Trevon Diggs on why he's had so many interceptions
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Trevon Diggs is an anchor on what's become the best defense in football. Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Trevon Diggs, the Cowboys' defensive back extraordinaire, thinks there's only one position in football harder to play than cornerback: Quarterback.
- "They're like computers," Diggs tells Axios. "Every play they've got to make the right decision and throw the ball and worry about pressure in their face and analyze the defense. And they've got to do that all within four seconds."
State of play: Diggs is one of the biggest stars on the staunch, No. 1-ranked Dallas Cowboys defense. Since being drafted out of Alabama in 2020, he's led the team in interceptions every year.
- In 2021, he had 11 picks, the most any player has had in a season since 1981.
Catch up fast: Earlier this year, Diggs and his brother Stefon — a wide receiver for the Bills — were named "Chief Ball Officers" for SAXX, the underwear company.
What we're watching: Since SAXX is "all about ball care" — their words — the brand is donating $10,000 to the Testicular Cancer Foundation if Trevon has an interception or Stefon scores a touchdown on Thanksgiving.
Driving the news: To help promote the cause, Diggs sat down with Axios to talk about everything from why his interception total spiked last year to Cowboys fans asking him to recruit Stefon to Dallas to what it's like working with his backwards-hat wearing defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn.
What happened last year? Why did you have this massive increase in interceptions?
"You ever seen 'Space Jam?'"
Of course.
"Remember when he had his sip?"
Michael Jordan's "Secret Stuff?"
"I was drinking my secret stuff."
How many times have you told people that?
"This is my first time."
How often do people ask you to recruit your brother to Dallas? And how often do people ask him to recruit you to Buffalo?
"I think it's more on the him-to-Dallas side. I get asked that all the time. 'Bring your brother. Bring your brother.' It is always anytime I'm out. It'd be good if we were on the same team."
As long as it's here. Don't go to Buffalo.
"Never."
What's Micah Parsons like off the field?
"A kid. He's just joyful. He likes to play a lot. Really, really competitive. He doesn't like to lose at nothing. It could be flipping a coin or a phone game. He hates to lose. And if he loses at something, he's going to learn how to beat you."
What's Dan Quinn like when the cameras aren't on?
"He's real chill. He just knows the vibe, the energy, the atmosphere. We just want to play hard for him. He's real calm, understanding. But if you're doing something wrong, he's going to tell you. He's real."
How worried were you that he was leaving after last year's success?
"I wasn't worried."
Why do you think playing cornerback is so hard?
"Everything we do is backwards. We're going backwards while someone is running full speed at you. It's difficult."
What kind of calculations do you make when you decide to go for a pick instead of just batting a ball down?
"People go for batting the ball and miss all the time. Why not go for the interception? I feel like you'll make it more because you're sure that you know you're going to get your hands on the ball. I hate batting the ball down."