In Part 1 we took a close look at Antonio Brown’s advanced route running. Part 2 will examine how the Raiders new elite receiver uses his hands to win on the perimeter. Hand fighting is a skill all perimeter players in the NFL need to perfect. Going back to the days of Lester Hayes and bump and run coverage, offensive and defensive players alike need to establish physicality and body positioning to win with consistency on the outside.
With NFL rules changing over the years to benefit the offense, hand fighting has become more nuanced than the old days where defenders could literally smack a receiver upside the helmet after the snap.