Rasul Douglas' Development all about Confidence
After each of the Eagles’ first four games, third-year cornerback Rasul Douglas would retreat to a quiet space inside the postgame locker room, pull out his cell phone and fire out a text message.
Somewhere in Los Angeles, Orlando Scandrick’s phone would buzz as Douglas’ text message arrived. Scandrick, who was with the Eagles in training camp but was released prior to the start of the regular season, watched the Eagles’ game at his California home until he was re-signed on Sept. 27 in time for Week Five.
Douglas was texting questions to Scandrick:
“What could I have done better?”
“How could I have guarded a certain route better?”
Scandrick would text out his feedback.
“Me and O when he was let go, we kept in contact,” said Douglas. “I would hit him up. … Guys who have been in the league 10 plus years (like Scandrick), there is always something you can take from every game, there’s always ways that they can help you so I make sure I try to stay closer to those guys.”
The one constant in the Eagles’ seemingly never-ending battle with injuries at cornerback has been Douglas. He has been immune to the injuries that always seem to bite Ronald Darby and Sidney Jones and, lately, Avonte Maddox.
Douglas, who is 6-2, 210, is always available, and now he has become reliable. He’s not a so-called lockdown corner but he has grown into a very solid cornerback.
“Sky’s the limit (for Douglas),” said Scandrick. “He’s long, his heart, he has the heart of a giant, nothing fazes him. He just continues to play and play and play.”
Scandrick compared Douglas’ development to that of one of his former teammates in Dallas and that is Bryon Jones.
“He (Jones) was a hard worker but he didn’t always know that hard work is always smart work, but to watch Byron and see what he’s turned into in Dallas, I don’t think that Rasul can’t turn into that same type of player,” said Scandrick.
Douglas was taken in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, a round after Jones was picked, out of West Virginia University.
His development didn’t happen overnight. But it has happened, and that will make it difficult to send Douglas to the bench once Jalen Mills returns, which could be next week when the Eagles travel to Dallas, and Ronald Darby comes back from a hamstring injury.
“I think the biggest thing is just his confidence level has gotten greater,” said head coach Doug Pederson. “Obviously, the more he's played the more he's settled in. He understands his strengths and weaknesses obviously and plays to those.
“But the confidence in what he is capable of doing, and just sometimes has that knack for a ball. The ball comes his way it's either a breakup or an interception, and he's played well. He's learned to tackle. He’s learned to be a little more aggressive there and that's been part of just his process as a young player.”
Douglas agrees that his development coincides with his improved confidence.
“Reps and reps and reps, coaches putting me out there, allowing me to get beat,” said Douglas. “Just to play and get the feel of the game.”
Added Jones: “Just staying consistent, staying focused on no matter what happens just weather the storm. Everybody goes through their own battles. He’s weathered storms himself, stayed consistent, and I love that about him.”
