ASHBURN, Va. — It took six games for Washington Commanders' rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil to snag the first interception of what he hopes will be a long and storied career in the NFL.
“What we preach is when that ball is in the air, we want it to be ours,” the Commanders’ rookie told WUSA9’s Chick Hernandez, following practice on Wednesday, when asked about the play. “But at the same time, you don't want to just go looking and chasing to make plays because that’s how you get beat. But I think just taking care of your primary job and doing what you're supposed to be doing, play after play good energy, the ball finds it. So just continuing keeping the main thing, the main thing. Focus on what my responsibilities within coverages are and just let the ball come to me and then go get it when it's there.”
Those are wise words for a rookie defender to speak and ones that come from 11 career collegiate interceptions while with the Michigan Wolverines before becoming a second-round NFL Draft pick by Washington this past April. While there, Sainristil became part of the best defense in the nation.
After arriving in the NFL his development continued immediately when he linked up with legendary cornerback Darrell Green.
Working with Green during the offseason, Sainristil had perhaps the best tutor a young cornerback could have. One who not only made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame but had at least one interception per season for 19 amazing years.
But it wasn’t just the physical aspect of the game Green imparted on Sainristil, but the mental part of it.
“I gained a lot more mental sharpness than I did anything else,” Sainristil says. “Yeah, we did a few position workouts and whatnot, but I think what he was speaking to me and telling me was very beneficial. Just telling me how the game is, telling me what his experience was like. Telling me the things that he did away from football that helped him on the field… just the way he lived his life.”
The benefits of doing things Green’s way are obvious. A Hall of Fame career is evidence enough he might know a thing or two about what he’s sharing.
Add to it the seven Pro Bowls, the two Super Bowls, the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, and even more accolades Green earned during his illustrious career, and you can see clearly why any rookie would turn to him for advice on how to get his own career started on the right track.
That advice helped Sainristil not only grab his first interception but the team’s first of the year as well. And if all goes right this coming Sunday he’ll get to secure his second with Green in attendance as the Washington legend has his jersey No. 28 deservingly retired by the organization.