The Northwest Rangers' defensive back corps is arguably one of the strongest positions on the 2014 team.

They're athletic, long and speedy. They understand how to break on the football while still being gritty enough to stick their nose into a play, making tackles.

Because of their playmaking abilities, the defensive backs score a preseason grading of B+.

According to Ranger defensive coordinator Benjy Parker, Northwest's defensive backs have looked very impressive this fall.

"We've had a pretty good camp so far," Parker related. "We have a long way to go, though. It'll be several young kids back there. Jones County will be an up-tempo offense. We've gotten better. We're going to try being aggressive. We coach it that way. We'll blitz, but there's other ways to be aggressive also. Whether it's press coverage or a force play, hopefully it'll show up for us on Thursday."

Much like Parker, defensive backs coach Jonathan Webster is happy with the improvements his guys have shown over the past month of fall camp.

"I'm pleased with the group I have. It's a very athletic group and I like the length at corner," Webster continued. "Anytime you have bigger corners it gives us opportunities to do some things. I like where our focus is right now during game week. I think we know what we have to do to get better. Anytime you're bigger than your opponent, size becomes a factor. You can be a good player no matter what your height is, though."

One of the taller corners for Northwest is Hammond (La.) native Treston DeCoud. DeCoud, who is 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, shows rare height for the cornerback position. He's tall and rangy. He has the ability to snag the football from the air and can also use his long arms to break up quick slant routes by wide receivers.

"I think it's a big deal," DeCoud said of his size. "It's hard to throw a deep ball. It's a harder throw for the quarterback to put it over my head. It's an advantage.  Even if I'm beat, I can still get my long arms in there. It's a blessing. I thank God for it."

DeCoud said he feels confident in Northwest's secondary. He said each and every player challenges one another on a daily basis. In fact, he said the Rangers are now using the same motto from another Division I school out of the Big Ten.

"We want to be like Michigan State's no fly zone," DeCoud chuckled. "We work real hard and the coaches push us. We love to compete."

Sophomore Brandon Mack from Lafayette (Miss.) High School will play the other cornerback position on the opposite side of the field from DeCoud. Mack isn't small himself.

At 6-foot-1, Mack brings a mixture of power and athleticism to the corner position. He's good at getting off wide receiver blocks and is strong at jamming wide outs at the line of scrimmage. He has natural instincts and seems to have one of the better verticals in the secondary.

He's also experienced. Mack started in all nine games a year ago, accumulating 37 tackles. He also collected three interceptions last year and glued himself to wide outs, deflecting a team-best 12 passes.

Sophomore Marcel Newson of Coldwater plays a lot of nickel corner for the Rangers. He's very quick and has the ability to cut on a dime. He's smooth in transition and does a nice job of reacting to receivers' routes.

While he's not as big as Mack or DeCoud, his ability to accelerate when the ball is in the air makes him a valuable asset in the Northwest secondary. He collected 24 tackles along with an interception as a freshman.

While the cornerbacks lock in on the wide receiver in front of them, Webster said his safeties are the lifeblood of the secondary. According to Webster, his safeties must position themselves to make plays throughout a game.

"You have to have good safeties that are smart," Webster related. "That's number one for me. They have to be good decision-makers. I think those guys are getting where they feel they control the secondary. I need guys I can trust when the heat is on."

Webster understands talent. Not only does he see it every day, but he just recently arrived back to Northwest after spending some time in San Diego to help the NFL Chargers this preseason. Webster said his time out west was a great learning experience.

"The biggest thing I noticed right away was those players' attitude towards getting better," Webster said. "Football is football on any level, but those guys are so hungry to get better because they're competing for money."

Arguably one of the best players on the entire defense plays free safety for the Rangers. Tino Thomas, a Memphis native and University of Tennessee transfer, has a knack of making big plays in the middle of the field.

"We're anticipating him being our leader back there in our secondary," Parker said of Thomas. "He's an older guy so he should be. He can run and he's smart. He's a good kid and we need him to be a good player."

Thomas has very solid hands and is very good at reading the quarterback's eyes. He runs like a deer and has great awareness as the play develops. He is, by all accounts, a true playmaker.

Both Fred Garth of Aberdeen (Miss.) and Southaven (Miss.) native Steven Bradley could start at the strong safety position. They are both lengthy players that take up space in zone defenses. The duo often helps out in stopping the run, but they have the wheels to slide over and cover a slot receiver at any time.

On the college level having solid backups is vital at the defensive back position. With offenses running more no huddle, it's easier for defenses to get tired more quickly.

DeCoud is excited about the Rangers' secondary depth, however. He said he's confident in all of his teammates when called on down the stretch.

"We might get tired, so it's good to have players that can come in and do about the same as the starters. It's real important," DeCoud said.

Nick Shields of Louisville (Miss.), D'Andre Brown from Hernando (Miss.) and former Brandon (Miss.) star Jamison Goods bring great depth to the Ranger secondary. All three players will likely be called on to make critical stops during key plays this season.

The Rangers will see a plethora of spread offenses this season. It seems, however, the secondary is ready to answer the call.

Northwest head coach Jack Wright updates the defensive back unit…
Coach Wright discusses the talent of the secondary:
"I think that's probably one of our strengths right now. The thing they've really gotten better at is seeing what's in front of them and then breaking. They're very alert and they seem to have an idea of how the quarterback is trying to attack them.

Coach Wright feels his secondary will make tackles in the open field on Thursday. He realizes Thursday's matchup will tell him and his staff a lot about the Rangers' defense, though:
"We won't know until we play Jones County. That's the thing that is so difficult is the limitations. You have to try taking care of each other and keep everyone on the team healthy as long as we can. I'm sure Jones is going through some of the same struggles, so we're going to find out a lot on Thursday.

Coach Wright wants his defensive unit to play aggressive. He realizes the precautions the secondary must take to limit penalties, however:
"That's always a fine line that you have. If you sit there and play off coverage all night, then you're going to get nickel and dimed to death. At some point it's time to get into the wide receiver's face and challenge them. It takes a good mix. I think everyone in college football is doing that now. They'll play their fair share of soft zone coverage and then they'll take a chance and play some bump coverage. It's the cat and mouse game.