If you take Antre Rolle's word for it, Prince Amukamara's breakout season isn't due to his veteran experience, an offseason workout program or any schematic changes.
The big difference now is that Amukamara is gettin' some.
Amukamara, a fourth-year cornerback for the New York Giants, is performing like never before, and he's helped spark the team's two-game win streak after an 0-2 start. Rolle has seen a difference in Amukamara, and he's giving a lot of credit to the young player's wife.
Amukamara is a devout Catholic who abstained from sex before getting married this summer. Last year, he revealed that he was a virgin and "not ashamed to say that."
Rolle isn't criticizing Amukamara's lifestyle choices, but he does think the effects are obvious.
"There are a lot of things different about Prince," Rolle told NJ.com. "For one, he's married, so he's (enjoying some things that he wasn't experiencing before he's married). For a man, that could definitely help him out. For a man ... I'm just being honest ... it's helping him out. He walks around with a little more swagger, which is something that we need, which is something that we love."
Amukamara's progression hasn't come out of nowhere. Last season, he showed a clear jump from his first two years in the league and appeared set for a long NFL career. This year, though, the 25-year-old has already snagged two interceptions, and he's on pace to make 100 tackles by the end of the season.
Rolle, to his credit, is happy for Amukamara and says the young player's development is great to see.
"He's just developing more as a man and accepting challenges and being the dominant player that we need him to be that we know he's capable of," Rolle said.
Amukamara was the Giants' 2011 first-round pick after being the Big 12 defensive player of the year as a senior at Nebraska.
