The Shutdown Corner Interview: Eric Berry (Part 2)

You hear about players being "born" to play their sports, but current Kansas City Chiefs and former Tennessee Volunteers safety Eric Berry(notes) fits the profile better than most. His father James was a three-year starter for the Vols, and the team's 1981 defensive captain. From an early age, Berry took his dad's lessons to heart. At Creekside High in Fairburn, Georgia, he led his team to a 37-5 record as a quarterback and safety, and that was just a warm-up for what he'd do at his father's alma mater.

Berry tore up the NCAA, winning the 2009 Thorpe Award and becoming the best safety in the collegiate ranks. Berry was drawing comparisons to Brian Dawkins(notes) and Ed Reed(notes) even before former NFL defensive genius Monte Kiffin became his defensive coordinator in time for the 2009 season. Off the field, Berry is just as driven — he was a member of the National Honor Society in high school, and interned with a local dentist last year to further his education. I got a chance to catch up with Berry after a recent adidas photo shoot, and here's Part 2 of the interview.

Shutdown Corner: You're so tight when it comes to reading offenses and so disciplined when going downhill fast to make tackles — I know you just work on technique all the time, but at what point do things move so fast in the game, that you have to let your instincts take over?

Eric Berry: I don't think

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