SB Nation Arizona: All Posts by Jess Root

Tyrann Mathieu hopes to fulfill family obligations with Arizona Cardinals

2013-05-24T17:12:15Z

By all accounts, Arizona Cardinals rookie safety Tyrann Mathieu has turned things around in his life. He has been clean for several months and has been integrated into the life and family of Patrick Peterson. Now he is officially a member of the Arizona Cardinals, as he signed a four-year rookie contract on Thursday.

The Cardinals got a discount initially on the money they pay Mathieu up front, a way to protect them in case he goes back to bad habits, but Mathieu will get all that money he is entitled to (all $662,500 of guaranteed money) as long as he avoids drug problems, regardless of whether or not he remains on the Cardinals roster.

However, the way Mathieu talks, he feels very strongly about not letting people down and intends to not repeat the past. As quoted in a Darren Urban blog post, Mathieu now feels obligated to the Cardinals family.

"I knew it was a long shot and it would be a process, but to finally sit down and sign my name on the dotted line means a lot to me," he said about getting the deal done.

If there are doubters still about the kid, know that his perspective has changed. "I'm part of a family now, so I'm obligated to the community and the entire Arizona Cardinals organization," Mathieu said. "The Bidwill family, Steve Keim, the coaching staff, I'm obligated to everybody now. It's my responsibility."

Something to live for is always the best motivation for changing your life. To view the organization as a family says a lot. It means that there is love and responsibility. There will be support for him and there is internal motivation for him to not let people down.

As he has since being drafted, he is at least saying the right things.

Keep up with Cardinals news and opinions when you are not on the site. Follow Revenge of the Birds on Twitter at @revengeofbirds and "like" us on Facebook. You can follow me individually at @senorjessroot.

5/24 Arizona Cardinals news: Mathieu's deal, age of defense, OTA photos

2013-05-24T12:00:11Z

Here is what you may have missed in the last 24 hours.

Cardinals:

Word From the Birds Blog | Noticing Arenas
In a passing league where you hoard cornerbacks, Arenas can play inside and has experience on the outside if needed. As it stands right now, I think he’ll make a strong push to be here.

Word From the Birds Blog | Mathieu contract out of the way
There was some early concern about how the Cardinals would structure the contract of Tyrann Mathieu, given Mathieu’s issues. But it didn’t seem to make a big difference.

Sam Acho Reprises Role As Alex Okafor Advisor
Former Texas teammates working together as Cardinals linebackers

Arizona Cardinals' main risk protection in Tyrann Mathieu deal - ESPN
Tyrann Mathieu's new contract with the Arizona Cardinals is making headlines for the financial particulars.

Closer look: Defensive starter projections - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Arizona released veteran safeties Adrian Wilson and Kerry Rhodes primarily to shed their contracts. Had getting younger been the priority, Arizona wouldn't have signed 35-year-old Yeremiah Bell as a replacement.

azcentral.com video: Karlos Dansby: It's "motivation" when people say he's too old
Bruce Cooper previews azcentral sports Tonight, Sundays at 10:35 p.m. on Channel 12.

Arizona Cardinals offseason workouts 2013 - azcentral.com photos
Arizona Cardinals offseason workouts 2013

Cardinals' Daryn Colledge adjusting to life on the right side ArizonaSports.com
"It's a big move for me physically, not mentally," he said. "It's just about switching the plays, but physically I've got to kind of undo some technical stuff.

NFL:

NFL OTA news: Trent Richardson hurt, Chris Ivory gets his shot - SBNation.com
NFL news is heating up with OTAs getting started. Check out more on Trent Richardson's injury, the Jets' running back battle, and Johnny Jolly's return to the Green Bay Packers.

NFL news roundup: Anonymous player attacks Mark Sanchez, Jared Allen doesn't want pay cut and more - SBNation.com
As OTAs rage on, an anonymous player has attacked Mark Sanchez, Jared Allen doesn't want to take a pay cut, RG3 is eyeing a Week 1 return, Tyrann Mathieu signed his rookie contract and more. Here's what you may have missed on Thursday.

RGIII injury: Redskins QB says he would feel comfortable starting Week 1 - SBNation.com
Griffin says that team doctors are in control of the timetable for his return, but that he would be okay with starting the regular season even if it meant that he didn't get any reps in the offseason.

