Antonio Cromartie plans to shut down Brandon Marshall as he did Randy Moss in the second half of Sunday’s game against the Patriots.
Throughout his past four seasons, the cornerback has lined up against some of the best wide receivers the NFL has to offer. In the Jets’ Week 2 game against the Patriots, Darrelle Revis reinjured his left hamstring late in the second quarter, leaving Cromartie to tame the wild beast that is Moss. Cromartie did just that.
Moss did not have one catch in the second half; in fact, Cromartie intercepted a Tom Brady pass to Moss on the Jets’ 3-yard line to turn the momentum of the game in favor of the Jets. He plans on going out on Sunday and doing the same thing to Marshall and the Dolphins.
"I’m just going out and knowing what to expect of myself and what my teammates expect out of me, also," Cromartie said, according to The Associated Press.
Expectations are running high for the cornerback, as he really has his work cut out for him with the 6-foot 4 inch, 230-pound ox of a wide receiver that is Marshall. In his first two games of the season he caught 12 catches for a total of 124 yards. Cromartie does not let those kind of statistics frighten him — why would he? In his first game for the Jets this year, he intercepted a pass from the Ravens’ Joe Flacco and ran it back for 66 yards, reminding the league what kind of a threat he can be.
“It’s tough from a physical standpoint," Cromartie said of defending Marshall. "He’s a big receiver that can get in and out of his routes real well as a smart receiver. You just have to be patient and play disciplined."
Cromartie is more than ready for the matchup against Marshall, but is Marshall ready for him?
