(Photo by Bill Allen/NJSportAction) caption: RAISING ARIZONA: Jay McCareins races to the end zone on his 75-yard touchdown return of an interception for the Princeton University football team in the Tigers' season-opening win over Lafayette. McCareins ended his Tiger career with a bang last, being named as a Division 1-AA first-team All American after leading the nation with nine interceptions and scoring four touchdowns on return plays. This week, McCareins takes his playmaking skills to the NFL as he begins training camp with the Arizona Cardinals, aiming to make the squad as an undrafted free agent.

McCareins Primed to Seize Opportunity as He Starts Cardinals' Training Camp

By Bill Alden

As a relatively puny 170-pounder who was switching to defensive back after being a star quarterback in high school, Jay McCareins started his Princeton University football career in the fall of 2001 fighting to impress his coaches.

Showing his ability to rise to a challenge, McCareins got on the field that fall, making 22 tackles and snaring two interceptions. By 2002, McCareins had emerged as one of the top defensive backs in the Ivy League, tying for the league lead with five interceptions and earning second-team All-Ivy honors.

McCareins, though, hit a bump in the road as he had to take a year off from school after his sophomore season due to being declared academically ineligible.

Determined to not let the forced leave of absence derail his progress, McCareins returned to PU with a vengeance in the fall of 2004, earning first-team All-Ivy recognition after excelling as a cornerback, wide receiver, and return man.

Last season, McCareins produced one of the more sensational seasons in the recent annals of Princeton football, being named as a Division 1-AA first-team All American after leading the nation with nine interceptions and scoring four touchdowns on return plays.

This week, McCareins will be looking to catch the eyes of a new group of coaches as he begins training camp with the Arizona Cardinals in Flagstaff, Ariz., aiming to make the squad as an undrafted free agent.

In looking ahead to taking his shot at the NFL, McCareins knows how far he has come. "Playing defense was quite a change for me; I really had to work hard to learn the footwork," said McCareins, a native of Naperville, Ill. who has grown into a chiseled 5'11, 195-pounder.

"In the spring of my freshman year, the coaches said I had a good chance to start as a sophomore. I worked my butt off and I went from feeling I could do this to feeling I could dominate if I put my mind to things."

As Princeton defensive backs coach Eric Jackson recalled, McCareins was far from dominant as a wet-behind-the-ears freshman.

"He was not very good playing defensive back," said Jackson. "It's really tough since it's the only position where you're going backwards all the time. You have to learn to backpedal and Jay struggled with that. We had some of the best receivers in the league in Chisom Opara and B.J. Szymanski and that spring they whipped Jay's butt. That made him grow and really prepared him."

Another growing experience for McCareins came when he had to take a year off from school. "I became more detail-oriented with my schoolwork," acknowledged McCariens, who spent much of the year in Tennessee living with his older bother Justin, then a receiver with the Tennessee Titans. "I felt I had to take the penalty rather than transferring. I worked hard to make a bad situation positive."

Jackson, for his part, believes that McCareins benefitted from his year away from the program. "In our league, guys go in and out of college in four years," explained Jackson, who is entering his seventh season as a coach with the Tiger program. "The fifth year gives players a little maturity; you see things differently and have a greater sense of urgency."

The talented McCareins certainly showed a sense of urgency during his sublime senior campaign. The ball-hawking McCareins made one clutch play after another as he helped Princeton go 7-3 and come within one win of the Ivy title.

It started in the season-opener at Lafayette where he made a 75-yard touchdown return on an interception to help key a 23-21 Princeton victory.

A week later, McCareins scored on a 99-yard touchdown return of an interception with 1:14 remaining in the fourth quarter to give Princeton the margin of victory in its 20-17 win over San Diego. In late October, McCareins produced an electrifying 93-yard kickoff return to give Princeton a 27-24 win at Harvard, the Tigers' first victory over the Crimson since 1995.

"I felt real confident coming into the season," recalled McCareins a unanimous first-team All Ivy pick last fall who ended his PU career with 18 interceptions, third on the program's all-time list.

"Coach Jackson told me I needed to play as if someone was taking my paycheck; he told me to take my game to the next level. He told me to do something spectacular every game and once that started happening, it became an expectation."

Jackson, for his part, was proud of how McCareins raised the level of his game. "Jay responded unbelievably," asserted Jackson. "He was the best player in the league. Nick Hartigan [of league champion Brown] got the MVP but Jay did more things to help us win. No other defensive back in the league came close to him physically or mentally and he didn't miss a play on special teams."

While McCareins was already on the NFL's radar coming into his senior year, his heroics in 2005 marked him as a prospect likely to be chosen in the league's 2006 draft. Although McCareins was disappointed that he wasn't picked, he was happy to take his talents to the Cardinals.

"The Cardinals had been honest with me," said McCareins, who signed with Arizona on draft day after also being contacted by the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, and Pittsburgh Steelers.

"They told me that I was one of the top secondary guys on their board and that they weren't going to draft any defensive back ahead of me. They didn't lead me on like some of the teams did."

McCareins gave an honest effort as he spent much of May and June out in Arizona, participating in weeks of mini-camps and OTAs (organized team activities).

"I'm looking to take advantage of every opportunity," said McCareins, who has been moved to free safety from his college position of cornerback. "In 7-on-7 drills, you can't take risks; you have to be in the right place. You get yourself more reps by knowing more coverages."

In Jackson's view, McCareins has the mentality and skills to take advantage of his NFL opportunity. "You have to be very greedy as an athlete," asserted Jackson, who played football at Eastern Michigan in the mid 1980s.

"You have to want it all and have the mentality that you are the best. Jay is not afraid to put himself out there. Free safety is a good position for him, Jay has great ball skills and a lot of guys back there don't. Jay has another advantage, he studies films and knows everything inside and out. He puts himself in the best position to succeed."

McCareins, for his part, is proud how he overcame obstacles in getting his shot to succeed in the NFL. "There isn't just one path to success," said McCareins with his voice rising.

"I had a lot of doubters and people who weren't supporters; it's good to prove myself to them. I have now 20 practices in a row to impress the Cardinal coaches. No matter where you are from or what school you went to, if you work hard and try your best you can make it."

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