After flashes of brilliance, ‘DRC’ looks to become more consistent at cornerback

‘DRC’ looks to become consistent at cornerback

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Arizona cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie made plenty of big plays during his rookie year.

As he prepares for his second NFL season, the Cardinals want Rodgers-Cromartie to pay more attention to the small ones.

That means relying less on his dazzling speed and mastering techniques in practice.

When it comes to pure exhilaration, learning proper footwork doesn’t compare to the 99-yard interception return for a touchdown that Rodgers-Cromartie turned in last season.

But the coaches say an improved practice regimen will help the 23-year-old Floridian turn his potential into consistent production at one of the game’s most demanding positions.

“In order for him to take that step to the next level, which is an elite cornerback in this league, he has to do it every day on the practice field, every day that he’s working, and then it has to show up in the games,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

As he walked off the practice field at Northern Arizona University this week, Rodgers-Cromartie nodded when told about Whisenhunt’s assessment.

“Sometimes I’m not really focused,” Rodgers-Cromartie said. “That’s one of my main things I’ve got to work on is just being focused.”

Rodgers-Cromartie may have fallen into some bad habits as a two-sport star at Tennessee State. Rodgers-Cromartie won the 60 meters, long jump and high jump at the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Track Championships. (He said his best 40-yard time was 4.26 seconds during workouts for NFL scouts.)

On the football field, Rodgers-Cromartie was so dominant in college that opposing teams rarely threw passes in his direction, and his mind would wander.

“I was never, as a football player, just really tuned in coming from college,” Rodgers-Cromartie said. “I really didn’t get that many balls, so sometimes I fall asleep, and it just carried over to here. I still have to work that out of my system.”

Rodgers-Cromartie showed flashes of stardom during his rookie season, when the once-lowly Cardinals made an improbable run to their first Super Bowl.

Given the team’s spotty draft history, many fans shrugged when the Cardinals drafted Rodgers-Cromartie with their first-round pick (16th overall) in 2008. At 6-foot-2 and 182 pounds, he seemed a bit thin for the rugged NFL.

But the shrugs turned to cheers as Rodgers-Cromartie emerged as a playmaker late in the season.

He picked off two passes against Seattle in Week 11 and matched a franchise record with a 99-yard interception return against St. Louis in Week 14.

“I can catch it in the end zone, 1-yard line, I’m coming out,” Rodgers-Cromartie said. “Whenever that ball’s in my hands, I’m looking to take it all the way.”

In Week 15 against Minnesota, Rodgers-Cromartie blocked a field goal that teammate Rod Hood returned 68 yards for a score.

Rodgers-Cromartie’s four interceptions matched Tampa Bay’s Aqib Talib for most among NFL rookies.

Rodgers-Cromartie kept it up in the playoffs, picking off two more passes as the Cardinals went from a punchline to NFC champions. All told, Rodgers-Cromartie had six interceptions in 12 starts.

As he starts his second season, the coaches expect even more.

“He’s physically a very gifted football player,” Whisenhunt said. “He’s made a number of great plays for us last year that helped us out tremendously, but he’s also a talent that can be as good as anybody in the league at that position if he’s willing to put in the time and the effort. And he’s been working on that in practice.”

The Cardinals hope that Rodgers-Cromartie will learn from fellow cornerback Bryant McFadden, signed as a free agent during the offseason. McFadden started only 18 of 51 games with Pittsburgh in the last four years, but he has a steady approach to his job.

“(Rodgers-Cromartie) has the God-given physical tools,” defensive coordinator Bill Davis said. “Now, he has to do what Bryant McFadden does, the way that ‘B-Mac’ works at it and understands his playbook and understands his technique.

“Dominique has the confidence to know he can play with NFL receivers,” Davis said. “We can build off what we had last year. If he will consistently practice like he has (in training camp), if he can discipline himself to do it right, one play at a time, the sky’s the limit for that kid.”