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| Glimpse of Peterson's Swag Photo via wvmetronews.com |
The first of which came when I chatted with cornerback Morris Claiborne.
Claiborne was the player who was beat deep on North Carolina's 97-yard touchdown strike, and he did not shy away from his mistake.
"I got beat deep," said Claiborne. "The receiver made a good double-move."
Owning up to getting burned wasn't the interesting part though. He said the mistake never should have happened because he was told what was coming soon before.
But this time, it wasn't from a coach.
Many people seem to get caught up with Peterson's amazing athleticism. He ranks amongst the best combinations of size and speed in the country.
But, in talking to Peterson, I haven't heard too many NFL corners understand the game as well as he does. His high football IQ really impresses me. At LSU Media Day, he said he looked up to Deion Sanders.
In the game against North Carolina, it took T.J. Yates to throw an absolute perfect back-shoulder pass to his receiver in order to beat Peterson. There has been only one time where I remember Peterson getting smoked, and it was Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green in the first quarter of last year's contest. The pass was overthrown and incomplete.
The lockdown corner always seems to be in the best position to make a play. On 3-2-6 Dime packages, defensive coordinator John Chavis likes to position Peterson over the slot receiver because of his ability to blitz.
Peterson and his secondary have a word they like to use called Swag. They believe swag is vital to success.
Swag is short for swagger. As crazy as it seems, Peterson has even higher swagger than he does athleticism and football IQ combined. He told Jordy Hultberg after the game he wants to win the Hesiman.
Peterson has a slim chance, but it's possible. Charles Woodson, the only defensive player to win the Heisman, was a cornerback. Former LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey was in the mix until his knee injury against Auburn in 2007.
Peterson, like Woodson, is dangerous on special teams as a returner. And don't count out the Florida native getting his paws on the football even more.
When Miles was asked about the thought of Peterson getting involved on offense, Miles said, "There has been a lot of that to be honest with you."
I know it's early to be talking Heisman, but Peterson put on a masterful performance on national television that ended up being the difference in a close game. That will count for something down the road if Peterson continues to play well in big games.
If there is one thing for certain, LSU will have a first-round draft choice in next year's draft if Peterson decides to go.
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