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As players take their final breaks before training camp, The Redskins Blog will take a look back at the new faces from this offseason and what we've learned about them, football and otherwise, so far.
Today, we'll focus on veteran cornerback Chris Culliver.
1. His Twitter handle (@Cullyinthehouse) isn't just an expression, it's a way of life:Some players choose social media handles on a whim -- they sound cool or show off their number. Chris Culliver finds those reasons trivial. He has a philosophy on the field, and he makes sure his followers know it well.
His Twitter handle reflects his one-on-one matchups in metaphorical terms.
"My name's not 'Cully in the House' for no reason, you know?" he said. "They playing in my house. So when I'm out there, I think of it as a house. It's just me and you, can't go nowhere, and that's the fun part about it. Especially when you get those opportunities to do that or compete against whoever you're getting to compete against, you relish those type of moments and compete and do what you do."
2. He wants everything to be perfect:At least, that's what head coach Jay Gruden thinks when he looks at Culliver's play, which is often synonymous with being physical.
"It's great to have him out here. He can challenge you at the line of scrimmage. He can play off, and he's a great tackler. He wants everything to be perfect. He's going to make everybody better around him, not only the defensive backs but the receivers," Gruden said. "Every time we run a route against him, it'll be a great challenge. Can't do a lot of bump and run out here today where you see his true skill, but I think he's a good football player."
3. He's OK with switching coasts:West coast, best coast? Not so fast my friend. Culliver is a native of Philadelphia, and while he spent three seasons in San Francisco, he is now back on the east coast and doesn't mind the muggier conditions. He's used to them.
"Oh yeah, it's always a different culture from west coast to east coast, you know, humid over here, sunny over in California. There ain't nothing wrong with it," he said. "[I've] been around in Virginia, Ashburn, Reston, and different parts like that. It's hot, but I enjoy it. I'm a Philly guy, but you know, I enjoy it."
4. He wants to help build the franchise:As Culliver mulled over his options this offseason, one of the key factors in determining his next home relied on the future. The Redskins, he believes, are in a great building standpoint with a general manager he trusts. It's a combination that has made him optimistic.
"The building standpoint of what they're putting together, what this organization is trying to do, and I want to be a part of that, want to be a part of something we haven't been a part of in many years now," he said. "We have a lot of great history here, we have a lot of great DBs…Really just the growth, the growth that I see here, growing as a player. I think I fit good in the scheme, along with coach Perry [Fewell], Coach Joe [Barry], and hopefully everything works out for us.
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- He's a tough, competitive corner: **Gruden really likes this guy. He's fast and physical and he can play all the coverages, make all the tackles. Culliver is coming off a career year in which he hauled in four interceptions and collected more than 40 tackles for the second straight season.
"When you put on the tape and you watch him, he plays the corner very well. He can play through press, he's a great bump and run corner, a great man corner, he can play from off, he can play zone, he's got decent ball skills. But I like the fact that he's a tough physical corner. So if there is a running back that gets outside and he has to make a tackle, he's going to make the tackle. You know, all these screens that you see – receiver screens – he does a great job of fighting off receiving blocks and getting off and making tackles."
6. It's important to him that everyone on the defense comes together:Possibly the highest stressed and most repeated lines from Culliver this offseason have centered around the importance of cohesion. Taking his experience from a successful era with the 49ers, Culliver knows what it takes to reach the highest level of play, namely finding camraderie.
"You know, everybody is new, coach is new, the players is new, we trying to bring this whole thing together and come collectively together and be on the same sheet of music," he said. "I feel like we do [come together]. We've hung out before, so it's going smoothly. Like I said, Dashon Goldson and J.J. [Jeron Johnson] and a couple other good guys, D Hall – he's been here a long time. He's a funny dude. D Hall is my guy, he's funny man. A lot to say, a lot to say. Like I said he's a really cool guy and everything. Like I said, we're going to come along good."
7. He likes defensive backs coach Perry Fewell's scheme:Besides some of Fewell's more obscure phrases and old school coaching techniques, Culliver should thrive under his direction, which has emphasized collecting any and all loose balls, in the air and on the ground.
"Perry's a good dude. A lot of old school in him. A lot of our coverages he refers back to a lot of old school sayings. He's a good guy and I think we're going to have fun this year," he said. "He's been a D-Coordinator. His scheme is a good scheme for DB's to get a lot of hands on balls. Hopefully we come together as a group collectively and get this thing done."
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