— Put Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on the inside, and you have what you had last year.
Put him on the outside, and he becomes one of the top cover cornerbacks in the NFL.
It's that simple, really, for the Philadelphia Eagles veteran who mostly appeared lost in 2011, after coming over in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals, the team he and the Eagles will face this afternoon.
That's Rodgers-Cromartie's explanation for his perceived transformation, anyway, and he knows himself better than anyone else.
"I'm just outside [again]," he said. "That's where I was all my life and that's where I was most comfortable. So I would say it's just a comfort standpoint. But as far as being a different player, no."
DRC was stuck behind fellow newcomer Nnamdi Asomugha and Asante Samuel in last year's faulty dream-team assembly, which failed for a variety of reasons -- cornerback play at or near the top of the list.
Samuel wasn't very good. Asomugha wasn't very good. DRC wasn't very good, then was injured, ironically, against the Cardinals, who took advantage of an epic mismatch near the end of the game in which All-Pro receiver Larry Fitzgerald was matched up against safety Jaiquawn Jarrett deep down the field.
Fitzgerald won, and so did his underdog teammates in a game that symbolized the Eagles' season perhaps more than any other.
Flash forward to Wednesday, with DRC still sporting a green mohawk that belies his soft-spoken manner.
He actually did admit there was a little more to the playmaking machine we're looking at this year than meets the eye.
"I'd say I'm a little more disciplined now, I understand the game just a little bit better," he said. "I understand my weaknesses and my strengths, so I'm just a little bit more prepared mentally."
DRC has been a terror ever since the first offseason minicamp, clearly the fastest and most aggressive corner on a squad that includes a much-improved Asomugha, who also appeared to be lost last season and has admitted as much.
Asomugha, a 10-year veteran, was probably the second most feared cover corner in the league (behind the New York Jets Darrelle Revis) when he arrived at training camp last year. Now he's the second most feared cover corner on his team.
DRC has been that good. The two interceptions he snagged in the season opener at Cleveland were just the beginning. He will get a bunch more as opponents begin to learn the hard way that throwing to his side is very risky business.
Don't discount the hunger factor, either.
Patiently playing out the final year of a contract that will pay him $2 million this season, DRC is in line for a huge payday and should be offered a contract extension before this season is up.
If he's not, there should be an investigation. The Eagles are believed to be between $23 and $25 million under the salary cap this year. They're hoping to carry a good portion of that over to next year, when they're not projected to be in nearly as good cap shape. But better to pay guys like DRC and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin now than later.
"Dominique is a very competitive person," defensive coordinator Juan Castillo said. "He likes to challenge receivers and he's getting an opportunity to do that on the outside. He had great OTAs. He was here a lot. He understands our concepts ... he understands what we're trying to do with the coverages. He understands the leverage.
"He understands where he's getting help on [plays], [even though] he doesn't really like help, but when he's not getting help. I think the OTAs have really helped him. His confidence [is there] and he really understands what we are trying to do."
DRC is well aware of the irony that he will be playing against the man, quarterback Kevin Kolb, he was traded for a year ago, but he insists he's just looking at this as another matchup. No bitterness, no extra motivation to prove anybody wrong or right.
For DRC, that approach has proved to be the best.
Last season, used primarily as a slot defender, he didn't show much of the form that landed him in the Pro Bowl two seasons earlier, when he finished with a career-best six interceptions.
He certainly wasn't the perfect player upon arrival, either. He had the deserved reputation of not being a good tackler and quitting on certain plays, which both were apparent at times last year.
But we haven't seen that side of him this season.
All we've seen so far is one of the best cover corners in the league beginning to hit his physical and mental peak at age 26.
He's made all the moves required on the field.
Now it's up to the Eagles to make the one move required off it.
610-778-2243
