Champ Bailey
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| Champ Bailey | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | June 22, 1978 (age 28) |
| Place of birth |  Folkston, Georgia |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 192 lb (87 kg) |
| Position(s) | Cornerback |
| College | Georgia |
| NFL Draft | 1999 / Round 1/ Pick 7 |
| Career Highlights | |
| Pro Bowls | 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 |
| Awards | 1998 Nagurski Award |
| Stats | |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1999–2003 2004–present |
Washington Redskins Denver Broncos |
Roland "Champ" Bailey (born June 22, 1978 in Folkston, Georgia) is an American football player, starting at cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. His mother nicknamed him "Champ" at an early age, due to his excellence at sports. He is considered by many to be the best cornerback in the league. He is the older brother of Detroit Lions linebacker Boss Bailey. Champ also holds the University of Georgia's indoor long jump record of 25 feet, 10 3/4 inches.
Contents |
[edit] NFL
[edit] Washington Redskins
Bailey was drafted out of the University of Georgia by the Washington Redskins with the 7th pick in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft. Bailey's reputation as a shutdown corner quickly became larger, on Redskins teams that were usually lackluster on the defensive side, he was a league known icon. Usually shutting down the receiver he was on, while not piling up enormous interception numbers, Bailey almost completely shut down his side of the field, with quarterbacks unable to throw to primary receivers tightly covered by Bailey.
[edit] Denver Broncos
Prior to the 2004 season, he was traded to the Broncos along with a second-round draft pick (who ended up being Tatum Bell) for Clinton Portis. Following the trade, he signed a seven-year contract worth $63 million. Bailey has been named to seven consecutive Pro Bowls and 3 All-Pro teams.
On January 14, 2006 in a divisional playoff game between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos, Bailey broke the record for the longest non-scoring interception return in the playoffs. With the Patriots poised to score, Bailey intercepted a pass from Tom Brady in the end zone and returned it 100 yards to the 1 yard line,and fumbled the ball out of bounds, after being hit by Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson,who also went to Georgia. The Patriots challenged, in the hope that the ball was fumbled through the end zone, but there was not enough evidence to overturn the call, and the play stood. The Broncos scored a touchdown on the next play. The play was considered the most crucial of the contest, which the Broncos would go on to win, hence ending the Patriots' quest for a historic third straight Super Bowl title.
His ability to shut down one side of the field is known and respected league wide. Against the Baltimore Ravens on October 9, 2006, Bailey recorded a drive ending interception in the endzone seconds before the half. The interception is linked to the firing of Jim Fassel On October 17, 2006. Fassel, the offensive Coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens at the time eight days earlier, selected the fly route targeted at Bailey. The play irritated several Raven defensive players including Ray Lewis simply because it seemed senseless to test Champ with a lob pass. Any score before the half would have been crucial since both teams were struggling to score, at the time Baltimore had a three to zero lead. Baltimore would end the game with only three points.
After being thrown at and asked if surprised by McNair's decision, Bailey said "A little," Bailey then smiled. "And they paid for it."
Against the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks on December 3rd 2006, The Seahawks did not test Bailey once in the first half. The first time Matt Hasselbeck threw in Bailey’s direction, the cornerback intercepted a deep throw intended for Darrell Jackson.
Hasselback was not surprised saying in an interview following the game, "I've thrown him interceptions in my career, who hasn't? He's a great corner, a great cover guy and just a very, very talented guy."
In the 2006 NFL season, Champ Bailey has entered his own level of play at cornerback, widely considered far and away the best in the position. On top of his usual solid tackling skills, he had 10 interceptions through the season (tied for the NFL lead with Asante Samuel), several coming in clutch situations around the goal line. Bailey has been noted on many occasions by sources such as NFL.com and ESPN as the best cornerback in the league and as close to a shutdown corner as you can get.
In 2007, he was, along with San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson and Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, a unanimous choice for the All-Pro team.
[edit] Pro Career Statistics (Defense)
| Year | Team | G | Tkl | Ast | Sacks | Int | Yds | Avg | Lg | TD | Pass Def |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Washington Redskins | 16 | 72.0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 55 | 11.0 | 59 | 1 | 12 |
| 2000 | Washington Redskins | 16 | 57.0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 48 | 9.6 | 48 | 0 | 10 |
| 2001 | Washington Redskins | 16 | 48.0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 12 | 0 | 14 |
| 2002 | Washington Redskins | 16 | 62.0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0.7 | 2 | 0 | 19 |
| 2003 | Washington Redskins | 16 | 67.0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 2004 | Denver Broncos | 16 | 68.0 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 2005 | Denver Broncos | 14 | 59.0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 139 | 17.4 | 65 | 2 | 15 |
| 2006 | Denver Broncos | 16 | 73.0 | 12 | 1 | 10 | 162 | 16.2 | 70 | 1 | 11 |
| Total | 126 | 506.0 | 53 | 2 | 39 | 425 | 10.9 | 70 | 4 | 97 |
