The Cutback

The cutback, sometimes called putting his foot in the ground by announcers searching for new descriptions, is a fundamental tool of the running back.

Everybody and everything is flowing to the right — the lineman blocking, the running back following,  defenders pursuing. The play unfolding like a river flowing. 

And then BLAM. 

He plants his right foot. Defies inertia. Cuts hard left. Against the flowing water. 

If he’s picked the right moment and executed it correctly, the defenders don’t have a chance against the river that’s already flowing. 

Because now it’s chaos. Defenders legs and bodies still moving right as they reach back to the left. The blockers keep them flowing. The angles collapse. 

The cutback wasn’t part of the plan. 

But he saw something and made a split-second decision. An opening. An opportunity. Or maybe he saw that the plan was going to fail miserably. It was going nowhere. A loss of yards. 

And he had the guts to cut back.

Sometimes you gotta take that opportunity. Even if it doesn’t score. 

Trust your eyes. Trust your knowledge. Trust your people. Trust yourself. 

Keep your eyes open for the cutback opportunity.