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| | | | | | | | Thursday, February 1, 2001
Pro Bowl spotlight: Titans cornerback Samari Rolle
By Alex Laracy
MondayNightFootball.com
When you think of the Tennessee Titans, you think of the team's slew of marquee superstars -- Eddie George, Steve McNair, Jevon Kearse, and even the venerable Bruce Matthews. But if you're not familiar with cornerback Samari Rolle by now, you clearly didn't watch the Titans play very much this season.
|  | | Samari Rolle had 140 yards in interception return yards this season. |
The third-year cornerback out of Florida State kept a relatively low profile prior to 2000, especially considering the line of talented cover men with a knack for telling you about their skills that have come out of Tallahassee before him: Deion Sanders. LeRoy Butler. Terrell Buckley. Devin Bush. The list of motormouth standouts goes on and on ...
In only his second year as a starter, the unassuming Rolle quietly became one of, if not the best, cover corner in football. Matched up against the opposing team's most prolific receiver each week, it's not unusual to not hear No. 21's name called all day long. Quarterbacks might even stop looking to throw to Rolle's side of the field if they're looking for substantial yardage.
The Titans' top-ranked defense gave up a paltry 151 yards-per-game in the air in 2000, and no receiver had more yards in a game than the 81 the Giants' Amani Toomer had against them in Week 5. In a league which virtually every player or unit has an off week, Rolle and the rest of the Titans' secondary had none.
After a solid 1999 as a first-time starter, Rolle added another element to his arsenal in 2000 -- the big play that knocks the wind out of opponents' sails. The former Seminole finished tied for third in the NFL with seven interceptions, twice picking a pair in the same game. If there's one play this season that put Rolle on the map of the NFL's elite and imprinted in your head as a star in the making, it was in Week 9 versus the Washington Redskins.
Trying to close a 13-7 gap before halftime, Brad Johnson forced a ball to receiver Albert Connell with just 10 seconds to go on a third-and-1 from the Tennessee 34. Rolle snatched the underthrown ball out of the air at the 19, tiptoed along the right sideline before meandering across the field to the left sideline, reading his blocks along the way. Finally, almost out of gas, he stumbled the last yard into the end zone for a touchdown on the last play of the first half for his first career score.
The electrifying touchdown put Tennessee ahead by 13 points, and the Titans headed into the locker room with the momentum on their way to a 27-21 victory over the 'Skins. Rolle became the first player to return an interception for a score to end the first half since Carnell Lake pulled the trick for Pittsburgh in 1996.
Rolle's memorable return on MNF was only one of several this season that have earned him his first Pro Bowl berth come February 4th (ABC, 5:30 p.m. ET).
At only 24 years old, Rolle has certainly etched his name on the short list of the great young cornerbacks in football, alongside Charles Woodson, Sam Madison and Champ Bailey, all of who will join Rolle in Hawaii. Although not as a physical and as strong a tackler as the aforementioned trio (he made only 39 tackles), Rolle might very well be the tightest cover man amongst the bunch.
At 6-feet tall, 175 pounds and with 4.3 speed in the 40, the ultra-lean Rolle has physical gifts comparable to those of Randy Moss, only a few inches shorter. Although his seven picks clearly reflect that he is an opportunist, one would not label him a "risk-taker." Rolle's playing style is much like his unassuming character, and as a result he simply does not get burned deep.
With its national viewership and vast array of big play quarterbacks and receivers, the NFC will surely look to go deep early and often against Rolle and his AFC mates in Honolulu. In Cris Carter and Terrell Owens, Rolle will be covering not only two of the NFL's best pass catchers, but also the loudest and most abrasive. While he might not necessarily hang with this crew on a verbal basis, this silent Titan proved in 2000 that he can hang with any receiver in football when the ball's in the air.
Alex Laracy is the assistant editor of MondayNightFootball.com.
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Samari Rolle picks off Brad Johnson and takes it 81 yards the other way for the score.