MAKING THE GRADE
August 15, 2011 11:10 AM | General
When you think of exceptional cornerback play at West Virginia University through the years, guys like Jerry Holmes, Aaron Beasley, Pacman Jones and Brandon Hogan immediately come to mind.
Holmes was tall, angular and athletic and parlayed that into a solid 12-year professional career, most notably with the Jets, Lions and Packers.
Beasley wasn’t quite as tall as Holmes, or especially fast, but he had the nerve of a cat burglar and phenomenal football instincts. Those two important traits helped Aaron lead the country in interceptions as a junior in 1994 and later play in the NFL with Jaguars, Jets and Falcons.
Jones may have been one of the most explosive athletes to ever put on a Mountaineer football uniform, and the defensive coaches who are still around here sometimes talk about the 2003 Boston College game when Pacman was easily the most dominant football player on the field that afternoon.
Hogan, too, possesses outstanding qualities that led the Carolina Panthers to take him in the fourth round of last year’s NFL draft.
Veteran DB coach Dave Lockwood has seen his fair share of good ones here and he believes Keith Tandy is another name that could one day be included in the discussion.
“No. 8 is getting better and better,” said Lockwood. “We were watching goal line (Friday morning) and he just about takes every rep. He goes outside and he goes inside. I made it a point to tell the rest of the guys if you wonder why he’s having success it’s because he’s out there getting better. It’s not a situation where he’s worried about getting tired, he’s worried about focusing on his technique and improving and he’s having success.”
Some have mentioned that Tandy’s outstanding success last year was the result of teams staying away from Hogan and throwing the ball his way, thus inflating his numbers a little bit. Actually, Lockwood said it was the other way around at times.
“You go back and look at the tape and they kind of threw at 22 more than they threw at 8,” Lockwood said. “He’s in that league.”
What Lockwood likes best about Tandy is his willingness to work hard, prepare, and show up to practice every day wanting to get better.
“He had a great year last year and I’m looking for him to have an even better year this year,” said Lockwood. “He’s putting in the time. He’s working hard and doing what it takes to be a great player.”
Holmes was tall, angular and athletic and parlayed that into a solid 12-year professional career, most notably with the Jets, Lions and Packers.
Beasley wasn’t quite as tall as Holmes, or especially fast, but he had the nerve of a cat burglar and phenomenal football instincts. Those two important traits helped Aaron lead the country in interceptions as a junior in 1994 and later play in the NFL with Jaguars, Jets and Falcons.
Jones may have been one of the most explosive athletes to ever put on a Mountaineer football uniform, and the defensive coaches who are still around here sometimes talk about the 2003 Boston College game when Pacman was easily the most dominant football player on the field that afternoon.
Hogan, too, possesses outstanding qualities that led the Carolina Panthers to take him in the fourth round of last year’s NFL draft.
Veteran DB coach Dave Lockwood has seen his fair share of good ones here and he believes Keith Tandy is another name that could one day be included in the discussion.
“No. 8 is getting better and better,” said Lockwood. “We were watching goal line (Friday morning) and he just about takes every rep. He goes outside and he goes inside. I made it a point to tell the rest of the guys if you wonder why he’s having success it’s because he’s out there getting better. It’s not a situation where he’s worried about getting tired, he’s worried about focusing on his technique and improving and he’s having success.”
Some have mentioned that Tandy’s outstanding success last year was the result of teams staying away from Hogan and throwing the ball his way, thus inflating his numbers a little bit. Actually, Lockwood said it was the other way around at times.
“You go back and look at the tape and they kind of threw at 22 more than they threw at 8,” Lockwood said. “He’s in that league.”
What Lockwood likes best about Tandy is his willingness to work hard, prepare, and show up to practice every day wanting to get better.
“He had a great year last year and I’m looking for him to have an even better year this year,” said Lockwood. “He’s putting in the time. He’s working hard and doing what it takes to be a great player.”
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