Games with Names - NFL Cornerbacks Explain Technique and Film Study

Episode Date: June 14, 2026

Legendary NFL Cornerbacks including Patrick Surtain II, Aqib Talib, Ty Law, Charles Woodson, and Pacman Jones explain technique and film study for pro football defensive backs.Support the show: http://www.gameswithnames.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's that time to put on your jersey and wave your flag, whoever you root for. Why do I watch the World Cup? That's like asking me, why do I breed? And it's beautiful. The guys are young and cute and fit. It's not just a game. It's your culture. I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force.

From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari, and this is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots. Listen to American Football on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Michael Rappaport, and my podcast, the I Am Rapaport Stereo Podcast, is unlike anyone you've ever heard. If you're looking for strong opinions

about sports, entertainment, politics, pop culture, and whatever else catches my attention, then subscribe now. This kid, Jafar Jackson, should absolutely positively get nominated for his portrayal is Michael Jackson. Listen to IMRAP report on the IHeartRadio app, Apple

podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do.

Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. For years, the Un-House has been presented as a monolith in mainstream media. Wedian House is a podcast that's changing the narrative. I'm Theo Henderson, and I created the show why I was Un-Housed on the streets of Los Angeles.

We've grown into a two-time Webby Award-winning podcast. The only podcast that shares Un-House stories and news from the unhoused perspective. Listen to Weythian House on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome to games with names. I'm Julian Edelman, and we got a brand new compilation highlight reel starting now.

Now, Patrick Sertan on the importance of technique playing cornerback. You're such a technician in your game. Yeah. Like you look like a pro. You're never out of phase. you always have your feet Coach Saban, you know, shout out. Always have your feet.

You're always in position. You never miss your fucking off-ham jam. Is that something your dad brought to? What did your dad teach you about this game that, because you look like your miles ahead at such a young age. You're only like your fifth year, fourth year, you know what I mean?

Yeah. How do you look like such a veteran? What did pops teach you? It's sort of like a nuance to the DB position, just patience. I learned. going through because it was it was quite an adjustment like not reacting to everything um that the receiver was doing and sort of having sort of like you like a monk just being patient

and just sitting there because um once you start like trying to move out the receiver and let the receiver dictate everything that's when you start to get erratic and you lose your technique and your fundamentals one thing that i learned was like pretend like you're in the box like you're in this frame and receive we got to either go one way or the other and you got to just stay in that box and force them to go either direction. And that's why I just started to learn, you know, being patient, you know, and, you know, offhand jamming was something I learned just like in high school and sort of just sticking with that.

Staggered feet, though? Are the feet staggered when you offhand jam? I would have saw it. I would have been studying the offhand jam. Oh, no, not. No, I'm staying square. Usually that DB would he get snout high. in jam you see his feet like this.

Okay, yeah, you knew it's coming. You can't do that because like you said, dudes like you would catch on to that. But you sort of got to mix it up. You know, you got to have a toolbox, you know, fake a quick jam, tough jam, quick jam and all that.

I feel like that's got to be in your arsenal. Because receivers nowadays are so good. It's just like you've got to mix it up. You got to just fine tune your craft each and every day. But Pops definitely, I learned a lot from pops along the way for sure. Yeah. Next up, Akeeb Taleb on what he learned from Rondei Barber with film and technique.

Did you learn from Ronde? How to watch tape. Ronde really taught me how to set my notebook up and how to watch tape. Like, I won't watch it no motherfucking tape. How do you watch tape? I watch it first second down through personnel. So I watch 21 personnel. I'm either going to be on the single receiver side or the tight-in.

side and single receiver side, I watch the tape and if I keep seeing a route recur, reoccur, reoccur, I'm writing it down. So on the single receiver side, stop route, slant, fade. If I see it route one time, I ain't writing it down. On the tight end, on the tight end receiver side, I'm going to just write down what route keep on coming up. And I had the top three routes. Anything else, I'm just playing football. But I'm going to know, okay, they 21. personnel, boom. They break, tight in on my side, slant fade hitch or whatever.

