Alexander Shooting for Stars and Beyond

With experience, talent and meditation, Jaire Alexander is establishing himself as a lockdown cornerback.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – At Friday’s practice, Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander suffered a knee injury. He didn’t practice on Saturday and was listed as questionable on the injury report.

“I just went up for a pass and came down a little weird,” Alexander said on Tuesday. “There’s always that bit of concern because the game’s coming around.”

Alexander did more than play. He dominated. According to Pro Football Focus and its best estimate of coverage responsibilities, Alexander allowed 3-of-5 passing for merely 12 yards in the 30-16 victory. That doesn’t tell the whole story, though. Alexander spent a lot of the game matched on Atlanta’s young star receiver, Calvin Ridley. Ridley, who entered the game leading the NFL in receiving yards per game, didn’t catch a single pass.

“I had tunnel vision, I knew what the goal was, I knew what I had to do, and I did it. It’s no surprise to me,” Alexander said.

As much as Julio Jones has the universal name recognition, it was Ridley who has become the Falcons’ field-tilter. He entered this week tied for the NFL lead in touchdowns and deep receptions.

Alexander knew his opponent but didn’t want to hear about the rest of it. 

“I don’t get caught in the hype of players,” Alexander said. “I think the first battle starts within and it starts with myself. If I focus on myself more, I will ultimately be able to (beat) my opponent because I’ll know what I need to do. Just know what I have to do and know where I need to improve and know where my strengths are, that allows me to be dominant with no hesitation. I don’t even look that way during warmups because I don’t care. It starts with me and that’s just the mentality I have to approach the game.”

According to the Next Gen Stats provided by Zebra Technologies' RFID data, Alexander matched up with Ridley on 23 of the 27 routes ran and did not have a catch on any of the 5 targets when lined up opposite each other.

Alexander also dominated under the primetime lights last week. At New Orleans, PFF charged Alexander with one completion – a loss of 2 yards to Alvin Kamara. For the fourth consecutive game – including twice vs. San Francisco and once vs. Denver last season – Saints receiver Emmanuel Sanders failed to catch a pass against Alexander.

“‘Prime Jaire is a real thing,” Alexander said. “I call it ‘Prime Time Ja Money.’ That’s like an alter ego. When the lights come on, it reminds me of Friday night lights in high school. That was my time to shine.”

Speaking of nicknames, Alexander had one at Louisville – Alexander Island. It was a spinoff of Revis Island, the name given to former Jets star Darrelle Revis during his years as a lockdown, man-on-man cornerback.

Alexander laughed at the memory.

“Yes, it’s always cool to have those kind of labels,” he said. “I just focus on being the best, so whatever comes with it, hey, I’m all for it.”

Alexander’s performance probably came as no surprise to Falcons coach Dan Quinn. Before the 2018 draft, Alexander was on the Falcons’ radar. The Falcons traveled to Louisville to put Alexander through a predraft workout.

“It just jumped out how fast he is,” Quinn recalled last week.

Ultimately, the Packers selected Alexander with the 18th pick of the draft and the Falcons took Ridley 26th. Both teams, no doubt, are thrilled with the results. They are fantastic talents and two of the league’s bright young stars. Alexander was named to the all-rookie team in 2018 and was fourth in the NFL with 17 passes defensed in 2019, when he was a Pro Bowl alternate.

Along with age and experience, Alexander added meditation and yoga into his repertoire. Combined with his physical skills, Alexander is making a play to become recognized as one of the NFL’s elite cornerbacks.

“Meditation helps slow down the game for me, and yoga keeps me stretched out, loose and ready to go,” Alexander said. “I’m in a much better place, I’m feeling confident and the sky’s the limit. Or the stars is the limit or the galaxy or anything beyond that.”