Report: Jared Allen Not Interested In Pay Cut - Daily Norseman
If you were holding your breath hoping that one of the NFL's best pass rushers would be taking a pay cut for 2013. . .well, you should probably stop. You're going to pass out.

Falcons in talks with Richard Seymour, per report - SBNation.com
The Falcons are still looking for help on the defensive line, an area that's been a concern in recent years. Is Richard Seymour coming to help?

Scott Chandler injury: Bills TE expects to be ready for training camp - SBNation.com
Less than half a year after tearing his ACL, Bills tight end Scott Chandler is running routes and catching passes.

Michael Crabtree injury: How 49ers will respond to loss of WR - SBNation.com
The San Francisco 49ers will likely look to players currently on the roster to replace the injured Michael Crabtree, so we examined each option and what he brings to the table.

Trent Richardson injury: Browns RB held out of OTAs with pulled muscle - SBNation.com
The team is being cautious with their star player on offense. Will he be ready in time for training camp?

Redskins injuries: Pierre Garcon, Josh Wilson had offseason surgeries - SBNation.com
Plenty of injury news around Washington on Thursday. Will the two starters be ready in time for training camp?

Sean Payton surpasses Bill Belichick as highest paid U.S. coach - SBNation.com
Bill Belichick might be the best coach in the NFL, but he's no longer the highest paid, according to Forbes.

Chris Ivory works toward being Jets' feature running back - SBNation.com
The Jets have a hole a running back to fill and Chris Ivory could be the man to do it. Ivory is impressing in OTAs and does not have stiff competition for the job.

Brian Urlacher retirement: Is he a first-ballot Hall of Famer? - SBNation.com
Brian Urlacher called it a career on Wednesday and his next stop should be Canton, but will he make it into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot?

Tyrann Mathieu contract: 'Honey Badger' gets guaranteed money, but Cardinals have some protection

2013-05-23T21:06:41Z

With the news that Arizona Cardinals rookie Tyrann Mathieu signed his four-year rookie contract, the immediate question is how much guaranteed money he gets, based on his history of off the field problems, which include multiple failed drug tests.

However, based on reports tweeted by both Ian Rapoport and Albert Breer, Mathieu will get the full amount of guaranteed money slated to a player drafted where he was, and the team gets a layer of protection.

Rapoport was the first to tweet that Mathieu would get the full amount of guaranteed money that would go to someone drafted in the third round, but that much of it will come in yearly roster bonuses instead of all of it coming as an up front signing bonus.

Albert Breer then added more details. Instead of getting the full $662,500 he would be slotted to get up front to sign, he instead gets $265,000 as his signing bonuses, and then the remaining $397,500 as roster bonuses as installments of $99,000 in 2014, $102,000 in 2015 and $154,000 in 2016.

In total, his contract is reportedly worth $3.052 million over the four years. Last year's 69th pick (Bills WR T.J. Graham) signed a deal with $2.9 million over four seasons.

It sounds like both parties came to the table willing to work with one another. Mathieu gets a good chunk of money up front and the team is protected if he goes back to having problems he had while in college.

Arizona Cardinals ink Tyrann Mathieu to 4-year rookie contract

2013-05-23T20:46:55Z

He is the sixth of the nine Cardinals draft picks to sign their contracts

Despite the possible threat of a contract squabble over guaranteed money, Tyrann Mathieu has his first NFL contract. The Arizona Cardinals announced on Thursday that they came to terms with the third rounder out of Louisiana State on a four year contract.

Mathieu was the team's third round selection, the 69th selection overall, in April's NFL Draft.

When contract terms come out, it will be interesting to see how much of that money is guaranteed and how it is structured, considering the off the field concerns that come with Mathieu, who was kicked off the LSU squad after issues with drugs.

In two seasons at LSU, Mathieu (5-9, 186) had eight fumble recoveries (two returned for touchdowns), 11 forced fumbles, four interceptions, 133 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 16 passes defensed, and six sacks while also returning 27 punts for 421 yards (15.6 yard avg.) and two touchdowns. His 11 forced fumbles established a school career-record and tied the SEC's all-time mark.