My three routes, that's the three routes that I'm anticipating. If you run something else, then I'll be a cornerback. I'll be a professional cornerback and I react to it. But I just go through every formation like that, 21, then 12, then 11 on early downs. Then I go third down. 11, 12, then a bunch.

If they're in bunch, they do these. Like, I just, it's a big test, bro. I just write down the routes and these formations and then when y'all break the huddle y'all come out in this formation it's like I'm taking the test if I can't think of shit

I just play my technique but if I got an idea oh he can run this over route usually I'm right because you know how offense is y'all do it's just like playing the game y'all gonna do what the fuck y'all do right we could turn the matting on right now

you're gonna run your shit you've been running against everybody you ever been playing you feel me it's the same so it's a big test man you gotta put that time in and memorize this shit and be able to go to it as they break the huddle and shit. So that's how I watch tape. Ronde taught me how to organize my notebook.

Listen, first second down, 10, 11, 12, 21. Third down is probably going to be 11 or 12. Red zone. Get your top concepts. Take them away. Besides that, be a pro. Play ball. How your premium looks.

These are best plays. They run these plays every fucking week. If they run these plays, I'm picking it. had him premium looks shit ronde put me on that man shout out ronde shout out ronde he's just he's a straight pro guy uh rondea was a pro guy uh rondea was a pro man just you know never late never miss a day never sick like how the fuck you never sick like you ain't got a cold or nothing right day like goddamn he got robit tossing you feel me hey he just man just a pro's pro man got a got the woman who take care of his body put me on on to her like just a real

You know, I caught him in later years as well. So just a real pro's pro, man. Next, Pac-Man Jones on who the real lockdown corners are in the NFL. That's like a real corner. Lockdown. Lockdown. And can return points. Who are the lockdown corners right now that are man coverage corners?

Well, you got to say Patrick's routine. Patrick's 13. He's a dog. He's long, though. I like the kid from the Panthers. Jackson? Or the other one? The other one who just got paid all their money.

Horn, right? J.C. Horn? J.C. Horn? I like him. I should have known that. An analyst. Them are my top two. Gonzalez? I like Stingley.

Stingley is really good. And Lasseter is too. They got two really good corners. Stingley is a, Sting is a dog. Gonzo Gonzalez for the Patriots, he's just pretty. He's

athletically there. Yeah. He still needs to learn how he uses hands. But that guy he sticks on dudes. There's some good corners. It is. There's some good corners. Some bad ones too. What do you what do you think about these playoffs right now? It's up in the air,

but you know how it is, bro. If you get higher at the end of the season, I think the most dangerous team, right now are the Texas. Texans? Yeah. Now, Patrick Sertan on the cornerbacks that he modeled his game after. Who are some of the guys you modeled your game after?

I mean, you know, obviously pops. Yeah. You know, I mean, he's been there along the way watching him play. But, you know, just Revis, another guy, champ Bailey, Charles Woodson, you know. Chill. Chill. Kind of an asshole sometimes if you don't know him. He gives asshole vibe because he's just like, he's always competing.

Yeah. That's my guy. Love you, Charles. Yeah, yeah. I mean, just, just legends. Tileau, another legend. He's not chill. He's not chill.

I see that. I see that. He came on here. We were drinking shots. Shout out of Cornice. Yeah. Shut out. Yeah.

Yeah, another one. Man, it's just, I think, just looking at so many legends growing up. I mean, like Richard Sherman, Patrick Peterson, in, Janet Ramsey. I grew up watching Jana Ramsey

and he's still doing it, you know, so Stefan Gilmore, you know, those guys. Chill. Chill. Now,

he's like real chill. I played with them like five years. I heard him speak four times. We fought twice too. We didn't talk. Y'all fought. We did.

Yeah, we fought. Okay. Convo to fight ratio. Yeah. You fought twice? Nah, probably.

We had one really big fight. Okay. I was when the dread came out. Yeah, I pulled a dread out. It'd be the ones you least expect, though, man. For real. It'd be the ones you least expect.

