Rookie cornerback Terrance Mitchell felt pretty good after his NFL debut on Thursday night, but he knows he still has a lot of work ahead of him.
With Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne and Orlando Scandrick all out, Mitchell was the most visible corner playing for Dallas in the preseason opener. The seventh round pick out of Oregon ended the game with five tackles and a fumble recovery. Not that he’s really satisfied by his performance.
“At cornerback, I kind of grade myself off getting picks and not giving up touchdowns,” Mitchell said, per the team's official website. “I didn’t give up a touchdown, but I’ve just got to work on some of my technical stuff in the game.”
On the down side, Mitchell was called for a costly defensive hold on the Chargers’ first drive, a call he visibly disagreed with. Luckily, he was bailed out when Jeff Heath forced Ryan Mathews to fumble at the goal line, and he just happened to be there to scoop up the loose ball.
“That penalty, I was like, ‘What?’ I didn’t grab him or nothing,” Mitchell said. “The ref explained to me that this year they’re calling the game real tight. So it kind of had me hot, but at the same time, I just stayed focused. Heath came through with a big play and I was in the right place at the right time.”
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