'No Comparison' Between Jets Sauce Gardner, Seahawks Tariq Woolen
Seattle Seahawks rookie cornerback Coby Bryant is known for many things, whether it be winning the Jim Thorpe Award given annually to college football's top defensive back or growing into Seattle's starting nickel as a first-year player.
But he's also the person who knows the NFL's only two rookie Pro Bowlers - a pair of cornerbacks in the New York Jets' Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner and Seahawks teammate Tariq Woolen - better than just about anybody else.
Bryant and Gardner were teammates at the University of Cincinnati, forming a "great relationship" while developing into one of the best cornerback tandems in college football.
They went different ways come draft day, with Gardner going No. 4 overall while Bryant had to wait until pick No. 109 to hear his name called. One to the Northeast, the other to the Pacific Northwest - but the two still "keep in touch as much as we can," per Bryant.
Now, they're set to face each other for the first time as professionals - though Bryant has another prodigy on the other side of him this time around. Woolen, a fifth-round pick out of the University of Texas-San Antonio, is tied for the league lead in interceptions with six while allowing completions on just 53 percent of the passes that go his way.
Gardner and Woolen, despite taking different avenues and arriving with different expectations, will both find themselves in Las Vegas as two of just eight cornerbacks selected for the Pro Bowl, asserting themselves as premiere players at the position for years to come.
Naturally, comparisons and debates around who's better will come - and Gardner assigned the blame to Seahawks fans for "trying to make it something it's not." Bryant, firmly in between his college and professional teammates, echoed similar sentiments, noting that comparisons can't be made ... and the two rookie stars have a solid relationship off the field.
“They are two completely different players," Bryant said. "They are both unique in their own ways. Tariq is extremely fast, athletic, gifted, blessed, and the same thing goes for Ahmad as well. He’s blessed and talented, so there is no comparison. They don’t compare each other.
"They actually talked at the combine, they’re actually pretty cool, so we can get that out of the air. There is no comparison between the two, they are both great players.”
Bryant, who has "never" called Gardner by his nickname "Sauce," shared that the two haven't talked in the lead-up to Sunday's game but did say that he's "definitely had certain conversations" with Seattle's receivers about how to attack his college teammate.
It's an added benefit for Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, but he knows the "challenge" that Gardner presents - and he's excited about it.
“He’s a very tall corner," Smith began. "He has a lot of range. He’s not afraid to come up and hit. He’ll tackle. He plays with a lot of instincts to be a rookie. He seems like he has seen a lot of ball. He understands patterns and route concepts. So, very rarely is he out of position. He plays with a lot of swag, a lot of confidence, and he’s the type of guy you want to go up against because he’s a really good player early in his career. We look forward to the challenge.”
No matter the angle, be it the reunion between Gardner and Bryant, the first meeting between Gardner and Woolen, or the challenge of Gardner for Seattle's offense, Sunday's contest offers no shortage of intriguing storylines ... and that's not even mentioning that it could be a playoff elimination game for both sides.
Bryant, Woolen and the Seahawks are set to welcome Gardner and the Jets to Lumen Field for a 1:05 p.m. Pacific kickoff - and regardless of what happens, there are no comparisons to be made between two of the league's best rookies.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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