Star-Telegram.com: | 11/03/2007 | Reeves proves he's a good corner man
IRVING -- Cowboys cornerback Jacques Reeves didn't enter the season trying to prove anything to anybody.
He just wanted a chance to play.
Nevertheless, almost anybody could see the target that replaced the No. 35 on his jersey when the Cowboys shockingly released veteran cornerback Aaron Glenn before the start of the season.
With Terence Newman sidelined with a partially torn plantar fascia, the Glenn decision catapulted Reeves and his one career start in four years from seldom-used fourth cornerback into a starter.
While the Cowboys liked Reeves and his potential, the whispers of uncertainty were deafening. Safety Roy Williams openly criticized the front office for cutting Glenn.
As the Cowboys head into Philadelphia on Sunday with six wins in their first seven starts, nobody is doubting Reeves.
Sure, he has had frustrating moments. Who hasn't in the Cowboys' secondary?
But Reeves has proven more than capable on the sixth-best defense in the league -- and best in the NFC.
In the process, he has gone from a question mark at the start of the season to the glue at cornerback.
Newman missed the first two games before returning as nickel back in Week 3. Cornerback Anthony Henry suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 4, forcing him to miss the past three games.
The only constant at cornerback has been Reeves. His contributions couldn't have come at a better time because he's an unrestricted free agent after this season.
"I am not trying to prove anything," Reeves said. "I am trying to help my team win. A couple of guys went down. It's my job to step up and perform."
His coaches and teammates have a different take on what Reeves has done.
"He has been big [for us]," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said. "We would've been in bad shape without Jacques out there playing as well as he has."
Linebacker Bradie James, the defensive captain and locker-room spokesman, was even more adamant.
"Jacques had been huge and the key to our success," James said. "He stepped in when both our big-time corners went down. And he stepped in and played well."
Reeves leads the Cowboys with 11 pass deflections and he is fifth on the team with 36 tackles. He has one interception.
Those numbers indicate he has gotten a lot action because teams have targeted him for big plays.
While he has been beaten for a couple of touchdowns, he has more than held his own, as the Cowboys' record and defensive ranking would indicate.
It's all been a dream come true for Reeves, a Lancaster native who was picked by the Cowboys in 2004 in the seventh round out of Purdue.
Injuries forced him into action as rookie when he registered his only career start before this season. The past two years, however, he has primarily been a special-teams performer.
While he liked Glenn and looked to him as a mentor -- as did other members of the secondary -- Reeves was happy to get his chance.
"I just wanted to play and get some game-time reps," Reeves said. "I wanted to make the most of the opportunity. I feel good about what I have done. But I know I can do better."
There was some talk that Glenn's $3 million salary played a role in the decision to release him.
According to Phillips, the Cowboys wouldn't have made the move if they didn't trust that Reeves was ready for a larger role. The Cowboys graded both players every day in training camp and they liked what they saw from Reeves.
Reeves is a former Big 10 sprint champion. Phillips said it was simply a matter of him gaining confidence and learning how to use his speed.
"It's part of the process of learning to play cornerback. If you run with people better, then you run with them," Phillips said.
Reeves proves he's a good corner man
Reeves proves he's a good corner man
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