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Titans CB
Samari Rolle
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Let’s play a word-association game.
Cornerback. Went to Florida State and wore No. 2. Covers the opposition’s best
receiver all over the field. Wears No. 21 on his jersey now. Has a catchy nickname …
Not Prime Time.
Doorknob.
Titans CB Samari Rolle, also known to his teammates as "Doorknob," may not
yet be quite as well-known as fellow Seminole product Deion Sanders, but he is gaining
notice around the league. Rolle’s teammates definitely noticed him last year, when he
stepped up and played a big role in Tennessee’s trek to the Super Bowl.
Now, Rolle seeks to take the next step and become a Pro Bowl player. Earning that kind
of recognition will be tough in a conference that includes such young standouts as Shawn
Springs, Charles Woodson, Ty Law, Sam Madison and Chris McAlister, but many observers say
that Rolle has the kind of ability necessary to make the jump.
When asked what makes Rolle, who is entering his third NFL season, so good, teammates
compliment his instincts, athleticism, work ethic and film-study habits. But the consensus
is that Rolle’s success last season was due, more than anything, to increased
confidence.
"Coaches have placed a lot more confidence in him, and he showed them that he can
be the No. 1 corner on this team," former Titan Steve Jackson said. Jackson added
that Rolle’s confidence was always there, "but now it’s just been
unleashed. Whenever he steps out there on the field, he feels there’s no one he
can’t cover. Now they put him on the best receiver the other team has."
The assignment to cover the opposition’s go-to guy came midway through last
season. Samari embraced the role.
"I prefer shadowing the best guy, to be honest with you," Rolle said.
"That way, it kept me focused, and I think it gave us our best chance of winning,
basically."
That sounds cocky — maybe because it is, to some degree. But a cornerback must be
confident, or else he’s cooked. Playing scared is a recipe for disaster.
"Samari, he’s the type of guy that goes out, and he’s not afraid to make
plays," Titans DB coach Jerry Gray said. "The way you make plays is that you
can’t be afraid to make them, especially on defense.
"Most of the young guys who come into this league like Samari who get a first
chance to start, they’re afraid to even go attempt to make a play. But he’s not
that way."
It’s a good thing that Rolle isn’t afraid. The Titans’ aggressive,
blitzing defense often presents him with the daunting task of being left alone on an
island against the other team’s go-to guy.
"At the beginning of the season, I don’t think we liked it too much,"
Rolle said. "But finding out how we’re playing, knowing where the ball’s
got to come out on the certain blitz, that’s helped a whole lot.
"Now, we have more success with it. We’re a little more comfortable with
it."
Gray, a four-time Pro Bowl cornerback during his playing days, says Rolle fits the No.
1 CB role well because he has both the physical traits and the mental demeanor of a top
corner.
"He has talent. He’s about 6-foot-1, which gives him a lot of range,"
Gray said. "He can run. He’s one of the quicker guys on our team.
"We put him on (the other team’s) best receivers during the game, and we
single him up. That’s the type of guy you want that’s going to cover a guy. When
you’ve got a guy out there who’s going to get unnerved, then you’re in
trouble. But he doesn’t do that."
Gray also praised Rolle’s attitude and willingness to accept a challenge.
"He’s always upbeat, always up-tempo," Gray said. "He’s not
willing to say, ‘Coach, I can’t do this; I can’t do that.’ We talk
about it, and I tell him I’m going to put (him) on this guy, and he says OK."
While Rolle’s game has taken big steps forward, his nickname still needs a little
work. Teammates said Rolle got his moniker because, in Jackson’s words,
"he’s got that big ol’ head and that skinny body, like a doorknob."
It’s certainly not as glamorous as Sanders’ "Prime Time" alias. But
Rolle, who isn’t afraid to get physical when the need arises, doesn’t try to
pattern his game exactly after Deion’s, despite the eerie similarities in their
career paths.
"I wouldn’t say he’s my role model," Rolle said. "He’s a
guy that I admire a whole lot just for his style of play and what he’s been able to
do at the corner position. He transcends his position, basically."
The Rolle-model cornerback is a lot more physical than Sanders. He may weigh only 175
pounds or so, but Rolle is more than willing to mix it up.
"He’s kind of nifty, a shifty kind of guy," Tennessee CB Dainon Sidney
said. "You look at him. He doesn’t look very big; he doesn’t look very
strong. But he’ll surprise a guy because he’ll come up and hit you, (be) kind of
physical. He’s deceptive in that."
Said Jackson of Rolle: "He doesn’t too much worry about his size. He just
goes in and makes plays. If he has to hit, he hits. If he doesn’t, he has
speed."
While Jackson admires Rolle’s talent and willingness to get physical, he is even
more taken by the youngster’s potential to make the flashy play.
"I don’t think people watching football have seen how good Samari really
is," Jackson said. "I’ve seen him make a thousand plays in practice that he
just hasn’t had the opportunity to make in the games yet because people don’t
throw his way that much — one-handed catches, knocking the ball up (and) catching it
behind his back.
"(He can be) like a magician. They just haven’t seen him do them in a game
yet. But he (has only played two years), so I’m sure he will."
Maybe someday Rolle will have a "Prime Time" kind of nickname —
something like "Magic Man" or even the "Practitioner of
Prestidigitation."
For now, the Titans are more than happy to have a plain ol’ Doorknob on their
side. |
