Man on an island
Published: 9/6/2006 3:28 PM
Last Modified: 9/6/2006 3:28 PM
DJ Wolfe, the most beleaguered player on Oklahoma's beleaguered defense, walked into his first session with the media Tuesday afternoon since being torched for two long completions by UAB.
He took a seat one row behind Lendy Holmes, the very player some fans expect to now challenge Wolfe for a starting cornerback position, and took 15 minutes of responsibility.
Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Norman newspapers had questions. So did a TV crew. What they all boiled down to was this: What in the world happened to you last Saturday?
Wolfe could have shrugged his shoulders, dropped his chin and mumbled a few words about being an established, proven player victimized by a couple bad plays. He doesn't owe anyone but his coach an explanation. He certainly doesn't owe a bunch of guys with notebooks anything.
But the easy way out didn't appeal to him.
"I know I let the team down," Wolfe said. "And that's something that won't happen again.
The guys depend on me. I count on myself. Personally, I know that's something I can't let happen again."
No excuses, not even when a reporter reminded him of the cornerback's curse: Out on the island, you can be great for 48 plays, until the one time you lose your stride in coverage and get exposed. And then 85,000 fans have the one image they'll remember on their way home.
"It was just a few things here and there that could have been improved," Wolfe said. "Next week those things will be improved. And it will be a better performance."
If Wolfe performs as well on the field Saturday against Washington as he did in the press room Tuesday, he'll be just fine.
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Jason Collington
Web Editor
