The jokes were inevitable. During a rare break between an inordinate amount of interviews Monday afternoon, Jordan Babineaux arrived at his locker to a ringing cell phone. One of his teammates teased him that it was a call from ESPN. Another razzed him that he should start a new Web site called bigplaybabs.com.
Now that the Seattle Seahawks’ cornerback has started making big play after big play, he’s getting a lot more attention than he’s used to.
“Really, I’m just soaking up the moment right now,” Babineaux said one day after setting up the game-winning field goal with an interception in Sunday’s 13-10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. “I’m happy with the outcome of the game, most importantly, and to be able to contribute to the team’s success is even more rewarding for me.”
The undrafted, second-year player from Southern Arkansas University was living the high life this week after making what might be the most important defensive play of the Seahawks’ season. His interception with 10 seconds remaining allowed Josh Brown to line up for a 50-yard field goal attempt that ended up being the game-winner.
Much like teammate Michael Boulware last season, Babineaux has made a habit of being in the right place at the right time lately.
He was the one who caused Shaun McDonald’s fumble on a punt return two-and-a-half weeks ago, securing the 37-31 win over the St. Louis Rams.
And then on Sunday, he stepped in front of an ill-advised Drew Bledsoe pass and returned it 25 yards to help beat the Cowboys.
“A lot of good things are happening to him,” said Boulware, a second-year safety. “He’s getting around the ball a lot and making a lot of great plays.
“Jordan’s a great player. He works really hard, and he’s definitely capable of plays like that. It’s by no means luck, as it was with me last year.”
Babineaux laughed when informed of Boulware’s self-deprecating comment.
“I don’t know if it was luck because Boulware was in position to make a lot of plays last year,” Babineaux said. “But really, Boulware and I, and even (safety) Marquand (Manuel), we get in a little extra film every day just to see what kind of extra edge we can get.”
From the time he came to Seattle as an undrafted free agent, Babineaux knew he had to out-work his competition. Southern Arkansas is an NCAA Division II school, so not many people even knew who he was.
“I believe every player has a story to tell,” he said Monday. “My road was a little bumpier than others. But it just makes you appreciate what you have a little more.
“… I came into camp with a chip on my shoulder. I was able to learn a few tricks and some of the things that help you stick in the NFL. Once I made some plays, I figured: I can play with these guys.”
Baibneuax showed the coaches enough that he was kept around as part of the Seahawks’ eight-man practice squad. His ability to play both cornerback and safety proved invaluable, and 11 weeks into his rookie season Babineaux was added to the active roster.
His chances of sticking around for a second season looked bleak when the team signed high-priced cornerbacks Andre Dyson and Kelly Herndon in free agency, leaving Babineaux to battle veterans Kris Richard and Omare Lowe and NFL Europe standouts Michael Harden and B.J. Tucker for one roster spot.
Babineaux overcame the odds again, and now he’s become an important playmaker on Seattle’s defense.
“He is a really ascending young player,” coach Mike Holmgren said. “He meshes in with that defense nicely.”
Holmgren was particularly proud of the way Babineaux reacted in Sunday’s game after making the key interception.
In a similar situation earlier this season, Herndon intercepted a pass at Washington and was so tentative in his return that he gained only two yards. Holmgren and his staff have preached the importance of return yardage since then, and Babineaux responded by streaking up the sideline and picking up 25 yards to set up the game-winning field goal with five seconds to play on the clock.
“We needed every one of those yards he got,” Holmgren said. “And we needed the time. He did everything we asked him to do.”
An unlikely playmaker on a surprising defense, Babineaux has been making all the right moves lately.
“I’m still trying to establish myself,” Babineaux said Monday during one of several newspaper, television and radio interviews. “That’s one of the things that coaches look for, players who make plays. That’s what it’s all about.”
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