Keisean Nixon finds himself at the center of the Green Bay Packers' cornerback competition, and not for the right reasons. He's looked off-balance in practice. He got burned at Packers Family Night. Nixon might actually be in danger of losing his starting job.
Fans are having an especially hard time shaking off the preseason moment against the Pittsburgh Steelers when Nixon whiffed on a low-effort tackle attempt, allowing the receiver to gain another 10 yards down the sideline. That play stood in stark contrast to Benjamin St-Juste's touchdown-saving chase-down tackle later on.
In that context, it's hard not to read Sunday's remarks from head coach Matt LaFleur as a not-so-subtle statement on team expectations.
"Obviously, it starts with doing your right assignment, and then it comes down to your style of play," LaFleur said, describing what he wants to see from Packers cornerbacks. "How are you competing going after the ball not only in the pass game, but in the run game as well? Are you sticking your nose in there? And we need corners that are willing and capable tacklers."Â
Asked about St-Juste's play, LaFleur called it "something that our coaches are looking at on every single play."
Oof. Nixon should have his ears perked after that.
Keisean Nixon will have to meet Packers' expectations keep starting job
A lack of competitive spirit and hard-nosed physicality are not qualities Packers fans typically associate with him. More than likely, that play last Thursday was an outlier, not a new norm. It just can't happen again.
Nixon knows that. But he's not helping himself by saying he feels "punished" for having to take second-team reps in practice, while Brandon Cisse and St-Juste rotated in with the first-stringers.
"He loves making a headline, doesn't he?" LaFleur said good-humoredly on Tuesday.
So Nixon didn't take all the first-team reps. Well, yeah. That's the nature of the competition. No one is guaranteed anything. And Nixon has certainly done his part to leave the door wide open for someone to take his spot.
Even last season, when he served as CB1, Nixon was prone to inconsistency. His play suffered down the stretch.
He made a highlight end-zone interception against the Chicago Bears.
Also Nixon against the Bears: getting beat on a walk-off Hail Mary. That's just one example. Fans will recall his "business decision" at the goal line in the playoffs. Against the Bears, of course.
Nixon has to make up for his inconsistencies in coverage by doing other things well. Tackling. Being physical. Putting his nose in. St-Juste has already drawn praise from safety Evan Williams for doing just those things.
Nixon had better be listening, at least in a figurative sense. It's not like LaFleur says things to the media that he hasn't already told players. Of course, learning that being a "willing and capable" tackler is part of the job description would be news to any defensive back on an NFL roster. Or a varsity one, for that matter.
Nixon knows what he needs to do, and that means getting back to being, if not a starting-caliber corner, at least someone the Packers can depend on for solid reps at the position.
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