They have already called the psycho ward and reserved a place for me because Will Allen of the Dolphins is my other All-Pro corner. When I went to bed with Newman and Cromartie as my pair, I didn't feel good about it, in fact I felt miserable, kind of like Benedict Arnold did after he had let the side down. At 4 a.m. I was sitting at the kitchen table, giving the charts one last look. Sometimes I start phoning people, even at that hour, to crystallize my thinking, but I didn't want to hear a single other opinion about Allen because I knew it would be, "Waddya nuts?"
I had him as the best player on the field when the Giants beat Miami in drizzly London. In fact, it was the best game I'd seen for any cornerback this season. I had another good one for him in the downpour at Pittsburgh. I had a couple more good ones and one bummer -- against the Jets the second time, when they dragged him across the field and completed a long one on him. He graded out higher than anyone except Newman.
He was still a guy no one ever had picked for anything and, since he'll be 30 next season, probably never will. But dammit, he had been terrific on my modest little chart; did I have the courage of my own convictions or was I going to live and die the copout, the wimp, that all my high school teachers predicted I'd become? "No!" I hollered, jumping to my feet and waking , with a start, Little Jake, the tabby, who was sleeping on the table. "I will do what is right!" Thus, Will Allen is my All-Pro corner, and if you want my game-by-game charts, I will supply them, along with sobriety test results.
