Something didn’t look right last season. Not one bit. I’m going to go ahead and give you the biggest stat of them all in the form of a question: How often was Morris Claiborne mentioned last season?

Not enough. Not nearly enough.

Now, I can hear you tell me that is actually a good thing. Silent nights are wonderful nights for cornerbacks. It’s a thankless job. I get it. Do a great job in covering your man and thy name shall not be hollered. Except of course, when you make that big interception and return the rock for six.

(The Cowboys tied for last in the NFL with seven interceptions.)

Other times, when you hear about cornerbacks, they are getting burned or are busy giving up tackles. You may recognize this already: Television cameras follow these defensive backs usually with their arms up complaining to refs. Or they are complaining to the safeties.

Dec 23, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne (24) defends against New Orleans Saints wide receiver Devery Henderson (19) at Cowboys Stadium. The Saints beat the Cowboys 34-31 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Playing the cornerback position, in my opinion, is the hardest roster spot to play (outside of quarterback) in the NFL. Period.

But this should not lend an excuse for Morris Claiborne. Nope. No sir.

You sir, were drafted too high to not have a name on this team, or heck this league! Oh let’s see here: Morris Claiborne, an All-American stand out at Louisiana State University (LSU) whom many projected as the best defensive product coming out of the 2012 draft.

Wow. Really? You don’t say. Had me fooled.

Well, we saw “flashes” from number 24 last season I hear you say. Look here friend: we don’t draft players with a first round, sixth pick so he can give the team “flashes.” Right? We draft players that high with expectations. It’s a return on investment — immediate results expected. (Meaning: impact on day of debut.)

The Cowboys didn’t draft a quarterback. Cornerbacks don’t sit for a year or two learning. Still with me?

In case you were in a cave last season, the league is shaping into a pass happy orientation. So for quarterbacks, that means bombs away. For cornerbacks, let’s hope you have a good massage therapist because your legs will be over used.

We can debate on how the league is offensively friendly all day. But that’s a different discussion. The reality is that this isn’t changing. Quarterbacks are throwing up buckets of yards these days. Get use to it. Adapt. Plan ahead and scout for appropriate personnel.

Cornerbacks are too important. I’d argue you would need three, or ever four (injuries) solid cornerbacks to be successful in this modern passing league.

Aug 18, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne (24) before the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Morris Claiborne is so important to this Dallas Cowboy picture. He must be upfront and center. He must have his name called. If this doesn’t happen by next season, I am ready to call bust.

Harsh? Maybe. Let’s face it: Morris Claiborne has already been driven off the parking lot. His new car value has dropped.

Time is already ticking for the man who just turned 23 last February. He is young. Yes. But only in our world. In the football world, where cornerbacks have such a short time to live in their prime, age as a football player is different.

Based on what we saw last season, when left to his own devices, Morris Claiborne can be trusted on an island. He has the ability to patrol the best of the receivers. The Cowboys need him to be exceptional. They need him to be elite. Anything else is a bust.

Hopefully we’ll hear his name called a little more.

Oct 21, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne (24) celebrates with linebacker Orie Lemon (58) after making an interception in the end zone in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

If you ignore the stats and just watch the film of his 2012 season, I think you will be quite impressed with Claiborne’s game. He started out the season strong and played a very good game against Hakeem Nicks in the Cowboys’ opener against the New York Giants. He didn’t produce the number of interceptions that the Dallas Cowboys were hoping for, but he didn’t give up many big plays either.

One physical attribute for a cornerback that isn’t talked about enough is arm length.  A cornerback with long arms can knock away passes even when he is slightly out of position. A cornerback’s long arms can help create the perception that he is closer to the receiver than he actually is.

Morris Claiborne has some of the longest arms in the NFL today the the cornerback position. Below is a chart comparing arm lengths between different cornerbacks currently in the league.

Elite cornerbacks like Revis and Sherman rival Claiborne’s rare arm length. Claiborne has a three inch advantage in length compared to Prince Amukamara, a first round draft pick of the New York Giants in 2011.

Claiborne uses his exceptionally long arms very well. He loves to “punch” wide receivers at the line of scrimmage and get them off balance once the ball has been snapped. He also uses his long arms to knock  away passes from receivers as they bring the ball into their body. Chicago Bear cornerback Charles Tillman became well known in 2012 because of the “Peanut Punch” where he would punch the ball away from the offensive player. Claiborne uses his length to wedge his arms between the receivers’ arms.

Physical Tools

At 5’11, Claiborne is a little shorter than some of the conerbacks the NFL has seen lately, especially when compared to the tandem in Seattle (Richard Sherman 6’3 and Brandon Browner 6’4). But his size is considered average when compared to the rest of the league. Claiborne isn’t a blazer either, only running a 4.5 in the 40 yard dash, but he is an exceptionally fluid athlete. He has outstanding body control and can contort his body to make some incredible plays on the ball.

Coverage Ability

Before I talk about all the excellent things that Morris Claiborne does in coverage, let me get to the negatives. Because he is such a gifted athlete on the football field, sometimes he can get lazy with his technique when he believes his athleticism and length can bail him out. Claiborne also struggled this year with his press coverage mainly due to a wrist injury that prevented him from lifting weights all off-season. At times, he struggled with getting off wide receivers at the line of scrimmage because of his lack of strength in his wrist and arms. Going into 2013 without the wrist injury, he should be able to regain his strength and improve in press coverage.

Ball Skills

The 2012 stats didn’t show it, but Claiborne’s ball skills are already at the top of the league. He plays the ball like a natural wide receiver and his head is always turned looking for the ball. He has soft hands and doesn’t fight the ball when trying to catch it. Claiborne does seem have a nose for the ball, as a rookie he returned a fumble for a touchdown and intercepted one pass.

Tackling

Claiborne isn’t a strong tackler, but he is a willing tackler and there is a difference.  He struggled with his tackling in the final game of the year against Washington, but that could have been blamed on a concussion that occurred a few weeks prior. He  needs to learn to lower his pad level before he hits as sometimes he is too upright when trying to make a tackle. 

To give an example of what Morris Claiborne’s exceptional arm length can do in the course of a play, I  analyzed a play that potentially saved four points for the Cowboys. The play below occurred during the  Cowboys second game against the New York Giants. On a 3rd & 10 in the first quarter, Eli Manning targets Hakeem Nicks (top of screen) on a back-shoulder fade against cornerback Morris Claiborne. 

Claiborne is playing outside leverage on Nicks, meaning that he is allowing an outside pass instead of anything in the middle of the field. Claiborne also has help in the deep middle of the field so if Manning is going to complete a pass, it will have to be outside the numbers, near the side-line.

As Nicks’ left hand is catching the ball, Claiborne’s right hand is actually on the ball (The pink gloves make it hard to see but Nick’s right hand is outside of Claiborne’s). 

Claiborne’s long arms allow him to sneak his hand between Nicks’ and enables him to knock the ball away.

The long arms and excellent athleticism make Morris Claiborne a special player in my mind. The interceptions weren’t there in 2012, but that doesn’t take away from how well he played during the season. If Morris Claiborne can continue to improve on his impressive rookie campaign, the Dallas Cowboys might be looking at the next shutdown cornerback in the NFL.