Rattlers’ Trufant never short on confidence

You would think Isaiah Trufant would be sensitive about his size. The Rattlers defensive back, after all, might be the smallest player in pro football. If not, he’s — ahem — on the short list.

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Instead, Trufant — the little brother of Seattle Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant — accepts what he can’t control with grace, grittiness and quiet determination.

The Rattlers (8-8) enter the playoffs with Trufant playing an outsized role. He is the team’s leader in tackles (76), interceptions (four), fumble recoveries (three), forced fumbles (three) and passes defended (17).

He ranked No. 10 in the Arena Football League in combined passes defended and interceptions (21) in the regular season.

All this from a guy who’s listed at 5-foot-8, 170 pounds, but, as he admits, “Truthfully, I’m 5-6.”

Says brother Marcus, “I still tell him that if he had a couple more inches, he could be in the NFL. But that’s how the game works. They go by size.”

Isaiah, Marcus says, is a diligent but quiet type who is “transformed” when he steps on a football field.

“He’s not a rah-rah guy. He lets it all out on the field.

“That goes with his personality. He doesn’t back down. If he has to take on a lineman, he’s going to get it done.”

Growing up, Marcus says, “He was always the best, the fastest player” on his football teams.

In addition, Isaiah stood out in “all sports ... He’s an outstanding basketball player. He can dunk. Easily, too.”

The brothers grew up in Tacoma, Wash., attending Wilson High School. Marcus got a scholarship to Washington State, while Isaiah only got offers from smaller (Division I-A) Eastern Washington and tiny Central Washington. Isaiah chose Eastern.

Sometimes, he can struggle against taller receivers, as he did Monday in the Rattlers’ disappointing home loss to Utah.

“His coverage was right on last week,” coach Kevin Guy says.

“He was there. He just didn’t make the plays.

“I know he’s been very disappointed about that all week. He’s motivated to get back out there and play.”

Says Trufant, “Tall receivers can make plays on you. Short receivers can make plays on you. It’s all about position. ... If I’m not in position, it really doesn’t matter.

“Sometimes I was in position, sometimes I wasn’t.”

In general, though, as a smaller defender, “I have to be on my game and be in the right spot at the right time and know my assignments. I have to be almost in perfect position to make a play. ... I have to be in perfect balance.”

Overall, Guy says, “He’s quick. He has great cover skills. He has good instincts. He’s a very smart player. He gives up size. No question about that.”

Trufant also plays in the middle as the free safety, meaning — with the rules that allow a receiver to go in motion and turn straight upfield before the snap — Trufant has “the hardest job on the field ... harder than playing quarterback,” Guy says.

Of every 10 plays, Trufant might be trying to defend eight of them. And he’s often going to come up on, yes, the short end.

“They’re going to throw at you. You’re going to get beat,” said Guy. “What’s great about Trufant is he can put it behind him and go on to the next play. That’s the mind-set you have to have to play that position.

“I don’t care if you put a 6-3 guy in there. They’re going to get beat just because of the rules of the game.”

Trufant, though, has to be more precise. That’s the long and short of it.

Rampage at Rattlers
When: 6:30 p.m. Monday
Where: US Airways Center
TV: ESPN2
Radio: KDUS (1060 AM)