Things change and people change. The phone today wasn’t what it was twenty five years ago. It was big bulky and you needed an extension cord longer than Nile River if you wanted to take it from the living room to the bathroom. The person you fell in love with ten years ago is not the same person you’re married to today. They were hot and sexy back then. Now they’re fat, possibly ugly, but they make a great spouse and parent. The cornerback from LSU, Patrick Peterson may or may not be the same Patrick Peterson that plays for the Dallas Cowboys. One thing is for sure, whether he’s the same or not, he needs to evolve. He needs to change, because his career is on the line.
The third year corner of the Dallas Cowboys was told yesterday by Head Coach, Jason Garrett, that he would no longer be the starter. Claiborne didn’t like that news. He stormed out of the Cowboys’ facility yesterday. Well, that wasn’t very professional of him was it?
Yes, he’s a young corner, but he’s not playing QB. He’s playing one of the most basic and instinctual positions on the field. Corners with terrible technique often succeed early in their careers because of their pure athleticism. Experience is no longer an excuse. The Bears’ Kyle Fuller, a 1st round pick this season, leads the NFL with 3 picks in 3 games and has proven he can play at this level. What has Morris Claiborne done in three years? Not enough to warrant the Cowboys trading up to get him with the 6th overall pick, which they did in 2012. Coming out of LSU, Claiborne was supposed to be the next Patrick Peterson. It was said that Claiborne’s LSU teammate, Tyrann Mathieu would struggle in the league and that Mo would be a better pro. The consensus got it wrong, because Claiborne has been nothing short of terrible in his first three seasons.
So is Claiborne a bust? If he doesn’t change and evolve then yes. Right now he’s posted on the corner getting that work from anybody and everybody. It doesn’t have to be this way for him though. He can switch positions. Players do it at every level. Warren Sapp was a tight end in high school before they converted him to defensive tackle in college. J.J. Watt was a tight end at Central Michigan before coming to Wisconsin and playing defensive tackle. Richard Sherman was a wide receiver his first two years at Stanford before moving to cornerback. Antwaan Randle El was a quarterback all throughout college at Indiana and before making the switch once he got to the NFL.
Claiborne needs to give Antrel Rolle a call. Rolle was the second cornerback taken in the 2005 NFL Draft, but he’s spent the majority of his career playing free safety. Why? Well….he couldn’t play corner much like Morris Claiborne. Rolle spent three years at corner before being moved to safety. Rolle was benched in his third season much like Claiborne is being benched now. Once he made the move to safety Rolle has enjoyed nothing but success in the NFL with last season, his ninth, being the best of his career.
You don’t win SEC defensive player of the year in 2011 in the SEC if you can’t ball. You’re not picked in the top 5 in the NFL Draft if you don’t have talent. Look, Mo Claiborne has all the tools to be an exceptional pro. And so does Tom Brady, but would we say the same thing about Giselle’s husband if he were playing wide receiver? Of course not. One of my favorite John Calipari quotes,
“Fail fast,” Calipari said. “Let’s see what they know and don’t know, and the only way I can learn that is if they fail fast. ‘Go for it. Show us what you can do. Let’s see stuff. Don’t be afraid. Fail fast.’ And then we’ll correct it … quickly.”
Mo Claiborne, you’ve failed at cornerback in the NFL and that’s okay. It’s one of the hardest positions to play in all of sports. America loves a comeback story and you play on America’s Team. Move to safety big dogg and show us what you’re made of.