Bouye’s work ethic, mindset established by father
A.J. Bouye doesn’t remember how old he was — maybe 6, possibly 7 — but does know he was playing football against kids who were bigger, meaner and faster. And he definitely recalls getting leveled by a 13-year-old and dashing to the sidelines in tears.
Right at that moment, the Bouye Mindset became ingrained in little A.J. by his father, Steve.
“Stop all that crying and get back out there,” Steve told A.J.
And with that, A.J. returned to the field, motivated to keep playing and show his dad he was tough enough to face older kids. He hasn’t stopped playing or using Steve’s guidance.
If it meant doing sit-ups and push-ups before he was in kindergarten, A.J. did it. If it meant running hills in a weighted vest before he could hang out with high school friends, he did it. And if it meant getting up at 4 a.m. to train at a U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta (where Steve worked), he did it … all the way to his current job as the Broncos’ top cornerback.
Steve was a supportive disciplinarian, pushing when it was required, encouraging when it was needed.
“He used to work as a corrections officer and he was more fear-based as far as he didn’t want me to end up there,” A.J. said recently in a phone interview with The Denver Post. “He was very hard on me and very critical of me, but I never took it personally. I knew it was for the right reasons and he gave me the great work ethic I still have to this day.”
Bouye’s off-the-charts want-to helped him start for two years at Central Florida, make the Houston Texans roster as an undrafted free agent and transform into a second-team All-pro with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It also showed the Broncos enough to trade for him this offseason to replace Chris Harris, who signed with the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason.
Last year, the Broncos had only one interception by a cornerback (by Harris), another sign “The No Fly Zone” was a thing of the past. Bouye, viewed as an ideal scheme
fit for coach Vic Fangio’s zone coverage, leads a revamped starting secondary that includes only one player, safety Justin Simmons, who pre-dated Fangio’s hiring in January 2019.
If the Broncos are to end a fouryear playoff drought, they will need Bouye to be elite.
“He’s fully invested to being a great player,” said Oliver Davis, who trained Bouye this offseason in Georgia. “A.J. doesn’t get the respect I feel he should when you look at his career and what he had to overcome. The way he approaches the game, the preparation he puts into the game, the sacrifices he makes — in my opinion, he’s a top-five corner in this league and he’ll get to show it to everybody this year.”
Naturally athletic kid
Shortly after Bouye was born in August 1991, his mother, Jackie, was diagnosed with breast cancer, which later spread to her brain. She died less than a year later. Raising A.J. alone during his elementary school years, Steve, a former linebacker at Sam Houston State in Texas, saw his son’s athletic potential early.
“When he was really little — Tball,” Steve said. “He was naturally athletic. I would watch how he ran. I knew he had a chance because he was doing stuff that you haven’t ever seen from a kid that age.”
A.J. played football, baseball and basketball as a kid and Steve said, “His favorite sport was baseball, but he got tired of it because there weren’t any dunks or touchdowns.”
Even before entering high school, Steve built up A.J.’S confidence by putting the ultimate goal — the NFL — on his radar.
“I played quarterback, running back and safety and I was always one of the best players on the team,” A.J. said. “When my dad always let me know I would be good enough to play in the NFL, it was always a dream from an early age.”
Dreams aren’t achieved through luck, though. Sure, Bouye had natural talent, but he really emerged when he adopted his father’s training plan. At age 8, A.J. accompanied his father to the gym when a babysitter wasn’t available.
“So now fast forward (to high school),” A.J. said.
When A.J. started high school, so did the early-morning wake-up calls. Before Steve began his shift at the prison, he and A.J. used the gym frequented by the other corrections officers.
“It was a grimy environment,” A.J. said “There weren’t many weights and the treadmill wasn’t working, but you had to make do with what you had. It taught me to be tough and push through everything.”
Said Steve: “One of the officers would train him, a short guy about 5-foot-6 who was like a drill instructor. He used to make my son cry, but A.J. kept coming back.”
