S Atari Bigby hits Seattle RB Shaun Alexander during Saturday's NFC Divisional playoff game at Lambeau Field.
Regularly labeled with the tag "hard-hitting safety," Atari Bigby has a curious description for what it's like to deliver one of those hard hits, both for him and his victim.
"It's like catching a fish," Bigby said. "You can just feel him fighting for his life. It's a great feeling. You can actually feel the electricity in his body. I'm telling you, it's hard to describe, but it's great.
"So for guys who have never had a big hit, go out and catch a big fish."
No word on whether Bigby was looking into hitting the Bassmaster circuit this offseason, but Lambeau Field was certainly his hot spot on Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks.
Bigby was probably the most physical presence in a dominating defensive performance that held Seattle to just six points over the game's final 56 minutes in the 42-20 triumph. He leveled multiple Seahawks receivers and ballcarriers with big hits, leading the team in tackles with seven (four solo).
And he made the biggest play of the game for the defense on the first play of the second quarter, drilling tight end Marcus Pollard after a short reception and popping the ball loose. Teammate Aaron Kampman recovered at the Seattle 18-yard line to set up a short field for the go-ahead touchdown to make it 21-14, putting the Packers ahead for good and completing the recovery from a 14-0 deficit.
Bigby's instincts were spot-on for that play. He read where Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was going with the ball prior to the throw, and Pollard never got his head turned upfield to see him coming.
"I just tried to get there before he could turn around and get any more yards," Bigby said.
Bigby continued his high-impact play on Seattle's next series. He blasted receiver Bobby Engram after a 9-yard reception and then stuck with Pollard in coverage and batted away a pass that would have given the Seahawks a first-and-goal. Seattle settled for a field goal, keeping the Packers ahead 21-17.
Bigby's presence, and the early big hit, may have had an effect on Pollard the rest of the game. The 13-year veteran had two passes later in the game go right through his hands when he was wide open - one in the end zone in the third quarter, and another on fourth down in the fourth quarter.
Receiver D.J. Hackett also dropped a short pass near the goal line, and while it's impossible to know if Seattle's miscues were directly a result of any seeds Bigby planted in their minds, other Green Bay defenders gave Bigby at least partial credit.
"He made some big plays," cornerback Charles Woodson said. "Anytime the secondary makes those receivers a little jumpy out there, catching the ball, it pays dividends. You see they dropped a couple of passes.
"When you put that in the minds of receivers running routes, running across the middle, knowing that there's going to be somebody there that's going to hit you, not just tackle you by the legs but actually hit you, they think about that."
Bigby had his rough patches earlier this season, his first as an NFL starter after beating out incumbent Marquand Manuel for the job in training camp. At Denver on Oct. 29, he was called for four total penalties on two Broncos scoring drives - a late hit, two pass interferences, and a delay of game for kicking the ball - for 41 yards. The next week at Kansas City, he took another pass interference in the end zone, for 29 yards, setting up a Chiefs touchdown.
But as the season wore on, Bigby channeled and timed his aggressive play better and ended up leading the team with five interceptions, including four in the final month of the regular season that earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Month for December.
{sportsad300}The batted pass in the red zone against Pollard in the second quarter Saturday was a prime example of his improved on-the-ball play. Secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer noted that Bigby, running to his right, reached for the ball with his left, or upfield, arm. If he tries to go after the ball with his right, or downfield, arm on that play, he either ends up shoving the receiver and taking a penalty, or twisting his body so far out of position he won't be able to make the tackle if the ball is caught.
"That was a huge play for us, and the way he made it, too," Schottenheimer said. "It was a well-thrown pass, and it was absolutely picture-perfect technique and finish on the play."
But Bigby gets far more thrills from his big hits, and he's been a key piece in run support all season. He finished third on the team in the regular season in tackles with 121 (95 solo), the most tackles recorded by a Green Bay defensive back in 17 years.
"It's just a mindset," Bigby said of his aggressive mentality, which aptly fits his first name, a Japanese form of the word 'attack.' "I'm a strong safety. I tell those guys all the time I'm going to back you up, and they have a lot of confidence in me doing that."
That confidence was only reinforced by Bigby's stellar playoff debut.
"I wasn't amazed at all," cornerback Al Harris said. "I see it all the time. He's a man. He's the real deal. Any play that he makes, we're not amazed because we see it all the time.
"That's how he plays. He only has one speed. If you're on his team, just get out of his way."
Lest the "fisherman" hook you, too.
