Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Byron Maxwell prides himself on his “thick skin,” and he’s not bothered one bit by the national criticism he’s received for his poor play thus far in 2015.
Thanks to a couple of decent seasons during his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, Maxwell was a highly touted free agent who ended up signing a six-year, $63 million deal with Philly. Many believed he was nothing more than a product of Seattle’s system, and to this point he hasn’t done anything to prove that notion wrong.
Through his first two games with the Eagles, Maxwell has been incredibly ineffective, getting routinely torched — first by Julio Jones in Week 1 and then again by Terrance Williams in Week 2. Anyone thinking this might bother him, however, would be sorely disappointed.
Oh man. Byron Maxwell after the game pic.twitter.com/F4lwqf0g2g
— Jawn Gonzalez (@JohnGonzalez) September 21, 2015
Crediting his upbringing in the Southern U.S., Maxwell talked about his “thick skin.”
“Everything’s in your face in the South,” Maxwell told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “That’s how it is in the South. They got Confederate flags running around. . . . I’m just saying. You’re used to s**t. You grow up with a thick skin in the South.”
Rated No. 89 out of 97 qualified cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Maxwell has been rightly criticized for his poor play this season. He’s allowing a perfect 158.3 passer rating through two games. But he’s still confident he can turn things around.
“That’s part of being the guy with the big contract and being the big free agent coming in,” Maxwell said. “I haven’t performed up to it, but it’s a new week against the Jets. I get to play again.”
It is certainly true that the season is young and players who start out cold can become dynamos later in the season. For the Eagles’ sake, hopefully Maxwell can become the player they thought they had when they signed him to the big-time contract this spring.