His sister is waging a campaign on his behalf, pleading with visitors on her Facebook and MySpace accounts to vote for her brother. Rock Cartwright is amused. He also knows a trip to Hawaii and the Pro Bowl will be difficult to muster.
There’s another returner named Devin Hester standing in the way. Seems he scores a touchdown every time he returns the ball, or scares the other team into thinking he will.
But Cartwright gets his chance tonight to show what he can do when the Redskins host Chicago. Through 12 games, what he can do is lead the NFC in kick returns with a 27.3 yard average, the best figure by a Redskin since Mike Nelms averaged 29.7 yards in 1981.
“You’re on a national stage,” Cartwright said. “Everyone will be watching. [Hester] is the best returner in the league; he’ll be in the Pro Bowl. It’s a good opportunity to showcase what I can do on the national stage and let everyone see that Rock is a great returner, too, and he can be a great asset to any team.”
Considering Cartwright can opt out of his contract after the season, he’s auditioning for next year as much as a spot in the Pro Bowl.
But he also knows Hester is a lock for Hawaii and should be. The Bears’ speedster is averaging 15.1 yards per punt return (three for touchdowns) and 24.7 on kickoffs (two for touchdowns) this season. For his career, he’s returned six punts and four kickoffs for touchdowns.
Teams occasionally kick off out of bounds, giving the Bears possession at the 40-yard line, rather than let him return the ball.
“He definitely is special,” said Bears coach Lovie Smith. “I’m like the rest of the fans. Every time he touches the ball he can go the distance. He has good hands, but I think he has God-given ability to know when to make a cut. You’ve seen a lot of great players who know how to make you miss going lateral, but to make those moves going vertical … he’s exceptional at that.”
Said Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, “I don’t know that anyone’s been this good.”
Cartwright doesn’t inspire such statements. Instead, they praise his work ethic.
“He’s so well-prepared,” Gibbs said. “He studies everything like mad. … He’ll probably get better and better.”
Cartwright said he’ll do so by studying players like Hester, something he did this offseason. It also helps that Cartwright and his blockers have worked together for the past two seasons.
“I’m not as patient as him,” Cartwright said, “but I’m becoming more patient. The more patient you are, you bring guys to you and you’re able to make moves. Devin sets up blocks well. … I have 10 other guys who are confident in me. When you have confidence, the sky’s the limit.”
