Cornerbacks always talk about how crucial it is to put bad plays behind them.
Gotta be confident. Gotta have a short memory. Gotta forget about it when you get beat.
Every cornerback gets beat. The great ones bounce back quickly.
Fair to say Rasul Douglas and Sidney Jones didn't bounce back quickly Sunday.
I asked Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz Tuesday how Douglas and Jones have handled having a short memory and putting bad plays behind them, and his answer was surprisingly blunt.
Inconsistently," he said. "There have been times that they have, but you know like a 3-3 team, we're all striving for consistency and I think that those guys are striving for that.
Douglas has played fairly well much of the season, although he's been inconsistent. Jones has struggled both on the field and to stay on the field.
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On Sunday, both struggled through their lowest moments. Kirk Cousins victimized both young corners to the tune of four touchdowns and 333 yards in the Vikings' 38-20 win at U.S. Bank Stadium.
This was the first time Schwartz has spoken this bluntly about Douglas and Jones and their confidence issues.
I don't know that any of those were lack of confidence or [not] putting a play behind them, but whether it was a penalty, whether it was a physical error or a technique error or a communication error, another bad play ended up rolling up on them and that's the life they live," he said. "There were a lot of technique errors, there are a lot of miscommunications in every game with D-linemen and linebackers and everything else, whether you win the game like we did against the Jets or you lose a tough game like we did against the Vikings.
But generally those don't get the attention that the cornerback position takes, and that's part of the job description. That scrutiny. Kickers. Quarterbacks. Head coaches. It's just what we deal with, and corners need to be able to put bad plays behind them, and we've been inconsistent doing that.
Jones is only 23 and Douglas is 24, and both come from big-time college programs and were high draft picks in 2017 - Jones in the second round and Douglas in the third.
The Eagles clearly are hopeful both can go on to become high-level long-term starters.
But Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby could both be back for the Cowboys game on Sunday or, if not, soon after.
We all know both of them have allowed their fair share of big plays, but they've also started for a Super Bowl championship team, and nobody has ever questioned their confidence. They've both shown a knack for bouncing back.
Who's going to wind up starting when everybody's healthy?
Too early to answer that. But if you're a coach and you have two cornerbacks who have confidence issues and two who don't? Who would you play?
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