dragondawg
12-01-2007, 06:50 PM
Amnesia isn't ordinarily a beneficial condition, but playing cornerback in the NFL is no ordinary profession. There, some form of selective memory loss isn't just helpful, it's almost essential.
For the cornerback, success or failure must be shaken loose with equal speed. The interception that ended one possession could just as easily be the touchdown that nullifies the pick. A capricious shriek of a referee's whistle, a pass-interference call, a too-rigid interpretation of illegal contact or a slip in the mud all can conspire to make the cornerback's job a frustrating one.
The best, like Champ Bailey and Dre' Bly, Pro Bowlers both, move on like metro trains to their next destination. No time to dally, barely enough time to exchange groups of passengers. Such an attitude helps them individually -- and also helps them move past a loss as galling and frustrating as last Sunday's overtime setback in Chicago.
"Guys that play the position I play understand the game, understand that you have to have a short memory and just keep going, even when you make a good play, you enjoy it for the moment, but you forget about it and move on," Bly said. "The same for giving up a big play -- you forget about it, you talk about it on the sidelines and say, 'Shoot,' you're disappointed for a minute, but the minute you go back on the field, you forget about it and put it in the back of your head and just go play football, and that's the same with this Bears game we just lost."
The lessons of playing cornerback could be applied to any player looking to overcome a defeat like last week's, regardless of position.
"We should have won the game, but we didn't. We've just got to move on. Like I said, we're still in the same situation we were in before the game started. We still have to win out to be sitting good at the end of the year, and we feel like it's something that can be done. All the games that we play are winnable, and we feel like if we do what we're supposed to do, no matter who we play, we'll win."
And therein lies another trait of the top-stratum cornerback -- confidence, almost to an extreme measure. Invariably, it can seep into others -- from the defense's perimeter to its heart near the placement of the football.
"If you look at our schedule, every team is about .500," Bly said. "Regardless of what the record is, we feel like some games are winnable starting with Oakland, and if we go out and do what we're supposed to do, we're playing better and better. Offensively, we're scoring points. Jay (Cutler) is in a rhythm right now. Our running backs are playing well. Brandon Marshall and Stokley are doing well Defensively, we're coming into a groove right now. We're playing well and forcing turnovers and limiting the yards they get on he ground.
"We've just got to keep going, man. Like I said, we control our own destiny. We feel good about our situation. For the most part, if we go out there and win, we'll be sitting happy at the end of the year."
http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=7579
For the cornerback, success or failure must be shaken loose with equal speed. The interception that ended one possession could just as easily be the touchdown that nullifies the pick. A capricious shriek of a referee's whistle, a pass-interference call, a too-rigid interpretation of illegal contact or a slip in the mud all can conspire to make the cornerback's job a frustrating one.
The best, like Champ Bailey and Dre' Bly, Pro Bowlers both, move on like metro trains to their next destination. No time to dally, barely enough time to exchange groups of passengers. Such an attitude helps them individually -- and also helps them move past a loss as galling and frustrating as last Sunday's overtime setback in Chicago.
"Guys that play the position I play understand the game, understand that you have to have a short memory and just keep going, even when you make a good play, you enjoy it for the moment, but you forget about it and move on," Bly said. "The same for giving up a big play -- you forget about it, you talk about it on the sidelines and say, 'Shoot,' you're disappointed for a minute, but the minute you go back on the field, you forget about it and put it in the back of your head and just go play football, and that's the same with this Bears game we just lost."
The lessons of playing cornerback could be applied to any player looking to overcome a defeat like last week's, regardless of position.
"We should have won the game, but we didn't. We've just got to move on. Like I said, we're still in the same situation we were in before the game started. We still have to win out to be sitting good at the end of the year, and we feel like it's something that can be done. All the games that we play are winnable, and we feel like if we do what we're supposed to do, no matter who we play, we'll win."
And therein lies another trait of the top-stratum cornerback -- confidence, almost to an extreme measure. Invariably, it can seep into others -- from the defense's perimeter to its heart near the placement of the football.
"If you look at our schedule, every team is about .500," Bly said. "Regardless of what the record is, we feel like some games are winnable starting with Oakland, and if we go out and do what we're supposed to do, we're playing better and better. Offensively, we're scoring points. Jay (Cutler) is in a rhythm right now. Our running backs are playing well. Brandon Marshall and Stokley are doing well Defensively, we're coming into a groove right now. We're playing well and forcing turnovers and limiting the yards they get on he ground.
"We've just got to keep going, man. Like I said, we control our own destiny. We feel good about our situation. For the most part, if we go out there and win, we'll be sitting happy at the end of the year."
http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=7579