Last Sunday wound up as a very good day for the Cowboys, but it wasn’t such a good day for rookie cornerback Morris Claiborne.
Claiborne was penalized five times, twice for being offsides, and was beaten for a touchdown pass in the 38-23 victory over the Eagles. It was the kind of game that grabs the attention when you’re watching it on film, especially if you’re an offensive coordinator trying to figure out the best way to attack the Cowboys in the coming weeks.
Teams have already been testing Claiborne a fair amount and they’ve had a fair amount of success. Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram points out that opposing teams have completed 61.5 percent of their passes while throwing in Claiborne’s direction. Claiborne expects that the Browns will be looking in his direction this weekend and he welcomes the chance to bounce back from last week.
“I hope so. I feel it’s a blessing for me,” Claiborne said. “We got out of there with a win with all the things that were happening and next week guys are going to come out and I know they are going to say: ‘Just throw it over there -- either we are going to catch it or get a penalty.’ I’ve got to make the best of the situation. Seize the moment and go make a play.”
Claiborne acknowledged some things he needs to do differently, including not using his hands to feel for a receiver when running downfield, and said he has the short memory when it comes to bad plays needed for a cornerback to succeed in the NFL. He figures to get plenty of opportunities in the coming weeks to prove that point.