PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles face the tall task of defending one of the truly elite talents at the wide receiver position when Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings pay a visit to Lincoln Financial Field on Monday Night.
Who better to get an opinion on Jefferson and how to defend him than former Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel. He sat down with SI Eagles Today for three questions and answers regarding the Vikings' receiver.
Samuel was a three-time Pro Bowler in Philadelphia while leading the entire NFL with nine interceptions in 2009 and 23 during his four years in Philadelphia. He had 51 in his 11-year NFL career.
Only recently, Samuel launched his first ever podcast called 'The Art of the Interception' which is linked at the bottom of the article. In his podcast, he covers a wide range of topics while giving his analysis of current-day NFL news and matchups.
Samuel played against some of the top receivers of his generation before retiring following the 2013 season, including Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, and Marvin Harrison.
By way of comparison, Jefferson has 205 catches for 3,200 yards and 19 touchdowns in 34 games.
Moss had 157 receptions for 2,902 yards with 29 touchdowns after 34 games.
The all-time great Jerry Rice had 147 catches for 2,689 yards and 21 TDs after his first 34 games.
Here is the Q and A:
Q: How good do you think Jefferson is?
Samuel: “Justin Jefferson is an exceptional talent at wide receiver. (He) has all the attributes of some of the greatest to ever play the game. Philadelphia’s secondary will have their work cut out for them Monday night.”
Q: If you were Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, what suggestion would you make to try to limit Jefferson's impact?
Samuel: “I would key his quarterback (Kirk Cousins), who is known to be hot, and cold. (Jefferson's) reaction time isn’t so quick, so I would try to win with great leverage in attempts to react to the football before (reacting to) him.”
Q: You are good friends with Darius Slay. What advice would you give to him and his running mate on the other side, James Bradberry, on how to defend Jefferson?
Samuel: “I suggest Darius and James be patient in their technique. Play with good leverage and get hands on the wide receiver whenever possible. Be ready to attack the football."
You can find Asante Samuel’s new podcast “The Art of the Interception” wherever you get your podcasts.
Samuel’s first episode offered his perspective on what great cornerbacks truly exist with the following episode questioning the caliber of coach Bill Belichick is.
Here are links to the show:
Conor Myles covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-hosts the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast on Bleav Podcast Network. Reach Conor at ConorMylesSI@gmail.com or Twitter: @C0NORMYLES
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