Thursday, October 11, 2012

Man-to-man with Wayne means Cro will move a lot

BY NICK ST. DENIS

If the New York Jets plan on using cornerback Antonio Cromartie in a straight-up man-to-man role on the Indianpolis Colts' No. 1 receiver this week like they would with Darrelle Revis, Cromartie will be very active before the snap.

Cro is slated to go up against veteran wideout Reggie Wayne, who has taken on a more all-around role in the Colts' offense. He's not just strictly an outside receiver.

“Reggie is in the slot now and we move him around a lot more so that (Cromartie) can’t just be focused on a wide receiver playing bump and run all the time," Colts interim coach/offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said this week, according to the Colts' website. "If that’s the matchup they want to play, then he’ll have to follow him and run all over the field in a different position than he’s normally used to.”

Cromartie did a stellar job Monday night locking down Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson, who was limited to just one catch for 15 yards.

Meanwhile, Wayne earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors Sunday, totaling 13 catches for 212 yards and a touchdown as the Colts ousted the Green Bay Packers.

Cromartie, who had an interception last week and took another pick back for a touchdown in Week 1, grabbed three INTs in a single game against the Colts during the 2007 regular season when Cromartie was with the San Diego Chargers. Cro intercepted another pass against the Colts later that year in the playoffs.

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