Raiders rookie Chimdi Chekwa gets chance, steps up
Vittorio Tafur, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, September 26, 2011
A rookie cornerback comes into the game, and usually the searchlight finds him pretty quickly. So, when 6-foot Chimdi Chekwa came in for an injured Chris Johnson and lined up against 6-5 Jets receiver Plaxico Burress, he was sure he would be targeted.
"I figured they would," Chekwa said. "They did for a little bit, but I think I played good coverage and that discouraged them a little bit."
Chekwa and Joe Porter, who was on the practice squad last year, played most of the game because of injuries to Johnson, Michael Huff and DeMarcus Van Dyke. Chekwa and Porter were in along with No. 1 corner Stanford Routt, as New York used a lot of three-receiver sets.
But the Jets completed only five passes to receivers in the first three quarters, and Chekwa's 4th-and-2 breakup of a pass for Burress was one of the bigger plays of the game.
Chekwa is a surprising contributor, as he had a shoulder injury in training camp and didn't really stand out in the preseason or the first two games. In fact, the Raiders were trying out the fourth-round pick out of Ohio State at safety.
"Football is football," Chekwa said. "I didn't care where I played; I just waited for my opportunity."
He very easily could have been back there at safety as, besides Huff, Tyvon Branch and Matt Giordano also were shaken up Sunday. But they stayed in, and Chekwa might be staying on the field from now on.
"We have some very talented young guys," Routt said. Chekwa and Porter "can play. They may have had their hiccups or bumps in the road in the preseason, but they keep fighting and we don't worry about them."
