National Football League

Shields and Williams out? House, Hayward say no CB drop-off

Published Oct. 16, 2014 11:30 p.m. ET

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GREEN BAY, Wis. -- It's either the Green Bay Packers or the New England Patriots with the best group of cornerbacks in the NFL. That's how Davon House sees it.

However, Green Bay's prideful cornerback room hasn't had much chance to show where it ranks. But with starters Sam Shields and Tramon Williams missing both Wednesday and Thursday's practice, Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers will likely see a new starting duo of House and Casey Hayward.

"This is really going to prove our statement, if we are really that deep or not," House said.

Few would argue that it's the Patriots who boast the best single cornerback of either team. That's Darrelle Revis. As far as depth, though, New England has Kyle Arrington, Alfonzo Dennard, Logan Ryan and Brandon Browner joining Revis. That's quite comparable on an overall scale to the foursome of Shields, Williams, House and Hayward.

"We feel like our room is great," House said. "We're confident, and we know what we can do."

House and Hayward have had to battle each other in practice this season. The one who performed better took on a bigger role in that upcoming week's game. Week 1 in Seattle, it was Hayward who played 36 snaps with 0 for House. A week later when facing the New York Jets, Hayward didn't see the field on defense while House played 30 snaps.

Since then, they've both been involved to some degree, with the Packers often playing the hot hand. Still, neither of them have been every-down players. Those roles belonged to Shields and Williams. But when those two were carted off the field together in Week 6 at Miami with separate injuries, Shields' knee and Williams' ankle opened the door wide open for House and Hayward.

"A lot of other teams, if two of their starting cornerbacks go down, they're starting to panic," House said. "Here, there's no panicking if Tramon or Sam don't go. It seems like nothing is going to change."

House and Hayward have both proven themselves already this season. They each have an interception and have not allowed much when targeted. The opponent passer rating when Hayward has been targeted is an incredibly low 26.2, while for House it's a very good 53.5.

When Shields and Williams went down within two plays of each other in Week 6, House and Hayward finished off the game without any noticeable drop-off.

That shouldn't be any surprise. Cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt has been treating House and Hayward as equals of Shields and Williams all season. All four of them get the same amount of practice reps. It's always split evenly.

"I feel that the way that we've practiced the whole time has had the group ready to play instead of certain individuals ready to play," Whitt said. "So you've seen high level of play from all four of those guys."

That preparation has helped Whitt sleep well all week. He hasn't had to sit up wondering how much his group might struggle in the likely absence of its starters. It also helps that the talent level that separates No. 1 on the depth chart from No. 4 isn't much.

"All four of them, it's very close," Whitt said. "They're very close."

Now that's depth. Sure, none of them have a feared Revis Island-type gimmick, but to have four players at one position all at a similarly high level is rare in the NFL.

"They are starting-caliber players," Whitt said of Hayward and House. "We felt that way the whole time, from the offseason on."

It's not that House and Hayward are completely unfamiliar with being starters. If Williams and Shields are out Sunday, it would be House's 13th start in his four seasons and the ninth start in Hayward's three seasons. What this represents is another chance for them to be the players they used to be or nearly became.

House was primed to become a starter in 2012 before a preseason shoulder injury sidelined him for more than two months. Hayward was the third-place finisher that same year for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Heading into his second year, Hayward had a lot of momentum on his side until he suffered a hamstring injury while training on his own before reporting to camp.

"(Hayward) was arguably the best corner coming out of the offseason program last year," Whitt said.

Hayward is a ball hawk. He had six interceptions in his rookie season and showed those same type of ball skills last week when he baited Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill to throw it into his zone.

"I have been playing well the last three games; it's just a matter of time before they threw the ball at me," Hayward said. "I haven't gotten many targets, and hopefully I get some more targets this week (against Carolina) where I'll be able to get my hands on the ball."

House is a bigger, stronger cornerback. He likely won't finish the season with as many interceptions as Hayward, but House can punish wide receivers with his physicality in a way that few cornerbacks can.

"More of a shutdown guy, I guess you could say," House said.

These aren't your average backup cornerbacks. If they get a chance to start together when Cam Newton arrives at Lambeau Field, they intend to make the most of the opportunity.

"We get a chance to show the world that we can play," House said. "We have a chance to show the world how deep our cornerback group is, too."

Added Hayward, "We're going to go out there and prove it this week that we're those caliber players that people think we are and that we think we are."

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