Samuel is the key to Birds' chances

He was not being arrogant, or flip, or disrespectful. He was being truthful, and that unabashed honesty is part of the beauty of Asante Samuel - or as he calls himself on Twitter, Thepresidentcb.

Asked for whom he would vote for all-pro at cornerback, Samuel leaned back in his chair, flashed that money smile, and said: "Myself, myself, myself."

You better believe he meant it.

Samuel is the lone star on the Eagles' defense, the one guy with the hardware, the accolades, the numbers, and the respect. He is a two-time Super Bowl winner, a four-time Pro Bowler, and a onetime all-pro selection, albeit second team. This is Samuel's eighth season in the NFL, and his eighth postseason. Some players, like Takeo Spikes, play their entire careers without sniffing the playoffs; Samuel has never missed one.

He knows more than any other player in the Eagles' locker room what it will take for the Eagles to advance past the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Play fast, physical, and as a unit. Hold the opposition to 17 points. And win the turnover battle. For that to happen, Samuel will have to be at his ball-hawking best.

The postseason is all about the almighty interception, that vaunted turnover that is so precious in the playoffs. If Samuel gets one, the Eagles will win. The Birds are 11-0 at Lincoln Financial Field when Samuel makes a pick. New England, Samuel's first team, was 14-0 at home when Samuel made a pick.

"Turnovers are magnified, man," Andy Reid said. "Your takeaway, giveaway, all of that, that's very important; field position, very important."

Samuel: very important.

In 18 postseason games - 14 for New England - Samuel has returned an NFL-record four interceptions for touchdowns. He ranks first in NFL playoff history with 228 interception return yards, and is tied with Baltimore safety Ed Reed for the most postseason interceptions (seven) by an active player. The career record is nine (Ronnie Lott, Bill Simpson and Charlie Waters).

With Samuel pulling in seven picks in just 11 games this season - he missed four games with various injuries and then didn't play last week against Dallas - he now has 49 career interceptions, including the postseason. Since 2006, no player has had more interceptions than Samuel with 36.

His goals heading into this season included being named NFL defensive player of the year, a big honor that should go to Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu, Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews, or Chicago defensive end Julius Peppers. Samuel will settle for being named an all-pro. He will get my vote, although the award is far from a lock.

"The numbers don't lie," Samuel said. "You break each cornerback down, stat for stat, play for play, I'm pretty sure I should be hands-down. I think this is my best season so far, even when I was in New England and had 12 interceptions. But so far this year is going pretty good."

Samuel's seven picks are tied with New England's Devin McCourty for the most among NFL corners. Green Bay's Charles Woodson, last year's defensive POY, had another well-rounded season with two picks, five forced fumbles, two sacks, one touchdown, and 92 tackles. Jets corner Darrelle Revis (zero picks) and Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha did not get much action because of their coverage skills, but are still strong candidates.

Samuel is known as one of the most skilled players at anticipating a quarterback's throw based on his body language and eye movement. He breaks on the ball so quickly, often a receiver has no play - on the ball or on Samuel. It is his calling card, and Samuel hopes that when his career is finished, he will land in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It is a lofty goal, but not necessarily a selfish one.

"I'm a goal-oriented guy," Samuel said Wednesday, in a quiet Eagles locker room while his teammates were out stretching before practice. "I always set goals for myself, and I try to accomplish them. When I set those goals for myself, I know it's going to inspire me to do my best, which will help my team.

"So it might sound selfish, but no, it's not a selfish thing. The better you play, the better you help your team."

In fact, Samuel's teammates say he has been more giving this week than during the regular season. He is naturally a chatterbox on the practice field and in games, but this week he has been offering suggestions to the defensive coaches and giving pointers to the younger guys on defense, many of whom have never played in the postseason.

"You notice in meetings he's more into it," strong safety Quintin Mikell said. "He has a lot more suggestions, and he's talking to the young guys a lot more, explaining things. He's more of a teacher this time of year."

Samuel thought about bringing his two Super Bowl rings out of the vault to use as motivation. He has only worn them once. He decided maybe next week, or the week after, if the Eagles get that far.

For that to happen, their lone star on defense is going to have to play like it. The pressure is on Samuel, and that is how he likes it.