antonio cromartie

SAN DIEGO -- The play was devastating because it directly resulted in the Chargers suffering a demoralizing loss to Green Bay. Yet it also could prove to be the most pivotal play in young Antonio Cromartie's career.

Brett Favre's short slant pass to Greg Jennings turned into a 57-yard game-winning score because Cromartie gambled by going for the ball instead of allowing Jennings to catch the ball and making a tackle.

View a Slide Show

But the aftermath has shown something that's highly important for any NFL cornerback: Cromartie excels in memory loss.

"If a cornerback is any good, he better have a short memory because you are going to get beat," Chargers defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell said earlier this week. "But you have to come back.

"I talked to him as soon as it happened and said, 'We got a long way to go in the season.' He was trying to knock the ball down. If he just tackles the guy, that's it."

Cromartie didn't let the miscue eat him up mentally or affect the way he plays. Immediately after the game, he stood in front of the pack of media holding cameras and notebooks and took responsibility for what happened. He also strived to use the play as a lesson.

"That motivated me a lot because I told myself I wasn't going to let no one else catch a ball or catch a touchdown on me," Cromartie said. "My biggest thing was to finish plays.

"In the Green Bay game, I didn't finish the play like I wanted to, and my biggest thing was that it was hanging over me for a long time.

"Now I think it's over with, so now it's time to keep going."

The gaffe in Green Bay is fading faster from the radar screen after Cromartie's superlative performance against Houston last Sunday.

The 6-foot-2, 203-pound player who oozes talent showed off his skills in a big way by intercepting two passes and scoring two touchdowns. He returned an interception 70 yards for a score and also recovered an errant punt snap in the Texans' end zone to become the first Chargers defender since Speedy Duncan in 1967 to score two touchdowns in a game.

It was the type of breakout game the Chargers had awaited from the player they took with the 19th overall selection in the 2006 NFL draft.

"He's a very talented guy," general manager A.J. Smith said Friday. "Sometimes a guy will do that immediately when they show up in the National Football League, whether they are a first-round pick or seventh-round (pick). Sometimes it takes a little bit of time for people to develop and grow. Everybody's different. We show patience here."

Patience was necessary because of Cromartie's limited college experience. He had a solid sophomore season in 2004 for Florida State but tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee shortly before the start of the 2005 season and missed the ensuing campaign.

He was planning to rejoin the Seminoles the following season but discovered that his mother, Cassandra, had breast cancer. He immediately changed his plans and decided to apply for the draft.

"She was dealing with breast cancer, so I made my decision off that," said Cromartie, who added that Florida State coach Bobby Bowden supported the decision upon learning about the situation. "I felt it was the best choice for me and my family just to leave school."

Cromartie said his mother is healthy now. He has never regretted the move, which was questioned by some draft experts because his college experience was limited to just one career start.

"If I had any concerns, I would've just stayed in school and finished out my college career and my education," Cromartie said.

Smith also was worry-free when it came to plucking Cromartie in the draft.

"We certainly saw enough of him playing football that he had immense talent and we felt he could be outstanding in the National Football League," Smith said.

Cromartie has recently been displaying his vast array of skills. After not intercepting a pass in his first 21 professional games, the 23-year-old has three interceptions in the past two games and is displaying why he will likely be a starting cornerback next season.

And most important, he has showed that getting torched for a big play won't shake his self-confidence.

"You have to have that trait," Smith said. "That's something we look for in corners. Some guys struggle with that even though they are outstanding players.

"We felt comfortable that he would be able to respond. You don't know that until you are beat, and you will be beat. The great ones are beat. The great ones aren't beat very often, and the ones that are beat all the time constantly are out of the league or on three or four teams.

"I think he's mentally tough. I think he's extremely competitive, immensely talented, and we're really, really happy to have him here."

Chargers notes

OLB Shaun Phillips (groin) was a limited practice participant on Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game. "So far, so good," said Phillips, who indicated that it will be a game-time decision on whether or not he plays. Coach Norv Turner agreed and said Carlos Polk and Marques Harris will share time at the position if Phillips can't play. ... WR Craig Davis (ankle) is also listed as questionable, but it will be a shock if he plays after missing all three of this week's practices. ... CB Quentin Jammer (hamstring), ILB Matt Wilhelm (ankle) and DT Ryon Bingham (shoulder) are all listed as probable. ... WR Malcom Floyd was inactive last Sunday against Houston and could be inactive again against Minnesota. "It is not a reflection on Malcom," Turner said. "Legedu (Naanee) plays the slot and plays all that third-down stuff where Craig Davis has been playing. Our kickoff coverage is so good, and the reason it's good is we've kept an extra guys up and playing on (specia
l) teams. We're making the sacrifice at the receiver position right now to help our special teams." ... Minnesota QB Tarvaris Jackson (finger on throwing hand) is probable and should start against the Chargers. CB Antoine Winfield (hamstring) missed practice for a second straight day and is listed as questionable.