Cro: We need to get back to having fun
New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie (31) heads up field with an interception of a pass by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on the last play of the first half. (Oct. 9, 2011) Credit: AP
Antonio Cromartie has a simple answer for turning things around and putting an end to the Jets' three-game losing streak.
"Just go out and just play football," the cornerback said, "just eliminate the mistakes, and go out and have fun. I think a lot of us try to take things too seriously. I mean, it's football. It's something we've been playing since we were five, six years old. So, the biggest thing is to go out, and have fun and enjoy it."
Perhaps, but how much fan can one have when you are mired in a three-game skid, have just traded a player in Derrick Mason that has people skeptical the move was strictly performance-based, and are playing a winless team on Monday that's had your number in Rex Ryan's two-plus seasons?
"It’s fun every time you touch the field," Cromartie said, "because you are getting an opportunity to step on the field, step on the field with your brothers who are in the locker room and you are doing something that you really want to do. You are having fun at your job. Have fun with it."
"You’ve got to enjoy this sport because it's not for long," he added. "Enjoy it because our career are so short."
That's what Cromartie plans on doing Monday at MetLife Stadium when the Jets meet the Dolphins. There's a good chance he'll be guarding Miami wideout Brandon Marshall. The talented, but sometimes troubled, Marshall leads the Dolphins with 22 receptions for 313 yards and also has a touchdown.
Cromartie typically locked horns with Marshall during their AFC West days, when he was with the Chargers and Marshall was a member of the Broncos.
"It’s always fun," Cromartie said of their matchup. "I think this is my, maybe, 11th time facing him in my career. So I mean, for us, it’s always competitive, always going out and just enjoying having fun at the same time. But we know we are just trying to get our jobs done."
