Jerry Azumah’s injury puts the Bears in a spot familiar to all NFL teams–utter panic over the cornerback position.
While rule makers are trying their darndest to outlaw defensive backs by strictly enforcing no contact beyond 5 yards, cornerbacks are cooperating by disappearing altogether.
The ballyhooed possible return of Deion Sanders is a surprise only in that it took so long. He’s still younger than Otis Smith, who played for the New England Patriots in their 2001 Super Bowl, wound up in Detroit last year and signed again with the Patriots for a time this season. He will be 39 soon and is sure to hang close to his phone.
Where is Donnell Woolford these days? The Bears drafted him the same year Sanders arrived.
Cornerbacks are so scarce and so fragile they should just show up in a limo on game day, skipping the rigors of practice and preseason. Come to think of it, that’s the plan of Sanders, always ahead of his time.
According to coaches, especially defensive coaches, cornerbacks also remain quite necessary despite official efforts to make them perform with hands tied behind backs. With offenses regularly spreading the field with three and four wide receivers, having only two good cornerbacks is two shy of essential.
The heartening news for the Bears is their plight is especially familiar in the NFC North Division, where they reside and must play their first three games.
The Vikings were so desperate for help at cornerback after last season that when coach Mike Tice found out free agent Antoine Winfield was sitting in the New York Jets’ offices about to sign, he summoned a friend’s jet to swoop in and steal him away. The jet and a $10 million signing bonus made an impression on Winfield.
Winfield made his Minnesota debut Saturday night opposite returning starter Brian Williams, who promptly suffered a knee injury and could miss the season opener.
The Vikings signed Reggie Austin two weeks ago and he lined up at No. 1 nickel back this week. Sound familiar? Austin was the Bears’ fourth-round draft choice in 2000 who was out of football last year after blowing out his knee.
“He told me he couldn’t straighten out his knee, but I said, `So what?'” Tice said. “He looks like he still has some juice.”
Winfield came from Buffalo, where he collected all of four interceptions in four years as a starter. Yet he is widely hailed as the best the Vikings have had at the position in years.
Meanwhile, the Bears picked up Eric Kelly, a cornerback the Vikings let go before camp after three years of slow development. A Vikings coach said Kelly “couldn’t play dead,” but he made an interception for the Bears against the Rams last week.
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The Packers are in training camp without their top cornerback, Mike McKenzie, who has surveyed the landscape and decided to hold out for more money. The only trouble is McKenzie has three years left on his contract. Usually, that’s trouble for the player. In this case, the Packers aren’t sure. That’s why they made Ahmad Carroll and Joey Thomas their first two draft choices. Guess which position they play?
In their debut Monday night, Carroll was penalized for interference on his third play, negating an interception. Thomas sat out with a knee injury.
Michael Hawthorne is starting in place of McKenzie. New Orleans cut him last year, although the Saints also have been in dire need of cornerback help for 37 years, same age as Deion.
Last year the Packers traded their second-round draft pick to Philadelphia for cornerback Al Harris, who started opposite McKenzie and won the Seattle playoff game with an interception. He has missed some training camp time with a sore hip.
Detroit paid Fernando Bryant a $7 million signing bonus to jump from Jacksonville and line up at cornerback opposite last year’s free-agent find, Dre’ Bly. When Detroit general manager Matt Millen gave St. Louis backup Bly $6.5 million to sign before last season, he was ridiculed. After six interceptions as the Lions’ defensive MVP, Bly looks underpaid.
Bryant and Bly make the Lions look fairly good at the position until defensive coordinator Dick Jauron reminds, “We’re looking for a third corner, fourth corner, fifth corner.”
And by the way, both Bryant and Bly missed practice Tuesday with injuries.
So welcome back, Deion. Got any friends?