Antonio Cromartie Breaking Out Appreciation Thread.

[yeahitsrust]

Cro is the shutdown guy in the secondary that the Chargers have lacked for a long time.

 

[atljunkie]

CROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO





appreciated!!

 

[kiddin like jason]

most DBs are under 6', but how come no one ever thought of putting those tall, long guys at DB? Cromartie can reach out and grab everything, and can stay stride for stride with receivers with his long legs. imagine if Randy Moss was trained as a DB

(no J Rain

)
Over six foot, fast, athletic dudes with good hands are usually receivers.

 

[kb8sandiego]

 

[dynasty raider]

I'm on the bandwagon. Dude is a beast.

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Originally Posted by K8be wan Kenobi

this guy is a great athlete

most DBs are under 6', but how come no one ever thought of putting those tall, long guys at DB? Cromartie can reach out and grab everything, and can stay stride for stride with receivers with his long legs. imagine if Randy Moss was trained as a DB

(no J Rain

)

Thats not the issue....You have to have very fluid hips in order to play CB....esp. in the NFL....Its not just simply athleticism....and you need excellentfootwork....

And a lot of recievers aren't to special in regards to route running, so they would be terrible at CB...
And they have to want to play defense...

Plus the WR gets all the glory...

Oh yeah......Cro is

 

[heatzplaya15]

Good to see Cro ballin, I have liked this kid since his days at FSU.

 

[buggzpimpin]

@ music threads about canibus

 

[sstutter]

Do you guys think Cro can play receiver too?

 

[Lunden]

bout time my home boy get his credit! i go to the same high school he went to here in tallahassee he stops through every now n then on weekends! plus i work atfinishline here and he came through with the other tallahassee native and town favortie Ernie Sims! these boys put Tallahassee on the map Cro on top forINT's and Ernie on top for Tackles!



ps i was mad my high school retired Cros #13 jersey cause i wanted it!

 

[akf0dy7]

Does anyone else think Cro gots what it takes to be the next premiere "shutdown" corner?

 

[buggzpimpin]

^Definately.



I hope they put Cro on Moss, Flo on Stallworth and Jammer on Welker.



Moss will burn Flo, and maybe jammer can Jam moss, but I didn't see a jam on moss the whole game when they played earlier this season. I'd say Cro isthe only CB that can go lb for lb athletically with moss.



Welker again will burn Flo. And since Welker is there WR with the most looks, Jammer is a shut down corner that I know can handle welker.



Flo better not get burnt by Stallworth

, I hope he lays the hit stick on dude.



PLEASE GET THIS RIGHT COTTRELL! it's not hard, lord please?

 

[srvballer]

Cro vs Moss should be an exciting match up this weekend...

 

[nickle dime bay]

Cro better shut moss down

 

[tootthatthang]

Def appreciated... cro vs moss

damn i cant wait

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

[table][tr][td]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]MSNBC.com[/font][/td] [/tr][/table]

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SN: Cromartie has chance to shut down Moss

Chargers' outstanding DB could be their best weapon against Patriots

OPINION

By Matt Crossman

The Sporting News

updated 10:47 p.m. ET, Tues., Jan. 15, 2008

Antonio Cromartie did not start until Week 10, but the Chargers cornerback apparently is trying to cram a season's full of big plays into his relatively limited playing time. In Sunday's divisional playoff game against Indianapolis, he forced a fumble to stop a drive in his own territory and later picked off a pass at his own 11.

Including the regular season and playoffs, that brings his interception total to 11, in just 10 starts, including a whopping four off of Peyton Manning. Cromartie so long and fast he gets to balls he has no business getting to. He's built like a small forward but runs like a scat back. He has great cover skills, a sharp football mind and impressive work ethic. "What you see on Sunday is a direct representation of how hard he works," Chargers linebacker Matt Wilhelm says.

Cromartie's interception and subsequent return Sunday highlighted all of his skills (Check out the 3:20 mark on that video, if you don't believe me). He was playing zone coverage with Colts receiver Reggie Wayne in front of him. Manning's pass deflected off of Wayne's hands, and Cromartie instinctively threw up his right hand. The ball hit and stayed. His return jaunt took him up the sideline, where a logjam of defenders slowed but did not stop him. He broke to his left across the field, found two blockers to lead him and cruised to the end zone. It was called back on one of numerous bad calls but was nonetheless a breathtaking display of athleticism

He'll need every bit of that athleticism Sunday in the Chargers AFC championship game against New England. He'll likely spend a lot of the game matched up against Randy Moss. The Chargers likely will put at least one other defender on Moss, as containing him will be the focal point of their defensive attack. "You've got to stop the main weapon," Chargers cornerback Drayton Florence says.

That's what the Jaguars thought, too, and they limited Moss to just one catch Saturday. Not like it mattered. They still lost. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, seeing Moss double-covered (at least), simply checked down all night long, setting an NFL postseason completion percentage record along the way. (Want to know what happens when teams move coverage underneath and leave Moss single-covered? Check out the 3:20 mark of this video. It's that bomb he caught against New York to turn the game and set the single-season touchdown mark for receivers. That's what happens.)

The Chargers' linebackers and defensive backs, though, have perhaps a slight advantage over Jacksonville's. Whether that will be enough to make a difference in containing the Patriots' passing game could hinge on Cromartie's play.

I'll take a brief break here to point out none of the passing game versus coverage analysis will matter one iota if Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates are hurt. The Chargers could maybe make up for the loss of one of them without a huge dropoff. But if two or more are gone or playing at less than 100 percent, forget it. This game will be a blowout. If the three of them are healthy, however, the game will be closer than most experts are predicting. While the Chargers' blowout loss to the Patriots early in the season contributed to their slow start, they are not the same team they were then.

They are playing with much more confidence. They have bought wholeheartedly into coach Norv Turner's schemes (at the behest of Tomlinson). The trade for wide receiver Chris Chambers has been a huge boost for the offense. And Cromartie's Pro Bowl season from nowhere has given the defense a dangerous playmaking element.

The Chargers are 7-0 this season in games in which Cromartie has an interception. He scored touchdowns in the regular season on an interception return, a fumble recovery (both against the Texans) and a missed field goal return, which set an NFL record at 109 yards.

Moss (6-4, 210) doesn't have nearly the size advantage over Cromartie (6-2, 203) as he does against many corners. And I'm not sure I buy that 6-2, anyway. Cromartie looks taller, both on the field and in person. Nor will Moss be able to blaze right past him. "He's as fast as anybody I've ever been around," coach Norv Turner says.

And he sure makes up for lost time quickly.

[emoji]169[/emoji] 2008 The Sporting News

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22671675/

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[emoji]169[/emoji] 2008 MSNBC.com

 

[darthska]

you big dummy:

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No way.

There's just no damn way.





P.S. Yeah, I'm late. Sue me.