DeMarcus Van Dyke is 'Next Man Up'

NAPA -- Hue Jackson's training camp-long mantra of "Next Man Up" is about to be put to its latest, if not ultimate test.

Rookie cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke, who had his NFL baptism by fire at the hands and feet of All-Pro wideout Larry Fitzgerald last week, has risen to the top of the Raiders' cornerback depth chart. This is what happens when an All-Pro cover corner like Nnamdi Asomugha takes advantage of free agency and bolts for Philadelphia. And when sixth-year Raider Chris Johnson is downgraded from not injured on Sunday to being in the "Over-30 Club" on Monday to having an unspecified surgical "procedure" on Wednesday. All without once being mentioned as "nicked" up.

In Jackson's philosophy, Next Man Up means opportunity lost for one, opportunity gained for another. Enter the speedy rookie already known in the streets of Silver and Blackdom simply as DVD.

"Yeah, it's an opportunity to show out, to show the team that I can play," Van Dyke said Wednesday. "And this is an opportunity to show Coach Hue that I'm ready to play."

Obviously, the Raiders believe he has the skill set, otherwise they would not have used a third-round pick, No. 81 overall, on the lithe former Miami Hurricane.

Listed at 6-feet-1 (in his cleats, maybe) and 180 pounds (soaking wet and with rocks in his pockets), the baby-faced DVD has run the 40 in 4.25 seconds. Of course, that's what caught the Raiders' attention, as he was seen as a sixth- or seventh-rounder pick by many draft pundits after he lost his his starting job as a senior.

"I think so," Jackson said when asked if this weekend's exhibition against the 49ers was an opportunity for Van Dyke. "Whether it's Van Dyke (or)%u2026whoever the next guy is, step up and play. Again, as you guys know, I don't bat an eye at those things when a guy goes down or a guy's out of here. I don't like it for our players, but you can't worry about that. I can't worry about that.

"I've got to coach the guys that are here. The next guy's got to step up and play like a Raider."

Without the benefit of a rookie mini-camp or OTA's, Van Dyke has had all of 16 NFL practices to hone his skills.

"I've improved a lot," he said, "and every day I try to get better at different things, like playing off (the receiver) and ball skills. So I figure I'm much better than when I came in."

Granted, he's been able to do it under the tutelage of Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, the Raiders' new cornerbacks coach.

"He's going to be good," Woodson said recently of Van Dyke. "It's the little things that he has to work on. He has to learn how to finish. He's still learning the little things about playing corner in this league -- playing the different coverages, when to do certain things, when not to do certain things. But if he keeps progressing in the positive manner like he has in the first week or so, he'll be a decent player."

Besides his speed, Van Dyke has been credited with having good hips, a must for cornerbacks, what with their need to immediately switch directions in coverage.

Woodson said Van Dyke reminded him of a former teammate in Baltimore -- Duane Starks.

"DVD%u2026he's a little bit taller," Woodson said. "His range, I don't think too many receivers are outrunning him. So, he has a lot to learn to break down, move his body weight and transition when he's playing in space. If he does that, he can be a pretty good player."

He was put to the test immediately by Arizona, Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb throwing deep to Fitzgerald down the left sideline. And while Van Dyke was with Fitzgerald step-for-step and actually had good coverage on him, the receiver's cunning won the short-lived battle as he went over the shorter DVD and made the catch.

He finished the game with two tackles.

Van Dyke insists his newfound standing atop the depth chart does not change his thinking.

"It's a mentality you've got to have anyway as a cornerback," he said. "It's you against the receiver; you've got to win the battle."

Still, there was a little extra bounce in his step Wednesday. And maybe not simply because he's slated to start against the 49ers.

Van Dyke's name was absent from the damning Yahoo! Sports report chronicling a booster bankrolling the Hurricanes program over the past decade.

"Hey, that's key right there," he said with a nervous laugh. "I didn't make the list. I'm good."

He may not have made a certain list in South Beach, but be sure of this -- his back will have a target on it come Saturday at Candlestick Point.



(csnbayarea.com)