As a sophomore in 2011, Mathieu was a Heisman Trophy finalist, recipient of the Bednarik Award as the nation's top defensive player and unanimous first-team All-America selected after starting all 13 games and collecting 76 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, 7.5 tackles for loss and three quarterback pressures. He also ranked sixth in the nation with six forced fumbles and third in the country with five fumble recoveries that season.

Of the nine draft picks the Cardinals had, six of them are now under contract. All that remain unsigned are first round pick Jonathan Cooper and fourth round picks Alex Okafor and Earl Watford.

Arizona Cardinals ink Tyrann Mathieu to 4-year rookie contract

2013-05-23T20:39:42Z

Mathieu was the team's third round selection, the 69th selection overall, in April's NFL Draft.

Of the nine draft picks the Cardinals had, six of them are now under contract. All that remain unsigned are first round pick Jonathan Cooper and fourth round picks Alex Okafor and Earl Watford.

Michael Crabtree injury: How would a major injury affect Arizona Cardinals WR corp?

2013-05-23T19:21:22Z

The road to winning the NFC West hypothetically got a little bit easier with the news that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree is possibly lost for the entire 2013 season with a torn Achilles. Crabtree, who caught 85 passes in 2012 for over 1100 yards and nine touchdowns, was a thorn in the Cardinals' side. Against Arizona in two contests, he hauled in 13 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns. It was the one matchup that seemed to give Patrick Peterson fits.

Without Crabtree, who was Colin Kaepernick's favorites target, they are left with Anquan Boldin and some unproven or inconsistent players in their receiving corp. Obviously, someone will have to step up. On paper, it does not look good, although according to some, not all hope is lost.

The injury, though, got me thinking about the Cardinals.

When Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians was hired, he thought highly of the receivers already on the team. "It's the best situation at receiver that I have ever walked into," Arians said in March. "It's not the position I've been worrying about."

You definitely can see why when you have a Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Roberts and Michael Floyd. However, as noted recently, there is not much in the way of proven talent after those three, despite there being 13 receivers on the roster.

Yes, the Cardinals have three very talented receivers that will play a ton. But what would happen if one of them got hurt, especially Larry Fitzgerald?

Outside of the top three, there is a total of 11 NFL snaps among the remaining 10 guys, all belonging to LaRon Byrd.

Now, I don't think there will be much playing time on offense for any receiver beyond Roberts. Arians loves to use two tight end sets and in the case of a four wide set, Rob Housler would probably be the fourth receiver as he was a season ago.

Now, the situation might be so dire. If Fitz got hurt, Floyd looks capable of being that number one guy. Roberts can play the number two, as he has done it reasonably well. Rookie Ryan Swope could be plugged in as a slot receiver and, as many readers would probably agree with, play well.

Should the Cardinals look outside the roster for help if there were to lose one of their top guys? There isn't much out there. There is Brandon Lloyd and Randy Moss, but not much else in the way of solid contributors.

The same could be said about the 49ers. They have Anquan Boldin, A.J. Jenkins, Mario Manningham and Kyle Williams (both of whom are coming off of 2012 injuries). They also have Ricardo Lockette, who some believe could have a big impact.

Getting back to the Cardinals, if Fitz got hurt, it looks like the team could weather that, but it would mean the Floyd would have to take over and be the the of receiver many believe he can be.

The 49ers have lost a huge piece to their offense, but they potentially can weather it. Do you think the Cardinals could do the same?

5/23 Arizona Cardinals news: Dockett domination, 'rookie' grind, Crabtree injury

2013-05-23T12:00:06Z

The biggest news in the last 24 hours actually has very little to do with the Arizona Cardinals. It is the fact that Michael Crabtree of the 49ers could be lost for the season with a torn Achilles. Aside form that, there are a few videos from the team's home page.

Cardinals:

Word From the Birds Blog | Crabtree injury elevates Boldin in SF
First it will be interesting to see how Crabtree’s absence impacts the 49ers and, bigger picture, the NFC West.

The Grind For "Year One" Players
Game inexperienced but not rookies, some Cards straddle two ways of NFL life

Mathieu on move to safety: "it takes time"
Tyrann Mathieu talks about adjusting to his move to the safety position.

Dockett set to "dominate"
Darnell Dockett talks about having more freedom in the new defensive scheme.

Flight Plan - New Faces of the Cardinals
Take a look at some of the new additions added to the Cardinals' roster.

