Injured or not, Asante Samuel has it covered

Asante Samuel has his share of detractors, critics who say he can’t tackle and can’t play bump-and-run coverage.

But the Philadelphia Eagles cornerback must be doing something right. He leads the NFL with seven interceptions despite sitting out four games because of a concussion and a knee injury. He’s so dangerous in that defensive backfield, with a remarkable knack of being in the right place, that opposing quarterbacks clearly avoid throwing to his side of the field.

Samuel could have a big night against Minnesotaon Sunday night, whether he’s reading the eyes of Brett Favre or Joe Webb.

Last Sunday, Samuel read the emotions of his teammates, delivering an impassioned halftime speech that many Eagles point to as a rallying cry, one that helped them in their astounding comeback against the New York Giants.

“We were losing, 24-3, [and] it wasn’t going right,” Samuel told reporters. “Everybody was on vacation. Somebody had to do something to get everybody fired up, so that’s what happened.”

Samuel wasn’t even sure he’d be able to play in that game, pain still throbbing in his injured knee. He was having a hard time moving laterally, and was a game-time decision.

“A lot of medicine,” he said.

The way NBC’s Cris Collinsworth sees it, there aren’t a lot of cornerbacks as crafty and instinctive as Samuel, who first got his NFL foothold as a rising star with the New England Patriots.

“He’s such an X-factor when he’s on the field,” Collinsworth said. “You don’t know where he is. In some ways, he’s intimidating for quarterbacks because he does so many things that are out of character for what the defense typically is.”

There is some sentiment that, because Samuel rushed to come back last week, he still might not be 100% healthy.

“You kind of wonder, will they try to pick on him?” Collinsworth said. “Or will he pick on them?”