Bouye played quarterback and defensive back in high school, but was only rated a two-star recruit cornerback by 247Sports.com in 2009. He signed with Central Florida before it was a Group of Five powerhouse and traveled to Orlando with Steve’s instructions cemented in his mind.
“He knew I wasn’t going to expect anything less (than full effort),” Steve said. “I told him, ‘If you do something, don’t half do it because if you do, you’re cheating yourself and you’re cheating the game.’ ”
From undrafted to All-pro
Bouye started 21 of 43 games for UCF, intercepted six passes and made 110 tackles. But he wasn’t invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and was not drafted. When the draft was over, Steve, who was at work, called A.J., who needed an inspirational message.
“He was very upset and didn’t know what to do,” Steve said. “He wanted to give up on football. The exact words I told him: ‘Don’t worry about that, brother. You will go into a camp. You will be an undrafted free agent. And you will be the best defensive back on that team.’ ”
A.J. signed with the Texans for a $5,000 signing bonus and a chance to compete for a spot on Gary Kubiak’s roster that included current Broncos safety Kareem Jackson, who was then a cornerback. Bouye had an interception at Dallas in the Texans’ preseason finale and made the team.
“His rookie year, he was their best defensive back, but he had to go through the politics (of waiting),” Steve said. “He just continued to get better and better.”
A hamstring injury limited Bouye to six games in 2013 and he started eight games over the next two years. His breakout season was 2016 — 13 regular season/ playoff starts and three interceptions, including two in the playoffs.
Bouye signed a five-year, $67.5 million contract with Jacksonville in March 2017, part of an offseason haul that included defensive end Calais Campbell and strong safety Barry Church. Everything came together for the Jaguars’ defense in general and Bouye in particular. He had a career-high six interceptions and the Jaguars were second in fewest points, yards allowed and interceptions, and first in fewest passing yards allowed.
“When we got there, the message we heard was, ‘They’re still the same, old Jaguars,’ ” Bouye said. “But we got clicking. Teams didn’t know what to expect from us, but we made plays, we won tough games and we stuck together no matter what.”
The Jaguars squandered a 10point fourth-quarter lead in the AFC Championship Game at New England, but it appeared the foundation was set for continued success.
Instead, the Jaguars went 5-11 and 6-10. Bouye had a sense he would be traded or released this past offseason.
“We didn’t finish strong and it was two years in a row (of losing) and also the business side, when you’re making a good amount of money, decisions have to be made to create cap space,” Bouye said. “I didn’t take anything personally.
I just figured I would be traded.”
And Bouye was on the move — to the Broncos two weeks before free-agency opened.
“He can do it all”
Anticipating a new address and wanting to return to top-level play after only two interceptions in 2018-19, Bouye started working with Davis in mid-february at the recommendation of Jaguars teammate Tre Herndon.
“I was already a fan of A.J’S because I’m a football junkie… especially the defensive back positions,” Davis said. “He wanted to work on finishing the bang-bang plays when the receiver may get the catch on you, but your hand is there and you get the ball out. But he was polishing all phases of his game.”
Davis trained Bouye and other defensive backs at 8 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. For example, on Mondays, Bouye worked on press coverage, defending fades/ back shoulder throws, and fighting through pick plays.
“I would keep the workouts to maybe an hour, but they were always intense and challenging,” Davis said.
Helping the Broncos back to the playoffs is Bouye’s current challenge. He will need to stay healthy, play every down and occasionally travel with the opponent’s best receiver.
“He’s very capable,” Jackson said. “He can do it all. He can (play) press. He can play off. He’s a good tackler. I’m looking forward to seeing how much he has progressed.”
In establishing himself as a reliable cornerback, Bouye has made a Pro Bowl and life-changing money. One objective remains.
“I want to win a Super Bowl,” he said. “I know how hard it is to get there. I know we were close in Jacksonville (in 2017) and it was disturbing when we didn’t make it. Proving people wrong as usual (is the goal), but I want to get that ring to add to my legacy.”