Jammer quietly enjoying another strong season

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Thursday, Dec 13, 2007
By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com

As cornerback Antonio Cromartie has abruptly jumped onto the scene as the NFL’s leader in interceptions, coaches preparing to face the Chargers have recently been asked if they plan to throw away from the second-year player.

It’s not a bad idea in and of itself, but as Lions Head Coach Rod Marinelli pointed out Wednesday, it’s not that simple.

“(Number) 23 is a heck of a player, too,” said Marinelli, referring to six-year veteran Quentin Jammer.

Last week, Titans quarterback Vince Young essentially provided the same answer when asked if he’d shy away from Cromartie, citing the strong play of his fellow University of Texas alum.

Jammer’s play this season has spoken for itself, and he appreciates the fact that he can quietly do his job while Cromartie receives the attention from fans and the media, attention that Jammer agrees is very well deserved.

“Let him have all the attention. I like that,” Jammer said. “When he wasn’t on the Pro Bowl ballot I told them to take my name off and put him on. None of that matters to me. I just want to go out and play football. That’s my only thing. I just like to go out there and have fun.”

Despite missing most of three games with a hamstring injury, Jammer is having another solid season. He makes no qualms about the fact that he’s still looking for his first interception of the season, mostly because teams haven’t taken big chances his way. Instead, Jammer focuses on the fact that he’s getting his job done in other areas.

“I haven’t given up any touchdowns,” Jammer said. “I’m not having many opportunities for interceptions either. The only thing I can do is tackle and bat down passes. I feel like I’m getting that done every week.”

Jammer and his head coach agree that when a cornerback’s play goes under the radar, that can often be a good thing because it usually means they aren’t giving up big plays.

“Quentin is just so solid,” Head Coach Norv Turner said. “He doesn’t get a lot of attention because he’s just so sound.”

Jammer, Cromartie and Drayton Florence are a big reason why the Chargers’ defense has had so much success lately. In each of the last four weeks, the Chargers have held their opponents under 200 yards passing. They’ve accomplished the feat six times this season.

The Chargers lead the NFL with 22 interceptions this season, a mark that is indicative of how well the defense and particularly the secondary is playing together. They’ve also given up fewer big plays in the passing game as the season has progressed, but they’ll be challenged this week as they face the NFL’s seventh-ranked passing attack in Detroit.

“We’ve got three real good corners,” Turner said. “It helps us a lot with match ups. Those guys have done a nice job for us.”

When presented with the statistics of what the Bolts’ secondary has done in recent weeks, Jammer shrugged his shoulders.

“I had no idea,” Jammer said. “I know we’re playing ball. I don’t keep up with any of that. I just want to play and have fun. Nothing else matters.”

Jack Dempsey, AP

Cornerback Quentin Jammer is once again playing physical football and having a solid season.

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