The questions hit the two of them early in their NFL lives, week after week, game after game, repeated often enough so that Will Allen and Will Peterson quickly understood the drill.
Inquiring minds wanted to know: What do you think of [fill in the blank with name of opponents’ top receiver] and how, with so little experience, can you possibly hope to stop him?
The past few days, as the Giants ready themselves to open their season Sunday against the usually high-flying Rams at Giants Stadium, the cornerback duo was asked to comment about Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, the St. Louis receivers who form one of the league’s best tandems. The bombardment, though, wasn’t as intense and certainly not as skeptical.
Both Allen and Peterson would prefer a change of focus to the questions, in keeping with what they believe is an upgrade in their standing on the team and in the respect they’ve gained among their peers.
They’ll find out soon enough. It appears this edition of Rams coach Mike Martz’ flying circus, unlike previous outfits, does not include the dangerous third receiving option, making this more of a true confrontation, Giants corners vs. Rams starting wideouts. The buzz for more than a year is that in Allen and Peterson, both entering their third seasons, the Giants have one of the best young cornerback pairs in the NFL. Matchups like this help determine if such talk is conjecture or reality.
There are no signs that Allen and Peterson are over-hyped. The two, sharing a first name, position, adjacent lockers and a fast friendship, look and play differently but are alike in their competitive zeal and work ethic. Allen is faster, able to make up for mistakes with his speed, and more fluid, while Peterson is bigger, stronger, and rangier. Allen arrived as a first-round draft pick, Peterson a surprise choice in the third round, and from the moment each stepped on the field they were unafraid, an attitude that endeared them to teammates.