In football, a cushion refers to the distance between the receiver and the closest defender. Defensive backs line up seven to eight yards away from the line of scrimmage during a cushion game.
What are the Benefits of a Cushion as a Defensive Back?
Corners leave a cushion to prevent giving up deep balls.
When you play man coverage, you don’t want to let the receiver get past you. By allowing yourself a cushion, you have a bit of a “head start” if the receiver decides to run a go route.
You don’t always want to cheat with your eyes, but using a cushion can help you see better when you’re playing press coverage.
You may not notice a screen or quick pass developing on your side of the field if you start the snap with a cushion.
What are the Disadvantages of Playing with a Cushion in Football?
Press coverage allows you to engage the receiver at the line of scrimmage and continue some level of contact until the receiver is five yards away.
Plays can be killed by this physical contact, which throws off the timing of the route.
With a cushion, you may be too far off the line to make much contact before the receiver is five yards away.
Once the receiver gets to his peak speed, it is almost impossible to contain him. There are many receivers in football who are almost untouchable once they reach their peak speed.
As these receivers tend to be smaller in stature, getting physical with them at the line of scrimmage makes it harder for them to move.
Cornerbacks are at a disadvantage when playing against a speedy wideout when leaving a cushion.
Stop Using the Quick Pass
Playing with a cushion may allow the opposing team to fire a quick pass out to a receiver, especially if they have a wide receiver that picks up a lot of yards.
In press coverage, cornerbacks have a good chance of intercepting these quick passes when playing with a cushion.
If the cornerback wants to keep the wide receiver to a short gain after a quick pass is thrown to him, he will have to run directly towards him.
The two players will be moving quickly in opposite directions, making tackling difficult.
Before any contact with a defender, the ball carrier will have gained seven to eight yards of cushion if the cornerback holds his ground.
That’s all on cushions in football. Other popular coverage terminology in football includes back pedalling towards their end zone and banjo style pass coverage.