Lost in the rubble of the past two seasons was this: The Falcons have someone capable of playing a lick of defense. In 2013, Pro Football Focus rated Desmond Trufant, then a rookie, the league’s eighth-best cornerback; in 2014, the analytic site rated him the seventh-best. This isn’t quite like Steve Carlton winning 27 games for the last-place Phillies, but it’s not far off.
It’s not easy being a good player on a bad unit, but the latter part is open to change. And if the Falcons can muster even a smidgen of a pass rush, the watching world will see how skilled Desmond Trufant truly is, and he believes himself — and not in a bragging way — to be special.
Asked Wednesday if he thinks he’s capable of being a top-tier cornerback, Trufant said: “Definitely. I already feel like I’m there.”
He mentioned the names of those he considered the NFL’s best at the most difficult defensive position: Richard Sherman of Seattle; Darrelle Revis of the Jets, Brent Grimes of Miami (and a former Falcon) and Vontae Davis of Indianapolis (whom the Falcons could have drafted instead of Peria Jerry, since retired).
Of that elite grouping, Trufant said: “Everybody’s different in his own way. Everybody’s got his strengths. Everybody’s got his weaknesses. But I feel like I’m right there with anybody. That’s what I’m here for, to be that guy. That’s what I’m going to do.”
At 6-foot, Trufant is a shade taller than Revis, Grimes and Davis. It’s the 6-3 Sherman, however, to whom he figures to be most likened in the days ahead. Sherman is the No. 1 corner on the defense Dan Quinn used to coach; Trufant stands to be the No. 1 corner on the team Dan Quinn is coaching now.
Trufant has watched video of the Seahawks’ defense. “They’ve mastered it,” he said. “They’ve been in it a long time. I definitely take things from them. But I have my own game. I’m just trying to apply that to the defense.”
Of Quinn’s defense, Trufant said: “It’s a different scheme. For the corners it’s not as complex, but the safeties have got to do a little moving around, a lot of talking. From what I’ve seen so far, we’ve been flying around making plays, getting interceptions, breaking balls up. We’re going to be real aggressive this year. That’s what I know.”
For a defense, the sharp edge of aggression is the pass rush, a commodity lately in short supply. Even the best secondary — not that the Falcons have had the best secondary, either — cannot cover forever. The arrival of edge rusher Vic Beasley should heighten the up-front pressure and, as Quinn has suggested, a quarterback who can be made to throw early is a lessened quarterback.
A quarterback who throws early also is prone to turnovers. Trufant managed five interceptions his first two seasons. With the help of a pass rush, he might lead the league some year soon. “It’s coming, it’s coming,” he said. Here he smiled. “It’s all a work in progress.”
In conversation, Quinn has made it clear he expects Trufant to become a Big Deal. The coach’s instructions? “Be a leader,” Trufant said. “Lead by example. Be disciplined in my technique. Things like that because the guys look to me. Just work hard. Every day get better at something.”
As the Falcons plunged from the 13-3 of 2012, it became fashionable to fault Thomas Dimitroff for doing nothing to upgrade the defense. That’s not entirely true. In April 2013, Dimitroff made a Round 1 trade with St. Louis to advance eight places to draft Trufant No. 22 overall. It mightn’t have had the impact of picking Matt Ryan No. 3 in 2008 or the sizzle of trading five-for-one for Julio Jones in 2011, but Trufant already ranks as the best defender this general manager has acquired. (With Beasley pending.)
“A lot of perseverance” is how Trufant recalls his first two NFL seasons. “We haven’t had a lot of wins, but you have to keep fighting, keep improving. It’s only going to make me better.”
Does he see himself as the next Richard Sherman, in value if not verbiage? “I see me as myself,” Trufant said. “I’m me. I’m looking to take that next step, be the best out there.”
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