it’s going in the opposite direction you think it’s heading in. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-question-why-are-defensive-backs-so-bad-at-catching/669934/32 "2013-10-01T20:12:08Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I think it’s worth noting that the OP is a Steelers fan and therefore has had to endure years of watching Ike Taylor drop catchable INT’s. > > That guy really does have hands of stone. That reminds me of the early-2000s seasons as a Giants fan, probably from 2001-2005, where it was a running joke on the NYG messageboard “The pass **almost** intercepted by Will Allen.” It felt like we were sure to hear that at least once a game. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-question-why-are-defensive-backs-so-bad-at-catching/669934.md?page=1)