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Quin A Physical Force At Cornerback
Aug. 28, 2008
THE QUIN FILE By Richard Stevens The Lobos receiver drifted across the middle, pulled in a sweet pass from UNM quarterback Donovan Porterie, and was greeted by a Glover Quin tackle that will not go down in the books as a "Mighty Quin" tackle. "It will get better. It will come," says Quin, who along with DeAndre Wright, gives UNM one of the nation's top senior tandems at the cornerback position. Glover Quin is a hitter. It's what he likes to do, but only if things go a little bit wrong. You see, Quin isn't supposed to let his man catch any passes. The only good thing about that little mistake is it gives Quin the opportunity to let out his frustrations by doing something he likes to do. Take a receiver down - hard. But not a Lobos receiver. "A lot of receivers aren't physical and they don't like to be hit," says Quin. "If you can get a receiver shook with a good lick, that might slow them down and they might not run their routes as good. "Anything you can do to slow them down helps, and being physical can help a whole lot. I don't talk (to receivers). Talking is a waste of energy. I just go out and do my job and let them know I'm there by hitting them." If Quin and Wright do their jobs well in 2008, it will bode well for the entire UNM defense. It also might bode well for the two seniors in the 2009 NFL Draft. These Lobos are getting some looks.
"All the scouts that come through here take a hard look at them," said Troy Reffett, UNM's defensive coordinator. "Teams are looking at Quin as a possible safety because of his tackling ability and his size." Quin is 6-foot, 200 pounds. He might be a frustrated linebacker of sorts, but his ability to shutdown one of the top receivers on the other side of the line really is his top priority as a defender. If Quin and Wright can hold their own on the corners, that allows the other nine Lobos defenders to do more defensive things on the inside - like maybe blitz and play havoc in backfields. "If those guys can play great man coverage, it allows us to do more with the rest of the guys," said Reffett. Said Lobos head coach Rocky Long: "They are really important when we play teams that use just two wide receivers. When that happens, there are a lot of things you can do with the other nine guys." UNM has great expectations in 2008 that Quin and Wright will live up to the pre-season hype that they are two of the nation's best at badgering receivers. Their play obviously is important to the success of the entire defense and maybe the entire season. "There's pressure. It's hard. It's a challenge. It's all of the above," said Quin. "But it's fun and that's what we do and that's what is expected of us. "On the edge, you usually are the going after their top receiver. If you can dominate him, it gives you a better chance to win. If they dominate you, get some touchdowns off you, then that helps their team. "Our defense relies a lot on how we play on the edge and we know it's even a tougher challenge this season because of all the good teams on our schedule. But if you work hard, that makes it easier." The tough teams come at UNM fast and furious beginning Saturday with TCU's 4 p.m. visit to University Stadium. Quin can barely wait to stomp on a Horned Frog. "They beat us worse than anybody last year (37-0 in Fort Worth) and for us to be able to get back at them in the first game is a good feeling," he said. Quin, who was honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference the past two seasons, is the first cornerback in Long's program to be elected a team captain by his teammates. He set the program's defensive back record with a vertical leap of 40.6 inches. He came to UNM after two seasons at Southwest Mississippi Community College. Quin says some of the top qualities a cornerback needs are quick feet, instincts, anticipation, great technique and the work ethic to study film. "You also have to have a short memory," he said. "Sometimes you need to forget what happened." Of course, that won't apply come Saturday. Quin remembers TCU. Editor's note: Richard Stevens is a former Associate Sports Editor and sports columnist for The Albuquerque Tribune. |
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