When former Seattle Seahawk defensive back Jordan Babineaux visited Fairchild Air Force Base last week, he had some advice to offer aspiring football players and new athletes of all kinds.
That advice? Be consistent.
“You know, I think the youth should understand that consistency probably overrides perseverance,” he said. “Perseverance, you look at it as pushing through that tough moment, but the only way to do that and get to that point is to show up every other day.”
Babineaux learned a thing or two about consistency in his 10-year NFL career. Signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2004 out of Southern Arkansas University, he stayed with the team for the majority of his career, making a name for himself as “Big Play Babs.”
He earned the nickname following a stunning interception against Dallas Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe in October 2005 when he returned the ball to the Cowboys’ 32-yard line with just five seconds left in the game, setting up a game-winning Seahawks field goal.
Babineaux said he tries to bring his A-game “against every player I play.”
He continued to impress in 2006 at the NFC Wild Card game — once again against the Dallas Cowboys, tackling Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo on a fourth down scramble after Romo fumbled the snap for a potentially winning Cowboys field goal.
And when he watches football? Let’s say Babineaux roots for his own.
“I’m always rooting for the defender more than I am the offender.”
Over the course of Babineaux’s career, he played cornerback, safety and special teams. He briefly played for the Tennessee Titans and retired from the NFL after the 2014 season, and now does pre- and post-game analysis for radio and television stations.
And to young athletes, Babineaux said, “I’ll add this — you may not have the answers right away, but if you keep taking the steps and going through the process, the answers will come.”
Shannen Talbot can be reached at [email protected].
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