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Welcome to the Saturday Spotlight. Here we spotlight one key player for each game of the season, hopefully putting a different player in the spotlight each week. Today's player in the spotlight is cornerback Buster Skrine. Skrine is a 5' 9", 185 pound, 26 year old cornerback out of the University of Tennessee - Chattanooga. He was originally drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round as the 137th selection of the 2011 NFL draft.
Skrine played for four years in Cleveland, working his way from backup to starter. He has never missed an NFL game. Skrine's diminutive size limits his ability to match up outside against bigger NFL receivers, but his excellent speed and lateral quickness make him a perfect fit as a slot cornerback. In the 2015 offseason Jets head coach Todd Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan identified Skrine as a great fit in the slot in Bowles' defensive system and aggressively pursued him in free agency, making Skrine the first major free agent signing of the new regime. In his limited time with the Jets that signing has looked shrewd, as Skrine appears to be a major upgrade over departed slot cornerback Kyle Wilson.
Here are Buster Skrine's NFL statistics:
Year |
Games |
Passes Defended |
Interceptions |
Tackles |
Assists |
. |
|
|
|
|
|
2011 |
16 |
2 |
1 |
14 |
4 |
2012 |
16 |
11 |
0 |
72 |
13 |
2013 |
16 |
18 |
1 |
55 |
10 |
2014 |
16 |
18 |
4 |
55 |
12 |
2015 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
16 |
3 |
Buster Skrine is still as of now in the concussion protocol and is not 100% certain to play on Sunday. He says he is good to go and will be on the field. If true, that is good news for Jets fans. No doubt he will be targeted heavily throughout the game against the Patriots' slot threats. How he fares against Edelman and/or Amendola will go a long way towards determining the outcome of this game. Buster Skrine was specifically targeted by the new Jets regime just for games like this, where the slot receivers are key. If Skrine can hold his own against the Patriots slot receivers then the Jets should be successful limiting the damage against an outstanding Patriots offense, setting the Jets up for a huge win on Sunday. If Skrine can't play or gets torched, the Jets will likely be in for a long day watching the Patriots march up and down the field.
Buster Skrine is small in stature, but perhaps no Jets player will play a bigger role in determining the outcome of Sunday's game. Games against the Patriots with first place on the line are about as big as regular season games get. The spotlight doesn't get a lot brighter, and Skrine stands squarely in it. This is Buster Skrine's moment to shine. This is his time to make a statement. This is his time to justify the considerable investment the Jets made in him. This is Buster Skrine's time in the spotlight. Let's hope he shines bright on Sunday.