The three words no player ever wants to hear stung Corey Webster’s ears at midseason – bitter, hurtful words that forced him to confront the grim reality that his career was heading down a very wrong path.
Webster showed up, as usual, at Giants Stadium back on Nov. 11, knowing his starting cornerback job has been stripped away, knowing he’d been demoted from any real work at cornerback. He was clinging to playing time as a special teams player, duty unbefitting a former second-round draft pick, but at least he was getting a uniform and getting on the field.
And then, that day, those three words.
“Corey, you’re down.”
No uniform. No playing time. Nothing.
“That’s the exact words they used,” Webster recalled.
That dark time, when all appeared lost and Webster’s stay with the Giants seemed to be nearing a fateful end, might as well be saved up on some black-and-white film on some long-forgotten reel. In one week, Webster will be on the field at the University of Phoenix Stadium, likely lining up across from the one and only Randy Moss in Super Bowl XLII, the Giants’ best line of defense against the best receiver in the NFL.
“Crazy, huh?” Webster said, grinning.
In this unfathomable Giants season, there is the comeback quarterback, Eli Manning. There is the comeback coach, Tom Coughlin, and the comeback kicker, Lawrence Tynes. And, greatly helping to fuel this incredible playoff express, is Corey Webster, the comeback corner.
Without him, the Giants would not be anywhere near this game, the last remaining obstacle between the Patriots and perfection. In last week’s NFC Championship game at frigid Green Bay, Webster showed his resilience after slipping and getting burned on a 90-yard catch-and-run touchdown for Donald Driver. Webster more than made up for that mishap when early in overtime he did what he was supposed to do with a flopping Brett Favre pass intended for Driver, coming up with the clutch interception that led to Tynes’ game-winning 47-yard field goal.
Against the Cowboys in the divisional round, Webster – filling in for injured veteran Sam Madison – limited Terrell Owens to four receptions for 49 yards and one touchdown. In the wild card round in Tampa, Webster nearly pitched a shutout, holding Joey Galloway to a mere one catch for nine yards and on special teams added an alert and athletic fumble recovery on the second-half kickoff coverage unit.
“That says a lot right there,” co-owner John Mara said. “He wasn’t getting a uniform some weeks, he wasn’t getting any reps in practice. To see him come around and make some plays, that’s the guy we thought we drafted.”
Ah, the guy they thought they drafted. You remember him. Big, strong, sure-handed (as a former receiver) cover corner, well-versed in press coverage from his days at LSU playing for Nick Saban and his pro-style defense.
That guy rarely showed up in a Giants uniform. After two nondescript and at times injury-slowed years, Webster this season started the first three games, making few plays in two dreadful losses as the Giants secondary allowed seven touchdowns passes. In Week 3, Webster took a bizarre angle on Redskins receiver Santana Moss, who had cut inside Sam Madison, and was not in position to prevent a 49-yard completion.
Having seen enough, the coaching staff at halftime benched Webster. In the ensuing weeks, he was used mainly on special teams, which was quite a comedown, but the ultimate indignity was yet to come, as he was healthy but inactive for two games and a bit player for the others.
“Everybody wants to be out there playing and fighting with the troops,” Webster said. “I can’t lie to you, sometimes it was disappointing not being out there to help your team, but that’s why I took the role on the sidelines I did.”
Rather than sulk, Webster’s spirit could not be suppressed. Despite his own disappointment, he was animated and helpful to his teammates, a character trait that did not go unnoticed.
“I don’t know if I had ever seen a guy more into the game than he was on the sideline,” Coughlin said.
The only reason Webster in Week 16 was forced into action at nickel back amid a Buffalo snowstorm was a hip injury that sidelined Kevin Dockery. Webster started back up the mountaintop with a fourth-quarter interception of Trent Edwards returned 34 yards for his first career touchdown to cap a playoff-clinching victory.
The comeback corner was reborn.