When Champ Bailey says he is the best cornerback in the NFL, his claim has justification.
Just ask Tampa Bay wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who has called the Washington cornerback the league’s best.
Just ask CBS.Sportsline.com, which asked more than 8,000 people to vote for the best cornerback in the NFL. Thirty-four percent selected Bailey over Oakland’s Charles Woodson (27.9 percent).
Just ask Curtis Conway of the New York Jets and Peerless Price of the Atlanta Falcons, who combined to catch four balls for 56 yards as Bailey shadowed their every move in the season’s first two games.
So it’s a safe bet Bailey has developed into an elite cornerback. But just in case, listen to free safety Matt Bowen, who is spending his first season with Bailey.
“You can put him on an island by himself quite a bit because he’s that good at what he does,” Bowen said.
Bailey has been everything the Redskins, who take their 2-0 record into Sunday’s game against the New York Giants (1-1), had hoped the 6-foot, 192-pound Georgia product would be when they drafted him with the seventh overall pick in 1999.
Bailey, 25, has started all 66 games in his four-year career and became the first Washington player to be named to three consecutive Pro Bowls since linebacker Ken Harvey accomplished the feat in 1995-97.
Along with fellow cornerback Fred Smoot, Bailey has been so good that team officials have sought to upgrade nearly every aspect of the defense except the cornerback position.
Bailey is gaining more attention for several reasons. This fall defensive coordinator George Edwards has assigned Bailey to defend the opposing teams’ No. 1 wide receiver, no matter where that receiver is on the field.
“I’ve done it a lot in the past, more than you think,” he said. “But I just love it now. The confidence has grown so much. I just feel like I’m capable of doing it every week.”
Some doubters point to Bailey’s interception totals, noting he hasn’t picked off a pass since Oct. 6 of last season.
But Bailey knocked down 28 passes last year and registered 84 tackles, the fourth-best mark on the team behind linebackers LaVar Arrington, Jessie Armstead and Jeremiah Trotter.
Whether Bailey will continue contributing to the Redskins remains a mystery. Bailey, who is in the final year of his contract, turned down the team’s initial offer in August of a nine-year, $55 million contract with a $14.7 million signing bonus. He has frozen negotiations until the end of the season to bypass any distractions, but he says he’s not worried about getting a new contract.
“That’s going to get done,” he said. “I don’t care about that. I’m going out and I’m going to play like I’m the best every week.
