Antrel Rolle tackles leading role for Giants

INDIANAPOLIS – Even if Antrel Rolle hadn't been here before, he probably would make you think he has.

So describes the confidence of the New York Giants free safety, back in the Super Bowl three years after playing for the Arizona Cardinals in a last-minute loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rolle's self-assuredness has created controversy this season with bulletin-board comments, but being the leading tackler on a team playing for a championship speaks for itself.

"When you're hearing all the talk — 'he's a big mouth; he's this and that' — it's tough especially knowing you're not that person," the two-time Pro Bowler said Monday after the Giants arrived to begin practicing for Sunday's rematch against the New England Patriots. "There's definitely a bigger picture than what it's made out to be."

To Rolle, it's more about motivation than bragging, something he and the Giants have fed off of during their five-game winning streak. Being their top tackler in the regular season (96) and postseason (21) suggests how busy he has been on a team lacking a nickel cornerback, often playing near the line.

Rolle figures to be active against the Patriots, who aim to send tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez and wide receiver Wes Welker downfield against him and Kenny Phillips. Forget about what happened in Week 9 in Foxborough, Mass., when New York won 24-20 after Rolle caused a stir by calling the Patriots offense "nothing spectacular" and suggesting that Giants opponents should fear them.

With the stakes different this time as well as the look of both teams, actions speak louder than words, and Rolle is focused as he seeks a different outcome in this championship appearance. There's no doubt he loves his position, a switch from where he played when entering the league in 2005.

Drafted eighth overall as a cornerback by the Cardinals, the Miami (Fla.) product admittedly didn't like or understand the system and asked to switch to safety three years later. Rolle quickly took to his new job and its mental demands, which paid off immediately with the first of consecutive Pro Bowl selections.

His second, in 2010 with the Giants, demonstrated his quick adaptability to a new team as well as to New York.

"He hasn't given up a lot of big plays. He's playing much sounder and less-risky football, and he has done what they've asked," Giants radio announcer Bob Papa said. "They've gone this whole year without a nickel corner, and throughout a lot of the season he had to play against the slot (receiver).

"He even said it's not his strength and hasn't really done it in a long time, but he said, 'Whatever the team needs me to do, I'm going to do.'

"He has morphed himself into this real team player. Not that he wasn't beforehand, but he's really become a leader on this team, too."

So much so that when the Giants were reeling at 6-6, Rolle thought they would still make the playoffs. That has been borne out with a late-season and playoff run that has made their No. 27 defensive ranking a distant memory.

But while the boasts have been dialed down, the Giants seem to be carrying out Rolle's beliefs without him saying a word.

"As a defensive unit, we've had a lot of struggles," he said. "But right now we have a bad-ass mentality. That's the way we like to look at it, that's the way we want to keep it, and we're very confident in our approach.

"At the same time, when the bell goes off on Sunday, we're in attack mode."


(usatoday.com)