They say that a defensive back is just a receiver who can't catch. Most of the time they're right. It's not a rare occurrence to see a cornerback in perfect position to make an interception and the ball bounces awkwardly off his hands, as if he has never caught a football in his life. Catching the football is an art, and it's something that not every athlete can do. The athleticism it takes to stay step for step with a professional receiver is rare enough — to find someone who can do that and also catch the football is something special. That something special was on full display last weekend at Empower Field — not just from the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, Pat Surtain II, but from his counterpart on the opposite side of the field, cornerback Riley Moss.
The football season is still young, but Moss has so far exceeded all hopes of what the cornerback opposite PS2 could be. First off, it is important to understand that everyone in the NFL studies everyone else, and the consensus is that Surtain is the best in the business. He has the respect of every coach, general manager, media member, fan, and most importantly, every player. When a quarterback surveys the field before a play, the place he decides to throw the ball depends on the matchups he sees. Whenever he looks up and sees No. 2 on one of his players, he usually decides to go the other way. I experienced this phenomenon as a player myself, when I played with Champ Bailey. I got to practice against him every day as a young receiver, so when game day would come around, it was no surprise to me when he would dominate. It was no surprise, also, when he would sometimes look bored out there — bored because the opposing offense would not even look to his side.
There are so many things about Surtain that remind me of Champ. His quiet demeanor. His freakish athleticism. His professionalism. His play-making ability. I could go on. We are lucky right now to have such a transcendent player on our team — a player who is not satisfied with these accolades and praises, and who only wants to get better. But here's the thing, with a guy like that on one side, a guy everyone knows is amazing, well, who is going to be the guy on the other side? Because that guy now becomes incredibly important. That's the guy they're going to test. That's the guy who is going to get some chances to make some plays. And that's the guy — if you can find someone who covers like a defensive back but catches like a receiver — who can bring this whole thing together.
Enter Riley Moss. I am not going to talk about how he was PFF's highest rated cornerback a few weeks ago. I am not going to talk about his excellent footwork and tackling. I am not gong to talk about his confidence, his length or his supreme athleticism. I am not going to talk about the difficult rookie season he had last year, dealing with an injury that forced him to miss much of training camp. I am simply going to talk about one play, and about why that play matters.
That play is the first interception of his career, last week at home against the Raiders. As a wide receiver, I always knew that no matter how good the coverage may be, I would have the advantage once the ball was in the air. They call them 50/50 balls, but if I have superior ball skills than the defensive back, its more like a 60/40 ball. If I am also taller, its 70/30. If the quarterback knows where to put it, it's 80/20. But here is something I or any other receiver rarely had to account for — a cornerback who knew how to attack the football in the air. A cornerback who turned to track the ball, opened his hips, timed his jump correctly, reached up with two open hands and high-pointed the football, snatching it, squeezing it in and securing the catch to the ground. That's not what defensive backs do. That's what receivers do. But that's exactly what Riley Moss did on Sunday vs. the Raiders, and that should have Broncos fans feeling very good about the man opposite the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Now when opposing teams are watching film, they'll see that PS2 isn't the only guy they have to worry about.
About the Author: Former NFL wide receiver and tight end Nate Jackson played six seasons for the Broncos and is the author of the New York Times Best Selling book "Slow Getting Up."
