Claiborne eager to duel Jones
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. » Morris Claiborne came to the New York Jets intent on being their No. 1 cornerback — and an elite player at his position.
He’s got that first goal locked down. Being mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Richard Sherman, Patrick Peterson and Chris Harris? Well, he’s still got work to do.
“I can’t rank myself nowhere right now,” Claiborne said. “I’m not a Pro Bowler yet. Those guys are three-time, four-time Pro Bowlers. I’m working to get there, but I don’t feel like I’m far behind.”
Claiborne has that potential,
though, and that’s what made him the No. 6 overall pick by Dallas out of LSU in the 2012 draft.
Injuries have been the toughest opponent for him to tackle, with a laundry list of maladies from a sprained knee to a torn left patellar tendon to a severe groin injury preventing him from living up to his lofty draft status. The Jets took a shot on him with a one-year, $5 million deal in the offseason to replace Darrelle Revis
as their top cornerback. So far, so good. “The biggest thing is he’s healthy,” coach Todd Bowles said recently. “We knew what kind of player he was. He plays hard, he plays hard every play. He’s quiet out there, he does his job, he’s very professional, he’s good with the other cornerbacks. We like everything he’s brought to us.”
Claiborne has started all seven games this season, often lining up against opposing teams’ best receivers. He has six passes defensed, an interception and 29 tackles.
“It’s been OK,” Claiborne
said. “It can be a lot better. I feel like, so far, I’ve left a couple of plays out there that I wish I could have back. But so far, it’s been solid, but it definitely can improve.”
He faces a tough task this Sunday in Atlanta’s Julio Jones, who scored his first touchdown of the season last week in a loss to New England. Claiborne will likely play a large role as New York tries to keep Jones out of the end zone at MetLife Stadium.
“You love those moments being a cornerback, to go out and guard the best receiver on the other side,”
Claiborne said. “You look forward to that. That’s what you want every game.”
Physically, though, it would appear to be a mismatch between the 6-foot3, 220-pound Jones and the 5-11, 192-pound Claiborne.
“When you’ve got a guy of his magnitude, a guy of his size, his speed, his ability to do the things that he does on a football field, which is getting out of routes, can run the whole route tree and a guy who’s a deep ball threat, it makes it hard to guard him,” Claiborne said. “But, it’s going to be a dogfight.”