Big Red
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- Mar 16, 2019
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Patrick Peterson has mastered the art of playing football, so two months ago he added some assistant general manager duties to his plate.
The Cardinals’ All-Pro cornerback likes to study the list of free agents each offseason, and in early February came upon an unexpected addition. The Falcons had cut veteran cornerback Robert Alford, which sent Peterson scurrying to call his team’s actual GM.
“Once I saw that he was available,” Peterson said, “Steve (Keim) was on speed dial.”
The Cardinals have long sought a stable No. 2 cornerback opposite Peterson and struck quickly to ink Alford to a reported three-year, $22.5 million contract just a few days after his release. Alford is 30 years old and struggled last season, but was hobbled by an ankle injury, and there is belief within the organization that he will be the player to solidify the spot.
When Alford arrived for a visit with the Cardinals, he felt like a wanted man.
“They were all in,” Alford said.
Keim and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph have spoken about Alford’s ability to excel in the aggressive, man-to-man style the Cardinals plan to employ on defense. In today’s NFL, Alford believes that method is key to slowing down passing attacks.
“I love being in a receiver’s face and just challenging him,” he said. “There’s a five-yard rule now that we have, so pretty much you want to use as much as you can within those five yards, and I feel like playing man, being in their face and disrupting them is the main key.”
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