Dockery Gets Big INT

An hour after cornerback Kevin Dockery plucked a pass by Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck from the afternoon air at Giants Stadium, the ball remained tucked under Dockery’s right arm.

Dockery had good reason to keep the ball there. His interception, his first since 2006, was the first by a Giants defensive back this season.

So far this season, the defense had played well enough for the Giants to go undefeated, but the only interception belonged to Justin Tuck, a 6-foot-5, 274-pound defensive end who rumbled 41 yards for a touchdown.

Of course, the defensive backs know this, and if they managed to forget, Tuck surely reminded them.

“It has been the goal,” Dockery said. “We’ve been getting our hands on a lot of balls. We just have to catch them. We came into the game thinking, ‘This is the week we’re going to get some turnovers.’ ”

Dockery’s came midway through the third quarter, with the Seahawks at the Giants’ 40-yard line, facing a third-and-5. Hasselbeck dropped back and, under heavy pressure, forced a wobbly pass into double coverage. Dockery said Hasselbeck never saw him.

“He couldn’t set his feet,” Dockery said. “The defensive line did a good job of pressuring him. It made him get rid of the ball before he had to.”

Hasselbeck said: “Just a really stupid play. Just very frustrated, tried to do something, and it was really stupid.”

The real show came next. Dockery danced and shimmied up the sideline like a matador bobbing and weaving around 11 bulls. He cut toward the left sideline and slipped a tackle. He cut back inside and slipped another. It looked like a Keystone Kops routine.

Dockery’s first thought? Touchdown. He gained 44 yards on the return, and while he did not score, he gave the Giants field position that led to another field goal and a 37-6 advantage.

The last time these teams played, in 2006, Hasselbeck and the Seahawks’ healthy passing game cruised to a 42-30 win in Seattle.

The Giants watched that loss on tape this week, and on Sunday, courtesy of Dockery and Company, Hasselbeck recorded a 46.7 passer rating.

Afterward, Dockery pulled on a diamond watch and platinum bracelet at his locker before making his way toward the exit. When he left, the ball from that interception was still tucked under his arm.

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Dockery hopes to help Giants at Super Bowl

Former Mississippi State player Kevin Dockery is trying to do his best not to let this opportunity pass.

The defensive back for the New York Giants has been recovering from a hip flexor injury he suffered during the season and was aggravated against Tampa Bay in the playoffs.

In the meantime, his teammates have enjoyed an incredible run that has led them right into Super Bowl XLII Sunday against the New England Patriots. Kickoff is set for 5:17 p.m. in Glendale, Arizona.

Dockery has been working to get back in shape so he can play in the Super Bowl.

“I’ve just been rehabbing day-to-day the last couple of weeks and trying to get back on the field,” Dockery said by phone from Glendale.

Dockery did not want to discuss much of the details surrounding the injury, but declared he will be ready to play and won’t be rusty if the coaches call upon him.

“Yeah, I’ll be good,” Dockery said. “I’ll definitely be ready.”

Full Story: Dockery hopes to help Giants at Super Bowl - [Commercial Dispatch]

Related: Mistake to count Dockery out of it - [Clarion Ledger]

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Giants will use Dockery for Ross at CB

Kevin Dockery will make his second start at cornerback for the Giants Sunday in place of rookie Aaron Ross.

That may seem like a big drop-off, given that Dockery is a below-the-radar guy in the secondary. But Dockery, a second-year undrafted free agent, has been playing plenty this season. And he’s been playing plenty in a starter’s role, because when he enters games as the nickel corner, he plays on the side instead of the slot, where the nickel usually slides in.

Ross has been the one to move inside. So Dockery, who was an emergency starter against the Jets when Ross was benched for the first half for disciplinary reasons, has had plenty of experience out on the wing.

“There’s really not a lot of adjustments to be made,” Dockery said after the Giants’ final practice of the week before facing the Bears in Chicago. “I’m not going to play out of position or anything.”

Full Story: Giants will use Dockery for Ross at CB - [Newsday.com]

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Dockery Back on the Field

Last week, Kevin Dockery had headaches so painful that he was kept inside his dormitory room for days and he needed to wear sunglasses because he was sensitive to light. On Monday morning he was on the practice field in pads and a helmet, chasing after receivers and diving for balls with the same fervor as before.

It took a little more than a week for Dockery, a second-year cornerback for the Giants, to recover from what a team physician called “a mild traumatic brain injury,” or a concussion.

“I don’t think we’re going to have tackling practice with him,” Coach Tom Coughlin said. “I’d like to keep his head out of the contact for a little bit, but he feels good.”

Full Story: Giants Cornerback Eager to Go Back to Work After Concussion - [New York Times]