What is so, I mean. Now, Charles Woodson on the hardest receivers to cover in his career. Who is the toughest cover for you in your career? Marvin. I was that Marvin Harrison. Marvin Harrison. Yeah, Marvin, man. Quiggas Lightning.

Quiggas Lightning. You know, and I played him a couple times when I was, you know, I think my rookie year and my second year. We played him in Indy. So we played him in a turf. He's dying with Peyton Manning. And, you know, Marvin was. I always joked that Marvin was, you know, he was going to line up on the defense's left,

offense is right, and that's where he was going to be. God damn it. And that's what it was. You know, it wasn't a whole lot of motion in trying to get him open and all that stuff. You have to line up, you have to play Marvin head up. And, I mean, to me, he had it all. He was, you know, he's fast. He was quick.

He ran good routes. Elite hands. Elite hands, in and out of his brakes, you know, good. I feel like, you know, just coming into the league and playing against him, you know, that was, I would say, you know, before I was seasoned, I would say that was the best guy I played against. And he always seemed to be comfortable and the uncomfortable. Yeah. Like for a small guy, he used to get like back shoulders and he would play fade ball with the best of them. And he was like five eight.

Everything. I mean, short routes, intermediate routes, deep routes, seven routes. Over routes. You know, whatever. He had it all. Like you had to cover, you had to cover all the routes with him. Maybe in like five years,

six years we'll have another Marvin Harrison Charles Woodson rematch. Oh, man. How about it? With the sons. How crazy would that be? That'd be sick. Oh, man.

Yeah. I like the sign of that. But he's bigger than his dad. Yeah, he'd be a different matchup. And your kid looks just like you on the field. He's like the same body. Same body. type.

It'd be like me in Megatron. Like Megatron was like that. Megatron. Was he hard to cover? Megatron? Yeah, because, you know, he for one, he was

6, 4, 645, whatever he is. So, you know, he's got that, you know, that long catch radius. Tall, he could run. And he's a big dude. He wasn't like a, you know, slender dude. So he was a big dude. So he was a big.

dude as well. So you, you know, he was, he was one of those guys that, you know, if he got that step on you, then, you know, you're not recovering. And he's never covered. Even if he's covered because he's so big. Yeah, yeah. I mean, like you said, yeah, like I said, that catch radius, man, up wide. Yeah, it's hard to stop. Who's the favorite quarterback to pick off? Favorite to pick off? Well, it didn't come till late in my career. I picked off Peyton my last year in the NFL. So I had to say that was the favorite because that's, I mean, it's paid. Pay, man.

Yeah. You got Tom? I dropped maybe two of Tom's interception. One of them I would have scored two and they were. I'm still mad about that. You know he, but he sent me to video one day. He was like, man, I gave you one. Oh, man.

I had it too, man. He would have been smiling like he did Brian Greasy. Yeah, yeah. Running down a field. I got your ass. Yeah, man. He laid it up there so nice for me, too. Experience.

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This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines.

We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight, From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slicalife 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. I love the sounds. The buzzing from the stadium, the chanting from the fans, the announcers calling the place. Soccer, football, at home. Why do I watch the World Cup? That's like asking me, why do I breed? I inherited that fandom from my mom. I like watching it with my dad.

It's a connecting force. From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari, and this is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots. We go beyond the game to the people and the stories that make it great. A soccer game is a festival. It's not just a game. It's your culture.

I took an elbow to my head, which cracked my skull. It is an American game. The Brazilians don't like hearing that, though. Are they the only ones that don't like that? Nobody likes that. As we get ready for the Men's World Cup this summer, listen to American Football as part of the MyCultura podcast network, available on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? Miss Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before.

And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson,

we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash will get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court,

and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the, iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Now, Thai Law explains what it takes to be a dog in the NFL. Can you explain the dog? Huh? Can you explain the dog? I think the dog is a mentality, you know, that under any circumstances, are you going to break

me? I'm going to win. I'm going to every play. Even if you knock me down, I'm going to get back up. I'm going to come at you the same full tilt all day. and when adversity strikes, you still don't drop your head and you get that mentality that I'm going to beat you this play. If you beat me, oh, the next play, oh, it's on.

