Buster Skrine wanted to be Darrelle Revis. He wanted to be Antonio Cromartie. This was years ago, when he was a promising young defensive back in Georgia, watching them make a name for themselves in the NFL, hoping to follow in their footsteps one day.
“Those were the guys I looked up to,” Skrine said.
These days, he’s their teammate, part of an overhauled secondary that hopes to go from one of the league’s worst to possibly its best. The way Skrine sees it, opposing passing attacks should be wary of them.
“Knowing they both signed, I knew we had the potential to be the best secondary in the NFL,” the 5-foot-9 Skrine said. “We can be the best group of defensive backs, best group of corners, we can be the best in the NFL. We have the potential to do it.
“Everybody’s going to know. It’s no secret. We’re coming at them almost every play and we’re playing man-to-man. We’ve got elite talent on our defense.”
The offseason couldn’t have worked out any better for Skrine, who left Cleveland after four solid seasons with the Browns after they selected him in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft out of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. He got his money — a four-year, $25 million deal from the Jets — and gets to join two of his idols in the team’s defensive backfield.
He was the first newcomer to the revamped secondary. Revis and Cromartie followed, giving the Jets a potentially dominant cornerback trio. He couldn’t have been happier.
Watching Revis has been eye-opening, seeing how calm he is at all times, his body almost always in control. Skrine wants to work that into his physical game.
“Being able to pick their brains, talking to them in meetings and stuff like that, you can’t get that anywhere else,” Skrine said. “It’s a special feeling, just because I’ve seen those guys playing [when I was in high school]. I looked up to them and now I’m right there with them.”
Skrine, at 26 years old just entering his prime, comes to the Jets following his best year as a pro, a four-interception, 18-passes defensed, 55-tackle season. The Jets haven’t had a game yet — their preseason opener is Thursday in Detroit against the Lions — but Skrine, fast, physical and smart, has already opened eyes with his work ethic. He doesn’t practice like a guy who just got his big pay day.
“The biggest thing about Buster is he comes to work every day,” first-year Jets coach Todd Bowles said. “He grinds. He tries to be perfect every day. He’s one of the hardest working guys out there. You don’t know that about a guy coming in.
“Practice habits tell you a lot about him. He’s humble, he’s hungry. He can play inside and outside, and so far he’s been a delight.”
The one downside? He was whistled for 15 penalties — seven for pass interference, six for defensive holding — and 11 of them were accepted. Skrine attributed it to the Browns’ secondary’s press style, which the Jets also plan to utilize.
“It’s something I can clean up,” he allowed.
He will begin as the Jets’ No. 1 slot defensive back, which isn’t foreign territory. According to ESPN, Skrine played 655 snaps on the outside and 308 in the slot. He even lined up at safety for 119 snaps and played the second-most snaps on defense of anyone on the Browns.
Skrine made it clear he wants to start — who doesn’t? — but he also understands he was brought in to play all over the field, where his versatility can be a major asset. He’s more than content with that role.
“I just want to help anyway I can,” Skrine said. “They took care of me and my family. I’m here to take care of the Jets, play my best.”
“I compete. I don’t care how big a reciever is, how fast he is. I compete every play.”
