Locos Trufant Activated by Jets
December 31, 2010 - United Football League (UFL 1)
Las Vegas Locomotives News Release
JACKSONVILLE, FL - Friday, December 31 - In four years, Las Vegas Locomotives cornerback ISAIAH TRUFANT has worked his way up from the minor league of Arena Football to the active roster of the National Football League's New York Jets.
Trufant, the 2010 United Football League Defensive Player of the Year, was added to the Jets' active roster on Thursday. He was signed to the Jets' practice squad on December 8, less than two weeks after the Locos won their second consecutive UFL championship.
"We want to see this kid play, and could he help us in the playoffs That's what we are trying to find out," said New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan. "He's done some good things on the practice field. We want to see if it translates to playing on Sunday."
Said Trufant, "Just to have a guy say that about you, that's big. I just want to go out and prove myself. This is my chance. I've never had an NFL chance besides this, so I want to make the most of it."
Trufant stepped into a starting role for Las Vegas this fall, and ended up as one of the top cornerbacks in the UFL. His four interceptions in 2010 were a league record, and all four came in a three-game span in the middle of the season. Trufant also had four pass breakups, a sack and 30 total tackles. In the 2010 UFL Championship Game, which the Locos won 23-20 over the Florida Tuskers, Trufant recorded three total tackles and a pass breakup.
As a nickelback for Las Vegas during the 2009 UFL season, Trufant had the key interception in overtime in the UFL Championship Game, which set up the game-winning field goal in the Locos' 20-17 victory over the Tuskers. During the 2009 regular season, Trufant recorded 13 total tackles and four pass breakups.
"He's a guy, he's practiced really well and he's got something about him," said Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. "He makes plays and he's got very unique movement skills. Here's a guy who's very small in stature. There's a million different nicknames the guys have for him. But here's a guy who's been productive, and when we say play like a Jet, that's how he practices - hair on fire, making plays - whether he was on the scout team or mixed in with the defensive side of it now, too.
"You don't accidentally become defensive MVP of a league that you play in. Here's a guy that had a lot of production in the UFL, and you could see why. It's a unique blend. He's got good ball skills, he just has a good knack for football, and it was intriguing enough for us to recommend that we find a way to get him up just to see what we have."
Prior to his stint in the UFL, Trufant, whose brother, Marcus, is a cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks, played in the Arena Football League with the Kansas City Brigade (2007) and Arizona Rattlers (2008), and with the Spokane Shock of arenafootball2 in 2006.
United Football League Stories from December 31, 2010
- Locos Trufant Activated by Jets - Las Vegas Locomotives
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