Closer look: Offensive starter projections - NFC West Blog - ESPN
A few thoughts on the numbers for NFC West teams:

Around the NFC West: WR complaints - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Bruce Arians' complaints about the Arizona Cardinals' wide receivers made headlines Tuesday. A little context is in order.

Arizona Cardinals defensive ends free to do what they do best: Attack
Change in system philosophy has Calais Campbell, Darnell Dockett excited

Arians' affable approach will be tested by Cardinals
Arians prides himself on being players' coach, but dose of Cardinals, NFL reality might change things.

Cardinals backfield a balance of risk, reward
Injuries, contract years provide Cardinals backs Mendenhall, Williams plenty of motivation.

Cardinals' Palmer undaunted by circumstance
Palmer has work cut out for him with Cardinals but has spent career overcoming circumstances.

NFL:

The NFL's great Super Bowl swindle - SBNation.com
Does your city want to host the big game? Pay up.

Steelers quarterback Landry Jones talks about his religion and gay athletes - Outsports
The former Oklahoma standout says his Christian perspective on homosexuality would not affect his treatment of a gay teammate

Super Bowl 50 selection culminates long process for Jed York, 49ers - SBNation.com
The San Francisco/Bay Area community was selected by NFL owners to host the historic Super Bowl 50. It has been a long road to this point for the 49ers franchise.

Brian Urlacher announces retirement from NFL - SBNation.com
One of the best linebackers in a generation has called it a career on Wednesday morning.

Michael Crabtree injury: 49ers WR has torn Achilles - SBNation.com
The 49ers number one receiver could miss the entire 2013 season. How will San Francisco move forward?

Panthers reach contract agreement with DT Star Lotulelei - Cat Scratch Reader
The Carolina Panthers have signed another player from their 2013 draft class, and this time it's first round pick Star Lotulelei.

Microsoft's NFL partnership worth $400M over five years, reports AP | Polygon
Microsoft's new agreement with the National Football League for interactive NFL experiences, which includes the NFL on Xbox app for Xbox One, is worth $400 million over the next five years for the...

'Star Trek Into Darkness', as reviewed by NFL rookies - SBNation.com
At the 2013 NFLPA Rookie Premiere in L.A., the newest crop of NFL players took in "Star Trek Into Darkness" and shared their reviews with SB Nation, ranging from "I loved it" to "It shocked me" to "I fell asleep."

Arthur Brown injury: Ravens LB sidelined 4-6 weeks - SBNation.com
The Baltimore rookie suffers a setback after surgery but is expected back for training camp. Can he catch up in time to be a starter next season?

Geno Smith signs with Jay-Z's Roc Nation - SBNation.com
The rookie will take on New York with a local icon. What does this mean for the future of Geno and for Roc Nation?

Matt Ryan expected to land $100 million extension with Falcons - SBNation.com
Atlanta's signal-caller is perhaps the next man to be in line for a major pay raise.

NFL over/under picks: Vegas sets Arizona Cardinals line at 5 wins for 2013

2013-05-22T18:00:08Z

We are still months away from the commencement of the 2013 NFL season, but you can already start betting on how many wins you think your team will get. In 2012, the Arizona Cardinals were a tough bet, with their over/under set at seven games.

This year, Vegas isn't expecting much for the Cardinals. According to RJ Bell at pregame.com, the over/under for Arizona in 2013 is a measly five games. To put that in perspective, that is the lowest betting line for wins in the league, tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars...the freaking Jags.

It makes sense. To start with, the Cards are not a widely bet team, so the over/under needs to be a little on the low end to get people to wager something. At the same time, outside of Arizona, there just is little love for the Cards, especially when they play the 49ers and the Seahawks twice each.

What about the rest of the division?

San Fran's line is at 11.5, Seattle is set at 10.5 and the Rams are at seven.

Vegas also has some playoff picks already. In the NFC, they pick the Niners, Packers and the Falcons to win their divisions, with the Seahawks and Saints as the wild cards. However, the NFC East is too close to project. In the AFC, the Patriots, Texans, Broncos and Steelers are picked as division winners, with the Ravens and Colts landing the wild cards spots.

The question is...would you bet the over or the under on the Cards? I am not a betting man, but I think I take the over this year.