Aug. 22, 2011
Every team needs playmakers. Veteran cornerback Casey Hayward has earned his stripes by consistently locking down top receivers while garnering conference accolades. Jordan Matthews on the other hand is trying to take the next step and become the main offensive target at wideout for the Commodores.
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by Brandon Barca (Archive) Twitter updates @brandonbarca |
Hayward and Matthews spend the dog days of camp lined up against the other with the sole purpose of getting better. They thrive off the essence of competition, no matter if they’re practicing at full speed in pads, or dressed in only helmets and shorts. “Whenever we go out there in team period and I see Casey on the other side of the ball, I know it’s on,” said Matthews. “It’s not like we’re going to go out here acting like we’re just getting through practice. It’s a competition every single day.”
Hayward already has the reputation for making big plays, recording six interceptions and 17 pass breakups last year. And Matthews’ 6’3 frame is dripping with confidence after a strong finish to his freshman campaign and an impressive preseason that has him poised to be a breakout performer in the SEC. The two push each other through the highs and lows of August, knowing that you can’t cram for the big test and get away with it on game day.
“I don’t want Casey to get that one up on me,” noted Matthews, “and I know Casey doesn’t want me to get a catch on him.”
“Exactly,” Hayward chimed in. “Every time Jordan goes up, I want to go up because he’s one of our better receivers. We want to compete. If one of us makes a mistake, we’ll tell each other what went wrong. I feel like it helps both of us out.”
I chatted with Hayward and Matthews last week to learn more about their respect for one another, what drives them to succeed, and their daily battles on the practice turf.
Brandon Barca: Casey, what style of coverage do you like to play at corner?
Casey Hayward: I prefer to play man. You get to be around the guy you’re facing a lot. You get to guard their best receiver most of the time if you’re one of the top corners.
Jordan Matthews: (Casey’s) athleticism speaks for itself. He knows the game so it helps him a lot out there. I’ve gone against a lot of corners who have good ability but they couldn’t think, so I was able to outsmart them. But when Casey goes out there, he knows the game from a mental standpoint also, so that makes him a really great corner.
BB: Jordan, what are your best attributes at receiver?
JM: I feel like I was blessed with a lot of height. I’m able to go up and get the jump ball. We have a lot of great receivers who are fast and can catch balls underneath and take it the distance, but I have to be the jump ball guy to go up and make big catches.
CH: I love Jordan’s offensive game. He can go and get the ball better than anyone I know. He’s one of the most competitive guys on the team. That’s where he stands out because if you’re not competitive, and you don’t have the drive to go out there and get the ball, you’re not going to be able to go out there and get it. That’s where he stands out; he competes.
BB: Jordan, some of the best NFL receivers talk about always wanting the ball. Do you need to have that mindset to succeed at that position?
JM: I don’t want it to turn it into anything selfish. Growing up, my instinct was to always want the ball every single play. In high school, it was a lot like that; I always got the ball. But when I came to college, I realized that I was around a lot of playmakers. When you’re playing with guys like Zac Stacy, Brandon Barden and Warren Norman, you have to realize that you won’t get the ball every single play. When I do have my chance, I have to make the most of it. I still have that killer instinct inside of me that wants the ball a lot.
CH: It’s funny (when Jordan wants the ball). You’ll hear him say, “Throw me the ball.” We were in warmups one day with no ball and Jordan made a joke to Larry (Smith) like, “Larry, I haven’t got a ball yet.” But we didn’t have a ball to begin with. It’s funny. But he’s right, I want Jordan with the ball in the game so on third and long, I know who the ball is going to. It’s going to Jordan and he’s going to make that play.
BB: Casey, earlier in your Commodore career, you were able to learn under the wings of two future NFL defensive backs in D.J. Moore and Myron Lewis. How do you compare your game to them?
CH: I took in a lot of knowledge from D.J. and Myron. I learned from both of those guys that you have to go in and watch film heavy and work on your fundamentals. Both of their games are totally different. D.J. is more of a fundamental guy because he’s smaller. Myron’s a more physical guy. I think I’m a little bit of both, not as physical as Myron but my fundamentals and instincts are up there with D.J.’s.
BB: Do you talk on the field?
JM: All the time, all the time. You have to make practice fun. If we’re going to be out here, then we might as well have a little bit fun. I like to talk to Casey a lot. Sometimes it gets heated but most of the time we’re just having fun out there.
CH: Talking is the nature of the game when you’re trying to be competitive. I try to spark him up in practice if he’s down. If I’m down, he tries to spark me up with “Let’s go.” If he makes a big play, he might look at me with one of those looks. I do it the same way. If I break up a play, I might say something to him and give him that look like, “Let’s keep playing.”
BB: When you step onto the field, do you have to dislike the players on the opposite side of the ball, even during practice when you’re going up against your teammates?
JM: You have to think that way, in a sense, because that’s the main thing Coach Franklin’s been trying to do to build a competitive atmosphere. If we can get to a point where we go against each other and we can almost build that hatred where we have to beat the other, then what’s going to happen when we go on the field against another team? That situation is going to be amplified even more. Coach Franklin has done a good job implementing that here. We’ve been coming out her every single day ready to fight.
CH: A lot of these players out here are your good friends. You hang together all the time. You need to come in a different mode when practice comes though. You become enemies, if you want to say it that way. I look at the offensive side and say, “We have to go out here and win every down regardless of who is on the other side.” When another team comes to town, we treat them the same way.
BB: Jordan, Casey was very talented as a quarterback in high school. Do you think there could be a spot for him on offense?
JM: Coach Franklin, I’m telling you he’s lobbying (to play offense). Every time Casey walks by Coach he says, “Hey, Wildcat, Wildcat.” I think he could do it, though. He told me to check out his high school film one day on Rivals, so I watched a little bit of it. He definitely has some skills. Casey could play any side of the ball that he wanted to; he has that type of athleticism. I wouldn’t mind seeing him back there in Wildcat. He better be ready, though, because I’ll be calling for it when he goes back to throw. That’s the only thing though, Casey. You have to be able to hit me.
CH: When I ask Coach, he will respond to me joking, “Oh, okay.” It’s all fun. But if he would put me back there, that would be good. I did play a little quarterback back in the day. But don’t you forget about Jordan on defense. He had 12 interceptions in high school, so he could do both as well [laughing].
JM: We could swap it up either way– you know what I’m saying? We can take turns. He can play a little bit of offense, and I can play a little bit of defense.
BB: What did you think of the EA SPORTS NCAA Football 2012 video game? Do your player ratings match your skills on the field?
JM: I’m going to go ahead and speak on Casey’s behalf. They did my dog wrong. They did him dirty. I have a lot of respect for Casey and his game. I feel like he’s one of the best out there. So they did him wrong. And I’m not even going to comment on how they did me. It’s atrocious. Seventy-three? [Laughing] It’s all good though because I have to make some plays this year to get it up.
CH: It is what it is. We’re just going to try to go out here and show them what our real ratings are this year. We’re going to try to get this team back to a bowl game. The ratings are what they are.
BB: When you’re playing that video game, are you guys padding your personal stats for fun?
CH: No, I’m an offensive guy when it comes to that game. I try to throw the ball every down.
JM: [Smiling] Don’t ask me that question. I’m not trying to get in trouble with Coach Franklin. But I think you know the answer.