His head was pounding when he made one request to the cameraman a few feet away: "Can you please turn off the light?"
Antonio Cromartie stood in the nearly empty locker room after the Jets' preseason opener on Monday night, towel over his head, battling a migraine and speaking softly about his impressive debut with his new team. For two quarters, Cromartie flashed the skills that made him an instant star as a rookie in San Diego in 2006. He blanketed receivers and showed flashes of why the Jets traded for him in the offseason.
"It's a great defense," the cornerback said in the aftermath of the Jets' 31-16 preseason loss to the Giants. "I'm just trying to come in and help out as much as I can. I feel comfortable in this defense. Coach (Rex) Ryan and (defensive backs) Coach (Dennis) Thurman are building the confidence in me. I've accepted the role they've given me."
For now, that means filling the void left by holdout Darrelle Revis. Cromartie has embraced playing in Revis' left corner spot after spending the majority of his career on the opposite side. His transition has been seamless during training camp. Monday night, Cromartie effectively shut down Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks in the first half, allowing just one completion for 13 yards.
Revis Island may be closed for business these days, but Al-Cro-Traz is fast becoming a tourist attraction.
"To watch him play, you have to get excited for the regular season," safety Jim Leonhard said.
Cromartie was hardly perfect though. He missed an open-field tackle on Ahmad Bradshaw and dropped a couple sure interceptions, prompting Ryan to joke, "We're not getting our money's worth."
Despite the throbbing headache, Cromartie got an earful from his teammates. Bart Scott cracked that he was going to buy a Jugs Machine to help the fourth-year pro improve his catching skills.
"I told him he should have been out there playing with his glasses on," linebacker Calvin Pace said. "It's rare that you're going to find a rangy cornerback like that. It was a great pickup for us. He's going to make our job up front a lot easier. I love playing with him."
Cromartie appears ideally suited for Ryan's aggressive schemes. He looked right at home on Monday playing man-to-man coverage.
"It's just a fresh start for him," Pace said. "It's the environment and attitude we have about having fun. Guys buy into that. It takes your enjoyment up to another level. It's crazy. But you don't hear fun preached a lot in this league. You would think that would be said more. With Rex, we work, but it's a loose group."
