GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) \u2014 This wasn\u2019t the type of start Nate Hobbs had in mind when the former Las Vegas Raiders defensive back signed with the Green Bay Packers.<\/p>\n
Hobbs dealt with a knee injury during training camp, struggled through the first half of the season and finally fell out of a starting cornerback role Sunday during the Packers\u2019 35-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hobbs says his struggles aren\u2019t a result of feeling extra pressure to live up to the four-year, $48 million contract he signed in the offseason.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s only pressure if you make it pressure,\u201d Hobbs said Wednesday. \u201cThe pressure\u2019s all in your head.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hobbs repeatedly mentioned his faith while talking to reporters about how he\u2019s dealing with adversity. He cited the example of New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields, who rallied his team to a 39-38 triumph over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday and then spoke during an emotional news conference about how his faith helped him cope after getting benched and receiving criticism from owner Woody Johnson.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll piggyback off him,\u201d Hobbs said. \u201cMy faith in God \u2014 not even in myself, in God \u2014 is so thick and so strong, nothing can penetrate that faith. And I rely on God and not myself and I know he\u2019s putting me through this and teaching me a lesson, and I think it\u2019s all just depending and relying on him. I can\u2019t do everything myself. I try to do everything myself, and that\u2019s not going to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hobbs only played four defensive snaps against the Steelers as 2023 seventh-round draft pick Carrington Valentine started in his place. Hobbs had started each of Green Bay\u2019s first five games and was on the field for every defensive snap against Cincinnati and at Arizona, the two games before the trip to Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
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Coach Matt LaFleur praised Valentine\u2019s performance but added that \u201cit\u2019s going to continue to be a competitive situation because we still have a ton of confidence in Hobbs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hobbs believes he\u2019s playing fine most of the time but adds that cornerback is an unforgiving position that exposes all mistakes. Hobbs said he must make sure he\u2019s wired in and focused on every single snap.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you play corner, it boils down to a couple plays,\u201d Hobbs said. \u201cI have a lot of snaps where I played really good, you know what I\u2019m saying? Really good snaps, really good plays. You take two, three plays here and there, but that\u2019s just the life of a corner. That\u2019s why I signed up for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
One example came at Arizona, when Hobbs allowed a 35-yard completion to Marvin Harrison Jr. on third-and-14. That conversion set up a Cardinals touchdown in a game the Packers won 27-23.<\/p>\n
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\u201cHe kind of slowed down, I slowed down, we didn\u2019t think ball was coming our way,\u201d Hobbs said. \u201cAnd he kind of sped up, and by the time I got my head around, the ball was dropping in.\u201d<\/p>\n
One week later, Hobbs was spending most of the game on the sideline.<\/p>\n
Hobbs refused to make excuses for his struggles thus far.<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old missed much of the preseason after undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus this summer, but Hobbs says his knee isn\u2019t an issue now.<\/p>\n
Hobbs also has been working outside as a cornerback with the Packers after primarily playing nickel back during his four seasons with the Raiders. Hobbs believes the cornerback spot suits him well.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI feel like that\u2019s what I\u2019m built for,\u201d Hobbs said.<\/p>\n
Hobbs has reason to feel confident he can bounce back. His Pro Football Focus ratings suggest he’s one of the league\u2019s top cornerbacks against the run. He just needs to shore up his pass coverage.<\/p>\n
He believes that will come in time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know who I am as a man and I know myself as a player,\u201d Hobbs said. \u201cI\u2019m relentless.\u201d<\/p>\n
NOTES: The Packers signed defensive lineman Dante Barnett and cornerback Tyron Herring to their practice squad. \u2026 Linebacker Nick Niemann (pectoral), defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness (foot) and wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (calf) didn\u2019t practice Wednesday. Van Ness and Wicks didn\u2019t play against the Steelers. \u2026 LaFleur was asked Wednesday about a potential return date for running back MarShawn Lloyd, who hasn\u2019t played yet this season due to a hamstring injury. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t count on that any time soon,\u201d LaFleur said.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
AP NFL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/nfl<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This wasn\u2019t the type of start Nate Hobbs had in mind when the former Las Vegas Raiders defensive back signed with the Green Bay Packers. Hobbs dealt with a knee injury during training camp, struggled through the first half of the season and finally fell out of a starting cornerback role Sunday during the Packers\u2019 35-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hobbs says his struggles aren\u2019t a result of feeling extra pressure to live up to the four-year, $48 million contract he signed in the offseason.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":114142,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[964,3112,681,4343,2843,2448,19,212,1078,3105,3090,2544,37,2643,1207,4344,27],"class_list":["post-114141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl","tag-arizona","tag-carrington-valentine","tag-cincinnati-bengals","tag-dante-barnett","tag-dontayvion-wicks","tag-green-bay","tag-green-bay-packers","tag-justin-fields","tag-las-vegas-raiders","tag-lukas-van-ness","tag-marshawn-lloyd","tag-marvin-harrison-jr","tag-matt-lafleur","tag-nate-hobbs","tag-new-york-jets","tag-nick-niemann","tag-pittsburgh-steelers"],"yoast_head":"\n