Getty Detroit Lions cornerback Jerry Jacobs delivered a message to the rest of the NFL on June 27.
Jerry Jacobs knows the best way to get past a bad performance is to look forward, but the Detroit Lions cornerback said he added another step this week — deleting all social media.
Jacobs struggled in the team’s 37-31 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2, having a difficult time in coverage and committing a costly penalty near the goal line. The cornerback said afterward he was hounded by fans on social media for his performance, with some of the criticism crossing the line.
While Jacobs acknowledged to reporters after the game that it may have been one of the worst games of his career, the 25-year-old also spoke out against the harsh criticism he faced and said it was unwarranted.
This week, Jacobs deleted social media and sent a message to the fans who were taking aim at him.
Jerry Jacobs: ‘I Had to Block That Out’
Jacobs spoke to the Detroit News this week, saying most fans are understanding after his rough performance, but some took it too far.
“I know a lot of fans and media know everybody can have one bad game,” Jacobs said. “Every corner can have an off day and I just felt like the people on there didn’t understand that. They just kept going and going and I had to block that out because I’ve been starting here for three years. How in the hell am I suddenly sorry if I’ve been doing it for so long?”
Jacobs said he deleted social media apps from his phone so he could put the game behind him and move on. He was confident that he could bounce back in the team’s September 24 game against the Atlanta Falcons, forgetting the tough day against the Seahawks.
“As a cornerback, you have to be able to forget things. I’m trying to work on that and be better at that,” Jacobs said. “After the game, I didn’t want to do anything, which I guess it’s supposed to be that way because we lost. I need to know what I’m capable of.”
Jerry Jacobs appreciation tweet
Some Lions fans did back the Lions cornerback, responding to the criticism with more supportive messages to Jacobs.
Lions Suffer Rough Week
Things got even worse for the Lions after their loss to the Seahawks on Sunday, with the team learning the following day that defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson suffered what is believed to be a season-ending pectoral tear.
As Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press noted, the Lions will likely turn to a rookie to help fill some of Gardner-Johnson’s role on defense.
“Tracy Walker is next in line to replace Gardner-Johnson at safety, with rookie Brian Branch staying at slot cornerback,” Birkett wrote.
The Lions could also look to Jacobs for more veteran leadership. While Gardner-Johnson has emerged as one of the most vocal leaders on defense after joining the team in free agency, Jacobs is one of the longest-tenured players in the secondary. The 25-year-old is in his third year with the team, surviving last season’s overhaul of what was one of the league’s worst defensive backfields.