Super Bowl Notebook: Pseudo DB on Giants' radar
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INDIANAPOLIS -- Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and other New York Giants receivers can't wait to go against the New Englands Patriots' Julian Edelman Sunday in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium.
And why not? Edelman, wide receiver-return man, also plays in the secondary, a position he's still learning.
Mario Manningham, for one, says it will be a mismatch in New York's favor any time he or his fellow wideouts are covered.
"He plays wide receiver," Manningham said. "He's not a real defensive back. Did he get drafted as a defensive back? We have a little bond going on knowing that we can beat somebody. We're confident. I hope he's out there."
Cruz, the Giants' leading receiver with 82 catches for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns, said Edelman will be targeted.
"I see he's very raw at that position, obviously, because it's not his dominant position, but he's quick, he's fast, and he carries over a lot of the receiver stuff over to [cornerback], so we'll see how it goes," Cruz said. "Obviously, it's going to be a position and an area that we'll test out really early and see how it goes and how the game flows."
Edelman said he will simply focus on the task at hand.
"It's ultimately a foreign thing for me," he said. "You're doing everything backwards, from covering a guy to terminology on the defensive side of the ball. You have different terms. It's like a different language from seeing things backwards on the track so it's definitely been a good experience for the coaches and the players surrounding me has helped me out a bunch."
New England coach Bill Belichick said Edelman is adjusting well.
"He has a knack for it, he picked it up quickly," he said. "Again, he's a smart, hardworking guy. If you ask him to do something, he'll work really hard to get it right and try to do it. He developed a little bit as a defensive player this year, especially when we had some injuries."
First Published February 4, 2012 12:00 am