Class eaters. You know what I mean? Class eaters. That's what, like, we're looking up right there. Kevin Garnett. Dog. All-time dog. What's a Mount Rushmore of dogs?

Ooh, that's tough. That's tough. I would say, you know, okay, let's just throw out a couple from each sport. Lawrence Taylor. Dog. Dog. one that just retired Aaron Donald

That is a dog Ray Lewis Dog Rodney Harrison Dog You know what I mean Because I'm telling I'll say Rod Harris

Is he supposed to be in a pro football Hall of Fame No no no I'm going there I'm going to I'm going to Okay no Jimmy Smith

Dog Doug Julian Edelman Dog And not just because of You know I like that the journey too

Okay you could make plays You can do all this stuff But to know how tough he was to be able to go out there and do that and go out there and do what I do. I told Troy Brown, you got me fired, though. Because when I got hurt, here come Troy Brown playing DB, you know, and did some dog shit picking stuff. He led the league, he led the team in picks, you know, you know what I mean?

So when you guys come in and do that and can do more than just your job and you do it with so much passion and you're successful because no one expected you to be who you are, Maybe you expected it, but when you get drafted, did you get drafted? Yeah, seven. Okay, you went seven rounds. Damn it, that's basically a free agent bullshit. You always wish you were a free agent because you don't have to do two years. Huh?

Exactly. They get you for four. But no one expected you when they brought you in, they didn't expect you to turn into the only person that can believe that is a dog and you got to believe in yourself. Because basically when you get drafted that late, you're coming from another position. You are basically there for a tackling dummy. You're there for God. You're there for guys like somebody established like myself to beat up on. Exactly.

So for you to make it, you know, you're a dog right there to put it out there and perform. And then you had some of the top corners out there that didn't want to see him. So that right there, you fit in the dog. Tom Brady was a dog. Because from day one, he came in there and he wanted to compete. He going to talk shit. And I'm telling him, we used to light him up. But he coming right back at you as a dog going to head bunch you.

he's going to fight you come at you and he was not no punk and that's what you know then he ain't no punk right there that was like a compliment oh he ain't no punk you know nowadays it's a he ain't no bitch but he ain't no punk you know what I mean so that was uh Tom I look at like receivers like again Hans War was a dog he wasn't fast he wasn't in but he will sit there and rock you you know he will blindside the shit out of you too so you always got to keep your head on the swivel so I look at the tough guys Even, like I said, T.O. Randy Moss was a dog. You know what I mean? Because he was tough.

Chris Carter, Michael Irvin. He will fight you all damn day too. You know what I mean? So I look at so many tough guys with like just skill. Everybody in a dog, man. Now, are you born with that dog or can you develop the dog? Because I'm sitting here looking at my seven-year-old daughter. And I'm seeing some of this attitude and effort on the field right now.

Yeah. And I'm like, I don't know if we got dog in her. We got puppy. You know what? You might have puppy in her. My mom told me, you know, when I was younger, she said, you know, you used to get your ass with, you know, you wasn't, you weren't that tough. But, you know, I remember one time that I came home grinding, and she made me go back out there and fight, you know. You're like, you're going to go out there and fight.

And I started development. So, yes, you can develop a dog. And you can develop a dog. Yeah. Develop the dog. I mean, you could be born into it, too. That's a T-shirt. That's a Gagued's a T-shirt, maybe.

Develop. It's a T-Log T-shirt. That's right, baby. I developed both time, and you get that confidence. and then it's like when you realize that you've got to believe in yourself, that was my whole thing, was always believing in myself no matter what anybody thinks. That's what a dog is.

A dog is someone who believes in himself, no matter what the situation is. Right, absolutely. If the situation is against you, if the world is against you, still think you're going to do it. Because when you stay ready, you ain't got to get ready. Next, Akeem to leap on his favorite cornerbacks in today's NFL. Who are some of the corners that you think are ballers right now? Pat for sure. Certain. Pat looked like his daddy was a cornerback and he grew up getting taught technique,

you know what I'm saying? Which is really what happened. And he looked exactly like that. Stingley a baller. His movement is crazy. He got great ball skills, man. Got that Revis buddy. Yeah, he got that Revis body. It's where you're like in between a long guy, but you have long arms, but you're still a powerful guy. But when you see him in person, You're like, oh shit, it ain't as short as he really look on TV. Good balance, too. Exactly, man. Who else, man?

