Tony Pisano

Flying Under the Radar

October 4, 2008 7:01am CDT

It seems like every year undeserving cornerbacks make it to the Pro Bowl based on interceptions and tackles. It's hard to blame the voters considering how hard it has been in the past to get relevant cornerback stats. DeAngelo Hall and Antonio Cromartie are widely considered two of the best corners in the league, but the numbers just don't back it up. The only corner to give up more yards than Antonio Cromartie at this point in the season is DeAngelo Hall. Let that sink in for just a second... Cromartie and Hall have given up more yards than cornerbacks like Brent Grimes, Andre Goodman, and Jacques Reeves.

So if there are "superstar" corners that are overrated, then there must be a group whose names you rarely see but consistently do their job, right? In this article I thought I would give some credit to the corners who aren't exactly household names, but should be.

Cortland Finnegan (Tennessee)
Finnegan is playing as well as any corner in the NFL. Forget for a second that he leads the NFL in interceptions with four and focus on some other key numbers. Finnegan has been thrown at 28 times and has a yards per attempt (YPA)of 6.25. Of the 28 times he has been targeted, he has been responsible for 13 of those passes falling incomplete. Finnegan has developed into a top five cornerin the NFL and should be considered for the Pro Bowl if he continues to play at a high level.

Corey Webster (New York Giants)
One word comes to mind while breaking down film on Webster... "Wow". Webster has been scary good so far this season. Since he has no interceptions, you won't see him on SportsCenter and he won't be considered for a trip to Hawaii, but he should be. How can a cornerback this good that playing for the Super Bowl Champions on the biggest stage in sports fly so far under the radar? Webster has the lowest YPA (of any CB with 10+ attempts) in the NFL at 2.54. Only five times has Webster been beat for a reception, and for a total of only 33 yards.

Chris Houston (Atlanta)
Houston is really starting to come into his own in his second season. He is playing with more confidence than anyone at his position and it's really showing up in his stats. Houston has been targeted 28 times and has forced 11 incompletions. His 4.68 YPA is a staggering number when you consider how often he is targeted. Only four corners have more pass deflections than Houston (five). Only Webster has been more impressive than Houston in the NFC.

Jabari Greer (Buffalo)
Jabari Greer is in his fifth season and is off to a great start. Greer has been targeted 26 times and has allowed only seven receptions. His 15 forced incompletions lead the AFC and he is behind only Charles Woodson (16) for the NFL lead. The Bills cornerback foursome of Jabari Greer, Terrence McGee, Ashton Youboty, and Leodis McKelvin has been a major piece to the early success in Buffalo.

Ronald Bartell (St. Louis)
There haven't been too many bright spots in St. Louis this year, but Rams fans should feel good about the play of Bartell, who has been targeted 22 times and has given up just 95 yards. His 12 forced incompletions rank him third in the NFC. The Rams may not be able to stop anybody, but don't blame Bartell. He has yet to give up a touchdown despite the Bills trying to target Bartell vs. James Hardy in the red zone. Bartell seems to be playing on a different level than the rest of his teammates.

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