Antonio Cromartie says he’s healthy enough to match up with Mike Wallace
New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie (31) before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
New York Jets No. 1 corner Antonio Cromartie is going to be a game-time decision for tomorrow’s vastly important game against the rival Miami Dolphins, and a lot of playoff hopes are on the line for both teams. Cromartie is going to be an even more crucial part of the defense than usual, as he will have to face Dolphins high-priced No. 1 wideout Mike Wallace one-on-one. Wallace isn’t consistent, but he is a bona fide deep threat and playmaker who could easily burn the Jets for a big game if Cromartie isn’t at his best.
To be honest, Cromartie hasn’t been at his best this season, and he hasn’t been nearly as good as he was last season. The Jets secondary is filled with awful play, and they are among the most burn-prone secondaries in the league. That has to change this week, and Cro has to get back to his shutdown self quickly in order to hang with Wallace. Cromartie is highly optimistic that he’s healthy enough to play against the Dolphins, and he believes he’ll be quick enough to cover Wallace.
Cromartie said, via the Metro’s Kristian Dyer, “I’ve been covering speedsters all year, so like I said, this is the first time I’m actually feeling like I did last year. Coming into this week, I’ve been running around and it’s just feeling a certain way. Like I said, running around [this week] I haven’t had any pain, I haven’t had any tightness, so I think coming into this week, for me, it just happened at the right time. Got a chance to rest up a little bit, do a lot more treatment and just understand what we need to try and do. I’m not worried about going up against another speedster when that’s what I’ve been doing the whole entire year.”
Mike Wallace is one of the fastest receivers in the game, so the Jets can only hope that Cromartie is as ready as he said he is. He suffered a hip injury last week that was related to a severe hip injury earlier in his career, so the concerns regarding Cro’s health going into tomorrow’s game are legitimate.