ShareThisBy RON HIGGINS
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Tennessee's Jonathan Wade knows that as a cornerback, the very nature of the position is to be fearless.
It's just you and the wide receiver, way out on the flanks. Either you jam him and disrupt his timing, or he gets just enough separation to make a catch.
You have to be bold in your walk and your talk. You say what you mean, mean what you say and you don't back away from your words or your actions.
Which is what Wade did this week, obviously not regretting what he said on Monday after winning the SEC's Defensive Player of the Week award. In discussing how he was called for pass interference on a fourth-quarter play against Carolina's Sidney Rice, Wade said, "I think (Rice) was pretty upset about it. He didn't say anything to me, but I was laughing. I've been getting away with a lot of things, haven't I? They'll probably try to put me in jail after this season."
Doesn't Wade fear retribution by officials for the rest of the season? Won't his words make him a marked man by the flag tossers, starting Saturday in Knoxville against LSU?
Not really, Wade said.
"Grabbing and pushing is just part of the game (between defensive backs and receivers)," Wade said. "It's reaction. You grab. They push. That's part of it. You don't go crying (to the official). You just play the next down. If it gets called, it gets called. If it doesn't, it doesn't."
Wade had a huge game against South Carolina. He ripped loose a pass on Carolina's second play that linebacker Marvin Mitchell intercepted and returned for a 17-yard touchdown. On Carolina's next possession, he intercepted a Syvelle Newton pass in the end zone and later had a fourth-down tackle for loss in the third quarter.
Such an overall performance has been typical of Wade this season, who has an SEC-leading 13 passes defended (10 breakups and three interceptions) playing against the league's best receivers.
Last week, he and the 6-4 Rice battled all night. This Saturday, his foe will probably be LSU's Dwayne Bowe, a 6-3 leaper. And the following game, it will likely be Arkansas' Marcus Monk, who at 6-6 will have six inches on Wade.
Wade, a native of Shreveport, La., who played for powerhouse Evangel Christian, relishes the challenges.
"There are a lot of outstanding players in this league," Wade said. "You know they are going to make some catches. You just have to limit them to as few as possible."
Wade came to Tennessee in 2002 as an all-state defensive back and receiver.
He had moderate success as a receiver as a true freshman, hurt his shoulder early in 2003 as a sophomore and was redshirted, then was switched to defensive back in 2004. It wasn't until last year as a fourth-year junior that it seemed like he'd found a home at cornerback.
"Playing receiver helped me as a cornerback," Wade said. "I recognize things, like how an offense tends to work, a bit quicker than someone who didn't play receiver," Wade said. "I really love playing cornerback, I love playing defense."
Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said Wade has matured as a player, student and person.
"Jonathan came here with fantastic potential, but he wasn't ready to handle it at that particular time," Fulmer said. "About mid-season last year, he really dedicated himself to becoming a good football player and reaching his potential. He has become much closer to that. He's still got things to work on, but he's made a lot of big plays for us this year."
Wade looks forward to playing his homestate team again. Last year in Baton Rouge, the Vols fell behind, 21-0, at the half before rallying for a 30-27 victory in overtime.
"Even though we won, it wasn't a good game for us," said Wade, who had four tackles and a fumble recovery against the Tigers. "We lost so many other games last year (when the Vols went 5-6) that winning that game didn't mean as much later."
LSU players, such as Wade's former high school teammate, Jacob Hester, consider Wade a marked man. They claim that Wade planted a large orange 'T' flag at midfield after last year's game, which was the first home game for LSU after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
"I didn't stick that flag in the ground, it wasn't me," said Wade, who chose Tennessee over LSU in a tight recruiting battle. "I took a picture with the flag, but I didn't plant it."
Anyone who has watched Wade will vouch he's more about planting receivers than flags.
