Cowboys' Newman starts to exude veteran's confidence at cornerback
BY TODD ARCHER
Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - From the roof of Terence Newman's home, he has a perfect view of the Dallas skyline and beyond. At times, it's like he can see forever.
On the football field, Newman's eyes are on another horizon.
"I'm going for the Hall of Fame now," said Newman, the former Salina Central and Kansas State star. "The Pro Bowl was my goal the last four years. Now I'm shooting higher: Super Bowl and Hall of Fame."
Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey is considered the best in the NFL right now. He's been named to seven Pro Bowls in his nine-year career. Last season, he led the NFL with 10 interceptions.
"He gets out there, and he's in everybody's face," Bailey said of Newman. "He's not had a problem with any receiver that I've seen. That says a lot about a cornerback because there are a lot of good receivers in the league."
Aspiring for the Hall of Fame is confident talk from Newman, who is still waiting for his first Pro Bowl appearance as he enters his fifth season, but confidence makes cornerbacks. So does hard work.
Since his rookie year, Newman has been a regular in the weight room, adding bulk to his 5-foot-11 frame by working out with tight ends, linebackers and running backs in the off-season while maintaining his sprinter's speed.
In the film room, he will look for the tiniest signal from a receiver that will help him decipher which route will be run.
"Terence is so patient," quarterback Tony Romo said. "You can make three moves on him, and he'll wait until you make a real move."
That happened in Thursday's practice against Denver. Wide receiver David Kircus made a jab to the outside and Newman did not move. Kircus then dipped his shoulders to the inside, and again, Newman did not move. As Kircus moved back to the outside, Newman finally moved. Jay Cutler's pass had no chance of finding its target.
After the 2005 Thanksgiving Day game at Texas Stadium -- a 24-21 overtime win for the Broncos -- Bailey sought out Newman on the field and told him, "Hey, you should be in Hawaii this year."
"I didn't make it," Newman said, "but the fact he said it meant a lot."
Newman respects Bailey and watches him to learn a new trick, but he's not completely deferential, either.
"Man, he's smart," Newman said. "He knows how to read a quarterback and a receiver. The same thing that makes him great also makes him a little vulnerable. Double moves are a big thing against him.
"He reads the quarterback. He reads so many things that once he goes, he goes. I'm definitely not that great at reading a quarterback. I can definitely take some stuff from him."
Cowboys receiver Patrick Crayton has gone against both players and sees the same traits.
"Their feet," Crayton said. "They're technically hard to go against. T-New likes to get right up on you at the line and squeeze you a little more. That's probably how they're coached technique. Champ has more experience, and when the ball is in the air, it's Champ's ball. Terence is getting better at that, but he has to be like it's his ball or it's nobody else's, either."
Newman did not allow a touchdown catch in 2005 and said he allowed only "two or three" last season. In four years, he has only 12 interceptions, including one last season, but there also is a lack of opportunity. Quarterbacks do not throw in Newman's direction as much as they throw elsewhere.
Bailey goes through a similar challenge, although the Broncos used more zone coverage last season that helped him get more chances. The Cowboys mainly used Newman in man-to-man coverage.
"That's the way the game goes," Newman said. "You get to the point where you have a good feeling about yourself because you're doing something right. You're accomplishing one of your goals, which is to be one of the best shutdown corners in the league."
Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - From the roof of Terence Newman's home, he has a perfect view of the Dallas skyline and beyond. At times, it's like he can see forever.
On the football field, Newman's eyes are on another horizon.
"I'm going for the Hall of Fame now," said Newman, the former Salina Central and Kansas State star. "The Pro Bowl was my goal the last four years. Now I'm shooting higher: Super Bowl and Hall of Fame."
Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey is considered the best in the NFL right now. He's been named to seven Pro Bowls in his nine-year career. Last season, he led the NFL with 10 interceptions.
"He gets out there, and he's in everybody's face," Bailey said of Newman. "He's not had a problem with any receiver that I've seen. That says a lot about a cornerback because there are a lot of good receivers in the league."
Aspiring for the Hall of Fame is confident talk from Newman, who is still waiting for his first Pro Bowl appearance as he enters his fifth season, but confidence makes cornerbacks. So does hard work.
Since his rookie year, Newman has been a regular in the weight room, adding bulk to his 5-foot-11 frame by working out with tight ends, linebackers and running backs in the off-season while maintaining his sprinter's speed.
In the film room, he will look for the tiniest signal from a receiver that will help him decipher which route will be run.
"Terence is so patient," quarterback Tony Romo said. "You can make three moves on him, and he'll wait until you make a real move."
That happened in Thursday's practice against Denver. Wide receiver David Kircus made a jab to the outside and Newman did not move. Kircus then dipped his shoulders to the inside, and again, Newman did not move. As Kircus moved back to the outside, Newman finally moved. Jay Cutler's pass had no chance of finding its target.
After the 2005 Thanksgiving Day game at Texas Stadium -- a 24-21 overtime win for the Broncos -- Bailey sought out Newman on the field and told him, "Hey, you should be in Hawaii this year."
"I didn't make it," Newman said, "but the fact he said it meant a lot."
Newman respects Bailey and watches him to learn a new trick, but he's not completely deferential, either.
"Man, he's smart," Newman said. "He knows how to read a quarterback and a receiver. The same thing that makes him great also makes him a little vulnerable. Double moves are a big thing against him.
"He reads the quarterback. He reads so many things that once he goes, he goes. I'm definitely not that great at reading a quarterback. I can definitely take some stuff from him."
Cowboys receiver Patrick Crayton has gone against both players and sees the same traits.
"Their feet," Crayton said. "They're technically hard to go against. T-New likes to get right up on you at the line and squeeze you a little more. That's probably how they're coached technique. Champ has more experience, and when the ball is in the air, it's Champ's ball. Terence is getting better at that, but he has to be like it's his ball or it's nobody else's, either."
Newman did not allow a touchdown catch in 2005 and said he allowed only "two or three" last season. In four years, he has only 12 interceptions, including one last season, but there also is a lack of opportunity. Quarterbacks do not throw in Newman's direction as much as they throw elsewhere.
Bailey goes through a similar challenge, although the Broncos used more zone coverage last season that helped him get more chances. The Cowboys mainly used Newman in man-to-man coverage.
"That's the way the game goes," Newman said. "You get to the point where you have a good feeling about yourself because you're doing something right. You're accomplishing one of your goals, which is to be one of the best shutdown corners in the league."
posted by The Gryphon at 10:21 AM
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