Them the top dogs. Gonzalez? Yeah, Christian Gonzalez is a player too. He's fat. He's just sticky. Straight sticky. He's like in that sauce world, they're going to have more strap games than pick games. Yep.

You know what I'm saying? Because you really, they big corners, they always in position, so you don't even really want to mess with it. You know what I'm saying? Denzel, Super athletic, man. Great movement. Get that ball. You know what I'm saying?

Who's the... What is it? Lasseter on Houston. Mistingly is another good corner. He gets a lot of targets because of Stingley so that allow him to make a lot of plays. Now, what do you think about Moss?

White boy out of Denver. I like Mots, man. You see, they'd be picking on them. Patrick Sertan. Bro, you play on the other side of Pat, you're going to get picked on. Just simple as that. I don't care who you is.

He makes plays. He makes plays, bro. And he's always in position. He got very athletic, man, great size. You see him in person, he's probably bigger than me. Like I'm telling you, man, he got great size, great speed. He's like Seahorn. Sticky coverage, man.

He really is, seahorny. Always in position, bro. Always in position. I like Riley, man. I love Riley as our number two corner. Now, the game's changed, hadn't it? A lot, man. A lot.

It's, you know, what? What's something you hate about the game these days? I hate the illegal touching downfield. Like, come on, brother. Like, we want points that bad that we can't even lay a finger on it. Can't. After five yards, like, bro. And then it's wishy-washy because you let some guys do it.

And I was one of the guys they actually let play. You got to be consistent. Yeah, man. Like, you let guys do it. And then at the end of a game, a third down, you just an illegal touch and holding. Like, bro, that's the part of the game. You almost could call that on any play. Every play.

You feel me? All you guys are just trying to cover your cheating up. Exactly. The best guys are like the sneakiest guys that know how to get you low. They be grabbing. That's what Akeeb did. He hold you low. I'm old like a motherfucker.

Period. Every play. Every play, bro. So I'm, I used to look at it. I tell my high school guys and I work with and stuff, like, I look at it like this. we're on the time crunch here you feel me we only got about three and a half hour window to be on this TV right

you're gonna call holding every fucking play like we only got time for that shit I'm gonna hold and hold and hold and keep on playing and eventually he's gonna be alright way he's just playing like that like you can't call it every play right yeah I'm establishing how we plan out here not the refs

you know what I'm saying simple as that I mean you might as well hold them because a hold calls better than a touch down. Exactly. And if you do it consistently, they can't call it every play. I can't. Thanks for listening.

Remember to tune in every Tuesday for a brand new episode and every Sunday for another games with names highlight. It's that time to put on your jersey and wave your flag, whoever you root for. Why do I watch the World Cup? That's like asking me, why do I breed? And it's beautiful. The guys are young and cute and fat. It's not just a game.

It's your culture. I like watching it with my dad. It's a connecting force. From Futuro Studios, I'm Fernanda Chavari, and this is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots. Listen to American Football

on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Michael Rappaport, and my podcast, the I Am Rapaport's stereo podcast, is unlike anyone you've ever heard. If you're looking for strong opinions about sports, entertainment, politics, pop culture, and whatever else catches my attention, then subscribe now. This kid Jafar Jackson should absolutely positively get nominated for his portrayal as Michael Jackson.

Listen to I Am Rap Report on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad, has been living a double life. That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do.

Listen to Deep Cover, The Family Man, on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. For years, the Un-House has been presented as a monolith in mainstream media. Weedian House is a podcast that's changing. the narrative. I'm Theo Henderson, and I created the show why I was unhoused on the streets of Los Angeles. We've grown into a two-time Webby Award-winning podcast, the only podcast that shares unhoused stories

and news from the unhoused perspective. Listen to Weezy and Housed on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.