3 Reasons To Use Jam Technique On Receivers
Ask any receiver what he hates to see from a defense and you will likely hear this. Getting jammed at the line of scrimmage from a physical defender. Promise that this is going to be near or at the top of that list almost every time. All secondary coaches teach the jam technique. However, the number of times you see receivers free release during the season is really surprising.
Teaching a defender to walk up on the line of scrimmage to get his hands on the receiver as he releases at times seems like it’s a lost art. That is a shame. It is one small thing early in a football play that pays big dividends as the play develops.
Here at FirstDown PlayBook we are big fans of the jam technique. That’s probably because we spent a lot of our time coaching tight ends. Tight ends normally play the point in bunch formations. You can bet at the NFL level the point receiver in a bunch formation rarely gets a free release.
So as you coach up your defense here are some things to think about:
1. Receivers Do Not Work Vs Jam Technique or Contested Releases A Lot
Releases are a receiver’s least favorite thing to work on. When you’re talking about a young receiver in high school or college they have other things they want to work on. Most receivers want to release off of the line of scrimmage and get into their route to do what they love to do most, and that’s catch the ball.
When they do work on releases it is on air or against a half hearted rolled up corner. If you walk a defender up in their face you can almost bet that this is not what they have been practicing against. Once the jam technique disrupts a release or two, you will see the frustration start setting in.
2. Disrupting One Receiver Can Often Disrupt The Entire Play
Most good passing games revolve around timing. If one receiver is not where he or she is supposed to be, that screws the entire play up. When the offensive set is some sort of bunch formation, you can actually disrupt three receivers by jamming the point receiver.
Once the quarterback does not see the pattern and timing that he expects as he drops back, then odds are that he is going to pull the ball down and cut his losses. This can often result in sacks for your defensive line and negative yardage plays in general.
3. The Jam Technique Can Set The Tone For The Entire Game
When a defensive back or linebacker walks up in a receiver’s face and wears him out at the line of scrimmage it has lasting consequences. If that play happens to be a run play then that’s one more win for the defense. The run block has just been destroyed and the tone is set.
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This also sends a message to the receivers that before they can catch the ball that day they had better be focused on getting into the route first. This wears on receivers mentally and physically as the game goes on. If the receiver is not tough minded, he may just shut it down for the game if he is not coached well.
You will notice that FirstDown PlayBook often has schemes that jam the point in a offensive bunch formation. We will even jam receivers with our flag football defenses. This is because we know that most flag football players are not spending a lot of time working on releases.
