Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Cromartie humble for first Pro Bowl

By: MIKE SULLIVAN - Staff Writer

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Antonio Cromartie did what numerous elite NFL players do
during the week leading up to the Super Bowl. He made the rounds with his
new marketing agent, interacted with other star players and did as many
interviews as possible in Radio Row.

Then the Chargers cornerback flew to Hawaii on Monday for this Sunday's Pro
Bowl, a game full of elite NFL players.

Reverse time back five months, and few people would've forecasted
Cromartie's name and the term "elite player" belonging in the same sentence.
But after leading the NFL with a franchise-record 10 interceptions in just
his second NFL season, Cromartie arrived in Honolulu on Monday as one of the
elite defensive players in the game.

And guess what? He isn't satisfied with meeting his 2007 goal of 10
interceptions. He's considering upping next year's goal to what would be an
NFL record number of picks.

"Fifteen might be the goal next year," Cromartie said last week.

Dick "Night Train" Lane of the Los Angeles Rams set the NFL record of 14 in
1952. The closest a player has come to tying Lane's mark was when Oakland's
Lester Hayes had 13 interceptions in 1980.

Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo doesn't think 15 interceptions is an
unrealistic goal for Cromartie, a player still scratching the surface of his
vast game-breaking potential.

"You look at most of his picks this year, and they were great, athletic
plays," Castillo said. "They were incredible athletic abilities that most
people don't have. You look at the fact that he is still so raw in terms of
his positioning and footwork. Not to say he has a long way to go, but he's
going to continue to get better. When you have a guy that hasn't played that
many full seasons, he's just going to get better and it's scary to think of
how good he can possibly be once he develops that all-around game.

"I think he can get 15 because if he's making the picks just out of the
freakishly athletic plays, imagine once he's actually in great position
too."

The 23-year-old Cromartie plans to quietly go about his business at his
first career Pro Bowl. He says he won't be boasting about his breakout
season or his NFL-record 109-yard missed field goal return. He also won't
incite debates about whether his dramatic one-handed leaping interception of
Peyton Manning was the most impressive defensive play of the season.

He sees Pro Bowl week as a time to learn and improve.

"I'm just going to pick some of the guys' brains," Cromartie said. "That's
what I'm going to do, to tell the truth. Just try to learn some of the
tricks of the trade so I can be a complete corner."

Outside linebacker Shawne Merriman, another member of the AFC squad, did a
similar thing when he made his first appearance following the 2005 season.
It turned out to be a valuable -- and expensive -- week for Merriman.

"One of the biggest things I learned was how to play all the bills of the
old veterans," said Merriman, with a laugh. "I basically paid every bar tab
or room tab.

"He'll learn a lot just being out there with all the guys. I still go out
there and learn from guys who have been in the league 10-years plus."

Cromartie's 2007 campaign is even more impressive considering his first
start didn't come until the nationally televised Nov. 11 Sunday night
contest in which he intercepted Manning three times.

Overall, Cromartie scored three touchdowns -- one on an interception and one
on a fumble recovery in addition to his missed field-goal return against
Minnesota.

He added two more interceptions in the postseason while cementing his
new-found stature as one of the league's most talented and exciting players.

"I just played football," Cromartie said. "I went out and had fun every
single week, and that's probably the biggest thing for me."

The explanation is simple after a season in which Cromartie made playing the
game look easier than it is supposed to look.

"I think it is that easy for him," Castillo said. "Forget about the football
side of it. You look at his growth as a leader, as a teammate, as a
personality in the locker room, and he's a completely different player. He
really is."

Chargers notes

The Chargers will end up with six players in Sunday's Pro Bowl after TE
Antonio Gates (dislocated toe) and DT Jamal Williams (ankle) withdrew on
Monday. Gates' withdrawal came three days after a team official said he
would be playing in the Pro Bowl. ... The Chargers who intend to play in the
game are CB Antonio Cromartie, G Kris Dielman, T Marcus McNeill, OLB Shawne
Merriman, FB Lorenzo Neal and special teams ace Kassim Osgood. RB LaDainian
Tomlinson (knee) withdrew from the game last week.

-- Contact staff writer Mike Sullivan at (760) 739-6645 or
msullivan@nctimes.com.

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