I looked all this up while putting together the CB section of Hail to the Victors but coulnd't fit it in there. It's not enough for its own Museday (and the great JT Floyd's phoenix year has been covered in detail already) but I wanted to at least have it out there.
Checklist of NFL receivers Floyd was primarily responsible for covering in 2011:
| Receiver | 2011 Team | NFL Team | Rnd-Overall | Catches | Yards | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Floyd | ND | Cardinals | 1-13 | 13 | 159 | 0 |
| A.J. Jenkins | Illini | 49ers | 1-30 | 4 | 103 | 0 |
| DeVier Posey | OSU | Texans | 5-68 | 3 | 58 | 1 |
| B.J. Cunningham | MSU | Dolphins | 6-183 | 4 | 39 | 0 |
| Marvin McNutt | Iowa | Eagles | 6-194 | 9 | 101 | 0 |
| Jeremy Ebert | NW | Patriots | 7-235 | 11 | 86 | 0 |
| Jordan White | WMU | Jets | 7-244 | 12 | 119 | 0 |
| *******Total******* | - | - | 56 | 665 | 1 | |
| *****Average****** | - | - | 8.0 | 95.0 | 0.1 |
*VT's Danny Coale and MSU's Keyshawn Martin were also drafted this year, but Floyd was primarily covering Jarrett Boykin and BJ Cunningham, respectively, in those games. Boykin had 4 catches for 30 yards and 0 TD; he went undrafted and unsigned.
One TD all year, versus two INTs and that Illinois game where Jenkins got most of his yards on one play late but was otherwise Woodson'ed by JT Floyd. J.T. FLOYD! The one touchdown he surrendered all year was when Posey flashed by him then totally beat Woolfolk on that throw by Miller off his back foot that you thought "that's bound to be intercepted-- you can't throw the ball like that" until suddenly it was perfectly settling into a non-slowed Posey and you were like ARRGHHH I HATE YOU TROY SMITH!!!! Argh i hate you so much Troy Smith to Anthony Gonzalez. Go shoot fadeaway jumpes in the NBA or something.
To me, the data does not paint a clear picture. I can still infer what is going on though.. But please answer this question:
Did you get the data of the receiver from the box score?
I ask this because the Michigan defense did not put a corner on a single man.. they played Floyd as boundary, so the receiver he would go up against would switch, depending on how the receiver lined up. I know Michael Floyd, for example, lined up at slot a lot during the ND game. I think I remember Ebert lining up in the slot a lot as well. Also, Jordan White was up against Woolfolk a lot, if I remember correctly.
Still, JT is a decent to good Big 10 corner, as the data shows.. surrendering only one touchdown all year is a magnificent feat. He's always going to have haters because of the poor coaching of Tony Gibson. Now that he's being taught better, his natural athletic ability has a chance to show on the field, just like with everyone else on the defense.