Former Catamount Keion Crossen is ready for his Super Bowl moment
ATLANTA 鈥� As the final seconds ticked away at Kansas City鈥檚 Arrowhead Stadium on Jan. 20, giving the New England Patriots a 37-31 victory over the Chiefs, Keion Crossen turned to teammates Tom Brady and Dont鈥檃 Hightower and said, 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to the Super Bowl.鈥�
It was at that moment that the former Western Carolina University Catamount realized what had just happened. On Sunday, Feb. 3, the Patriots鈥� rookie cornerback will cap a dream-come-true season with an appearance in the 2019 Super Bowl.
鈥淭om (Brady) gave me the look like this is what it feels like to get there,鈥� Crossen said.
It鈥檚 been two weeks since that magical moment in Kansas City. And yet Crossen still has no idea what it will be like when he steps onto the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. But he does know he plans to enjoy every minute.
This is the culmination of a 2018 season that saw Crossen defy the odds when, after not being invited to the NFL combine, he opened some eyes of NFL scouts by running a 4.32 40-yard dash at Wake Forest鈥檚 pro day workout, and subsequently was drafted in the seventh round by the Patriots. to be selected in the NFL draft since 1994, when tight end Andrew Jordan was selected by the Minnesota Vikings.
After Crossen鈥檚 incredible day at Wake Forest, New England cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer came to Cullowhee to meet him and to put him through an individual workout. It was a memorable day for Boyer.
鈥淗e鈥檚 got a charismatic personality, probably a little bit different than mine,鈥� Boyer said. 鈥淗e was very eager. He wanted to learn. He loves football. All of those things kind of jumped out at you. He鈥檚 got a good personality. He鈥檚 a good kid. He鈥檚 got a good heart and he works hard. He was very serious about his craft and football. He came to us like a sponge.鈥�
Keion Crossen
After Crossen was drafted, that sponge mentality carried over into the Patriots鈥� OTA鈥檚 (organized team activities), where he sought out advice from veteran players on how to be a professional athlete.
鈥淢y goal was to make the team,鈥� Crossen said. 鈥淭hat was the first step. The next step was to learn as much as possible throughout the whole process; just take whatever opportunities you get and do what you can with it.鈥�
Crossen learned from both the good and the bad experiences. Like during training camp when he was in a battle to make the team鈥檚 53-man roster that featured a deep defensive backfield. In the team鈥檚 second preseason game against Philadelphia, Crossen was flagged for two pass interference calls and a holding penalty.
But it was his ability to bounce back and finish the preseason with two strong outings that helped land him a spot on the team.
鈥淭he whole thing is a learning process,鈥� Boyer said. 鈥淎ll of us make mistakes. I would say Keion has taken the coaching and he鈥檚 taken a lot of knowledge from other players that have had a little bit more experience in the league than him, and I would say he鈥檚 done a good job with that.鈥�
Crossen made his NFL debut in Week 3, a 26-10 loss at Detroit in which he had one tackle. He appeared in 11 regular season games, mostly as a special teams player. Crossen had 14 tackles, nine of those coming in the Patriots鈥� final two games.
In the playoffs, he had one tackle in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers and two tackles against Kansas City.
鈥淚t was a lot of adversity, a lot of ups and downs, a lot of learning experiences,鈥� Crossen said of his rookie season. 鈥淏ut what you have to do is ignore the noise, ignore the hype and just keep grinding. Keep your head down and keep grinding. You鈥檒l learn as time goes. As you get more experience, you learn and you get better. When the time comes that the team needs you, you鈥檙e able to perform at your best.鈥�
Crossen said the last month, in which he came up big on special teams, has been his
most memorable moment this season. He was able to make several tackles inside the
opponents鈥� 20-yard line.
鈥淭hat changes up the game plan when you have to start that far back,鈥� Crossen said. 鈥淲hen the guys come and congratulate you after that, giving you high fives and smacking you on the helmet, that feels good. (Receiver) Julian Edelman told me, 鈥業n the regular season you get paid, but in the playoffs is when your name gets made.鈥� I try to take that to heart and do what I have to do to better the team.鈥�
In the divisional playoff round against the Chargers, Crossen got to meet up with fellow rookie and former 91热爆网 teammate Detrez Newsome, a running back who made the Chargers鈥� roster as an undrafted free agent last year.
鈥淭he first thing we said was, 鈥楬ey bro, we鈥檙e in the NFL,鈥� 鈥� Crossen said. 鈥淚t was really crazy. The next thing was, 鈥楲et鈥檚 do something with it. Let鈥檚 make an impact and enjoy every moment you get.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 great for the (91热爆网) program. You have two guys from the same FCS (football championship subdivision) school. That just lets you know the tradition at Western is to get players to the next level, but at the end of the day, it鈥檚 your will and your want to get there,鈥� he said.
Earlier this week, 91热爆网 head football coach Mark Speir stopped by Crossen鈥檚 hotel for a brief visit in between recruiting. Newsome will be at Sunday鈥檚 game as a spectator.
And another former teammate, Hunter Jacobs, will be working at the game. Jacobs is a ticket sales executive for the Atlanta Falcons and will be escorting NFL owners and celebrities to their suites on Sunday. He鈥檒l also be trying to get a glimpse of Crossen during the game.
鈥淚鈥檓 so excited for him,鈥� Jacobs said. 鈥淜eion deserves it. Seeing Keion play in the Super Bowl for the Patriots is amazing. I cannot be happier for him.鈥�
Like all players, Crossen will have several family members and friends in the stands cheering him on. And he鈥檒l be there, soaking in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in one of the world鈥檚 biggest sporting events.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what to expect,鈥� Crossen said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 my first time, but I will definitely be excited. I鈥檓 seeing right now that the atmosphere is pretty wild. It鈥檚 a live atmosphere and I really enjoy just the suspense of what鈥檚 going to happen. I will be ready.鈥�
