Joe Haden lined up on the defensive side of the football, dropped back and thought the quarterback was throwing the ball his way.
At the beginning of every snap last season, Haden struggled locking down the receiver as he couldn’t pull his eyes away from the quarterback. It sounds difficult to understand. But for a guy who grew up catching the ball from the quarterback and making plays, it was only natural.
“The one thing I needed to learn the most was the quarterback is not throwing me the ball,” Haden said. “Now I can play the receiver and not be worried about looking at the quarterback.”
Haden isn’t the only one to improve in the secondary. In fact, it would be hard to find a cornerback who hasn’t made significant strides since last fall. There’s no doubt new cornerbacks coach Vance Bedford has played a role in the improvement, but a big reason the cornerbacks will be improved is they have a year under their belts.
“The coverage, reading routes and knowing what’s going on – we’ve got more confidence,” Haden said. “For me, everything is fluid. It all feels natural. I feel like I’ve been playing corner forever.”
Last season, the starting cornerbacks combined for two interceptions, something this year’s cornerbacks vow to change.
“I’m definitely going to be going for picks this year,” Haden said. “I’m not going to be scared to make mistakes.”
Haden’s counterpart at cornerback will be Wondy Pierre-Louis, who was also a first-year starter last season.
“Wondy has grown up a whole lot since last year, too,” Haden said. “He watches film by himself for hours. He’s trying to get himself ready. He can jump high, jump far, run last and he’s real long. He’s got crazy athletic ability.”
Before Florida’s Capital One Bowl loss to Michigan, the secondary hadn’t struggled for a couple of games. When the secondary looked over film from many games last season, they weren’t excited about what they saw.
“It was painful to look at it,” Haden said. “We really didn’t step up or do our job. We were young and didn’t know what was going to happen. The most people I’d been in front of in high school was 1,000 maybe.”
The memories of missed coverages and botched plays are hard to get out of one’s system. Haden admits they fueled the offseason workouts.
“It’s been talked about,” Haden said. “Right after last season we talked about it. We knew we couldn’t take a day off. The coaches were telling us we had nothing in the bank. Everybody knows we messed up a lot last year, so we’ve got to come out and work hard every day.”
The two safeties who will complete the secondary are Major Wright and Ahmad Black. Black moved over from cornerback and has shown natural ball-hawking ability.
“Ahmad Black has stepped up a whole lot,” Haden said. “I like the way he plays and I’m real comfortable with him behind us. He’s doing everything right.”
Haden and Wright’s relationship is a unique one. Both were baptized under fire during their freshman year. They leaned on each other for help and encouragement last year.
“We live together now,” Haden said. “I come home and he has the Hawaii tape in. He’s been watching Hawaii since the end of last year. Since we lost to Michigan, he’s been watching Hawaii tape. He’s been ready for this game for a long time.”
Haden has learned plenty from watching Hawaii film with Wright. The two have spent time communicating on what they will be doing this Saturday and are counting down the time until the season opener.
“We’ve just got to be aggressive,” Haden said. “They like to run a lot of screens, so you’ll see aggressive play from us.”
With Haden finding comfort in his role at cornerback, the Florida coaching staff decided to give him a shot at another position. They love his ability with the ball in his hands, so they have him returning punts.
“If Brandon James is ever tired or something like that, I’ll be back there,” Haden said. “We do it every day, so I’m used to it.”
Team chemistry is what breeds champions. The 2006 national championship team proved that. This year, the Florida staff has encouraged their players to spend time with others who play different positions.
“You’ve got people hanging out that you wouldn’t expect to see hanging out with each other,” Haden said. “When we go to the weight room, (strength) coach (Mickey) Marotti will ask ‘When was the last time you hung out with this dude or this dude?’ One thing we’re trying to do is hang out with people you never hung out with before.”
The team that plays together stays together.