Bryant Enjoys His First Week of NFL Career

It was one of those things Fernando Bryant used to daydream about as a kid, and one of those goals he used to strive for as a top player in college.

And then it happened. On the first play of the first game of Bryant’s pro career, he lined up face-to-face with Jerry Rice.

“You can’t even imagine the feeling,” the Jaguars’ rookie cornerback from Alabama said. “I mean, he’s been in the league more than half my life. If you look at it that way, it’s kind of strange.”

Not as unexpected, however, as the game Bryant played against him. Teaming with cornerback Aaron Beasley, the Jaguars held the receiver widely considered the best ever, to two catches for 17 yards in a 41-3 win over San Francisco.

Sure, the 49ers had excuses--they were still shaking off the preseason rust--but this is a game Bryant will never forget.

Not only did he dominate, he and linebacker Kevin Hardy made an important hit on Rice in the third quarter that turned the tide of the game.

Trailing 17-3, the 49ers faced third-and-10 in Jacksonville territory. Steve Young hit Rice on the sideline and he appeared to be leaning for the first down, but Hardy and Bryant converged to stop him a yard short. On the next play, the Jaguars held. The offense drove for a touchdown and the rout was on.

“I hope somebody got a picture of that hit, so I’ll have it to keep,” Bryant said.

It would look good next to the autographed Jerry Rice picture he got when Bryant’s uncle, former San Francisco cornerback Don Griffin, introduced him to the receiver during the week of Super Bowl XXIII in Miami.

“Back then he was my idol,” Bryant said.

The Jaguars set aside worries they had over Bryant’s height--he’s only 5-foot-10 -- and drafted him because they couldn’t resist his speed and coverage ability.

He greeted the team with an 11-day holdout over a contract dispute. Any thoughts of him starting as a rookie seemed to drift away.

Bryant picked up the defense quickly, however, and when veteran starter Dave Thomas hurt his quadriceps in the preseason, the door opened for Bryant.

“All through the preseason, he showed the ability to have an experience, to file it away and to learn from it,” coach Tom Coughlin said. “That was the biggest factor. He’s learned consistently from his mistakes and from his good plays. He’s competed, and all the while, he’s learned and taken coaching very well.”

As big a confidence builder as his success against Rice was, it was a much more obscure play against a lesser-known receiver that may have helped him the most.

In the first preseason game against Carolina, Bryant came in as a reserve in the second half. Steve Bono threw an out pattern to backup receiver Todd Kinchen. Bryant broke on the ball and dove to break it up. He missed and Kinchen caught it, then turned upfield for a gain of 24 yards, with Bryant looking on from behind, flat on his stomach.

“I knew after that I was going to be all right,” Bryant said. “I knew because I didn’t get down on myself. I knew I could make that play with my eyes closed when I’m healthy and get enough reps. I just have to make the right play on the ball.”

Bryant hasn’t been beaten that way since. This week in a regular-season rematch against Carolina, he’s to make his second start. He knows, however, that success as an NFL cornerback is as fleeting as your last play.

“To me, starting, not starting, it’s no big deal,” Bryant said. “I came in, I think I’ve proven myself. Now, the goal is to go out and prove myself every week.”