Bolts Bank on Shareece Wright to Bolster Secondary by Ricky Henne The San Diego Chargers are counting on Shareece Wright to play a significant role in 2013. Early on this offseason, it became apparent the Chargers were going in a different direction regarding the cornerback position. The two starters were not brought back, and the team signed only one, Derek Cox, to replace them. Why? Because they are confident in third-year man Shareece Wright stepping up to the plate to take over the other starting position. “It means a lot that the coaching staff has faith in me,” Wright said. “It’s been good so far. It feels good to line up there with the first team. I know that I belong there, but I’ve got to get comfortable and play better each day. But this means I have a responsibility to take care of. I know that the coaches and my teammates are counting on me so I have to let them know that they can. I can’t, and I won’t, let them down.” In his first two years in the league, Wright has 21 tackles, two passes defensed and one forced fumble in a reserve capacity. He had an outstanding preseason last year but suffered an ankle injury on the opening kickoff in Week 1 that hampered him the rest of the year. Even though most players want to start right away from the moment they are drafted, in hindsight, Wright is happy his career has played out the way it has. He feels having two years to get his feet wet has best prepared him to succeed now that he is a starter. “Oh it definitely helped,” he said. “At this point I have no excuse not to be successful. I’ve learned a lot for two years from some great vets, and I followed in their footsteps. Right now I’m confident and way more comfortable than I’ve ever been.” While the 2013 season will be Wright’s third year, it also marks his third defensive backs coach in as many years. Instead of looking at yet another change in position coach as a negative, Wright is looking on the bright side. “The good thing about it is that they all have been great coaches, and I learned something different from each one of them,” he said. “That’s the best part about it. And it isn’t like there hasn’t been consistency. The defense has been the same under Coach (John) Pagano. And he’s been great. The whole thing is can he trust me? He’s putting his faith in me and I want to reward that. Can he rely on me to be healthy the whole season and play every snap and be productive? I want to prove that I can. So it’s been great being with him, growing every day and being the best I can be.” Overall, Wright is a physical, press corner who likes to play aggressive. He says those are his best qualities and that’s what he wants to be known for throughout the league. “I want to establish myself as a physical presence,” he said. “I play hard and at 100%. I’m going to be aggressive on you so you better be prepared for that.”
Posted on: Sun, 09 Jun 2013 15:59:28 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015