Cornerback Terrell Buckley played a long time in the NFL. He played 14 years, to be exact. Of course, he only played three years with the Green Bay Packers after being a first-round pick, who held out, when you could still do that.
Perhaps the Packers’ biggest mistake with Buckley wasn’t drafting him, but assuming he could play outside. Ron Wolf famously established the rule that we won’t draft a corner who is shorter than 5’11”, which Buckley was at 5’10”. However, the reason Buckley played so long is because everyone other than the Packers played him in the slot.
That’s where he had some success, especially with the Miami Dolphins.
Well, Jaire Alexander, the Packers’ first-round pick is 5’10”. He was also coached for two years at Louisville by none other than T-Buck. Buckley was the Cardinals’ cornerbacks coach before moving on to Mississippi State.
Probably not surprisingly, Alexander loves T-Buck.
“As far as swagger goes, I tell T-Buck all the time, ‘I got my swag from T-Buck,'” Alexander said. “So he knows that. He played with some swagger too, now, if you watched him.”
And yes, Alexander plays with swagger. Has to. He’s the short dude.
Also not surprisingly, T-Buck will defend Alexander (and in the process, his own) lack of stature.
“I’m going to use myself as an example,” Buckley said. “If you go back and look at tape, Herman Moore had one good game against me out of eight. And that one game turned into, ‘Oh my God, Herman Moore is so much bigger.’ And you’re like, ‘Bro, what about the other seven games and the picks?’ I tried to prepare Jaire for that. I explained that I set goals, and people will run with stuff. But the bottom line, obviously I got over all that and just played ball. And that’s the same thing that I tell the guys I coach. And Jaire is going to do that with the excitement he’s going to bring.”
So in theory, Jaire Alexander looks like Terrell Buckley, was coached by Terrell Buckley, may become Terrell Buckley.
Unless… we’ve always thought the Packers were going to put Alexander in the slot to begin with. It’s a role in which Buckley thrived — just not with the Packers, who didn’t use him there.
Alexander can play the ball. The Packers don’t need him covering Herman Moore, or in this case, let’s say, Adam Thielen. Like T-Buck, his success is likely to be in the slot.
So think about the cornerback lineup as this. Alexander in the slot, Kevin King outside and either Tramon Williams or Josh Jackson in the opposite outside role. I’ll take that.
1bad game against Herman Moore? 6 bad ones against Michael Irvin and Alvin Harper. 6bad ones against Jake reed and cris carter. And was embarrassing as a tackler.
When your going against NFL players, and you stand 5 feet nothing, and weigh a buck 80 soaking wet, nobody is mistaking you for Chuck Cecil.
i graduated uw madison in 1991, (the same year Brett graduated Southern Miss).
troy vincent was our, the Badgers, only great player at that time. I mean the Badgers stunk, and so did the Packers till the 1989 Majik to Sharpe season.
Vincent and I went to Madison after WR Al Toon and before RB Ron dayne
We stunk..the badgers sucked
Then came 1992 and the year the Packers got favre.
In the 92 draft, he idiot packers with the 5th overall pick … they picked florida cb Terell buckley over wisconsin star troy vincent! Vincent was a sure thing!
2 picks later, pick 7 of the 1st round, miami couldnt pick their state’s star, Buckley, (who went to Fla State I think) thanks to the Packers.
This Buckley pick was out of nowhere to me at the time…having met Vincent personally, both of us students there.
Sure enough, i watched the yrs go by and Troy Vincent (whom was our obvious should have been pick) went on to be just as great as he was in college, for years and years.
Buckley never made the pro bowl a single season.
With Vincent on D in Favres early playoff losses to Dallas, the result may have been different.
Finally, in 1997, we made the Super Bowl, but didnt beat Dallas to get there.
I was in the Superdome for that win. The only Super Bowl I had to be at. 29yr wait.
CZ, i swear to God i was saying the same thing at the time. Not that Buckley wouldn’t be any good, but i wanted the Packers to draft Vincent. But then again, me, you, and thousands of Badger/Packer fans wanted that.
This yr, with the 14th pick the packers could have had Derwin James
With the No. 17 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Chargers selected Derwin James, safety out of Florida State.
With the 18th pick, the Packers got Jaire Alexander.
In this draft, I wont be saying, we should have taken Derwin James over Alexander, cause I didnt follow either player …
but, lets hope their careers are not as diffrent as Buckley vs Vincent, or at least, the better one going to Alexander, otherwise, that difference could be the difference we needed to stop this generation’s version of the 93, 94, 95, 96 Michael Irvin.
By idiot packers, you mean Ron Wolf? ;)
Correct me if I am wrong, but weren’t packers fans begging for Ron Dayne in 2000 but he went just before he was picked?
I dont remember the Packers needing or having a shot at drafting Ron Dayne.
I do remember thinking A few yrs ago Melvin Gordon is the most explosive RB I have ever seen in a Badger uniform. We never had a shot in the draft at him.
I also remember watching Russel Wilson win games with his legs and losing in the Rose Bowl to Dalton I think, impressed so much by him I wondered why his height made him slide so far in the draft, to like rnd 3. I knew he was a winner watching him at Wisconsin. Was not surprised when he carried the offense of that great defense to superbowl appearances with Lynch.
Before Lynch signed with Seattle from Buffalo, we needed a RB badly, but you know Ted Thompson and free agency. Packers could have signed him too.
With Gute there is hope, but with Mike McCarthy still there at Head Coach, history if player development, esp at Backup QB is likely to repeat
At least player development on the defensive side will have half a clue from now on. Lets hope anyway..
I thought I remember packers fans wanting the team to move up for Dayne. I think he went like 3 picks before the packers. Idk, hindsight is 20/20. College fandom can sometimes get in the way.
Buckley was drafted because of Dieon Sanders. Wolf thought he was getting another Dieon Sanders.
Both came from Florida State, both won the Jim Thorpe award, both played baseball. Buckley actually had more interceptions than Sanders in college and still holds the NCAA record for interception return yardage.
with all the critiquing i have done of thompson, and all the deifying of Ron Wolf by the media for the atlanta favre trade and the white signing, it is good to have perspective that Wolf made some pretty bad moves, roster-wise, in that pursuit.
Honestly, its not just Wolf that had problems drafting cornerbacks. The Packers have not drafted a Pro Bowl cornerback in the first round since Willie Buchanon in 1972. That’s 46 years and a lot of different coaches and GMs. They could have just looked at Joel Buchsbaum or Mike Mayock rankings and done a lot better.
Add to that, Forest Gregg traded a first round pick for Mossy Cade, so that’s another wasted first round pick on a cornerback.
To be fair, Buckley was barely – barely – over 5’9″, as measured at the combine, and less than 175lb. Alexander indeed is 5’10” plus and weighs almost 200 lb.
The kid will struggle as all rookies do, but c’mon he’s not T-Buck.
If he fails, you get to be right and say, I told you so. If he’s a gem, then you get to be happy with the rest of us. I have an idea; start out happy and trust that guys who sit in a windowless room and watch film all day might know more than you do.