Glenn does not want Jacobs thinking he’s Sanders
The Detroit Lions secondary was supposed to feature cornerbacks Jeff Okudah, Amani Oruwariye and rookie Ifeatu Melifonwu this season.
Unfortunately, injuries have cost defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s defense the opportunity to showcase their top talent on defense.
For undrafted rookie free agent cornerback Jerry Jacobs, the opportunity to step in and perform at a high level has impressed his teammates and the coaching staff.
“If you can’t tackle, you can’t play on this defense and both of them did that and Jerry (Jacobs) really showed up,” Campbell said on Monday. “He’s kind of a pitbull out there and he can cover one-on-one, but he’ll also come up and tackle you and hit you, and so that’s good.”
With the increased praise heaped upon the young defensive back, Detroit’s first-year defensive coordinator does not want Jacobs to think he is the next Deion Sanders.
“First off, that’s you guys giving him all this praise. Now, he’s thinking he’s the next De
ion Sanders. The thing that we have to do is make sure we just keep that down and allow him to grow,” Glenn told reporters at his Thursday media session.
One of the plays that the coaching staff would like Jacobs to learn from was the 48-yard pass completion the Vikings were able to execute with the rookie in coverage.
“The receiver is going to tell you the story. And if you look at the receiver, the receiver’s turning back, knew the ball was under thrown. So, at that point he (Jacobs) needs to turn back and look for the ball,” Glenn said. “He
was so afraid of getting a PI (pass interference penalty) because that’s what this league does to defensive backs. Makes them afraid to make plays because he’s been hit on that before. I tell those guys, listen, you better always be aggressive, always stay aggressive. He understands that.”
Sanders, 54, played in the NFL from 1989 to 2005 and became one of the elite defensive backs in the history of the league. He currently serves as the head football coach at Jackson State University.