Ted Miller has a nice write-up on Taylor Mays and how he stacks up against Tennessee's Eric Berry.
USC's Taylor Mays is never going to be called modest, and he almost always speaks his mind, so when he's asked about Tennessee's Eric Berry -- Mays' rival for the unofficial title of nation's best safety -- what fuels his response might be surprising.
A lot of respect.
Given a chance to proclaim his supremacy, even in a tongue-in-cheek way, Mays plays the question straight, his tone taking on a rare seriousness.
"People ask me that a lot, but we're different," Mays said "We play on different teams in different defenses in different conferences. From what I know about him and what I've seen of him, I know he is a hell of a football player. I'm not competing with him and I know he's not competing with me. We're competing with ourselves and just trying to be the best we can be as individuals and I'm sure that's how he looks at it, too."
Mays is going to be the leader of this defense no question.
But as Miller notes he does have to improve a few components of his game. Mays is a unique player and plays a less traditional style of defense and that makes him a very special player. Mays will have a lot of attention on him next him, more than what he had last season I have no doubt that he will handle it just fine.