The Extra Point
Dennis Gardeck was a pretty good high school linebacker in Illinois who absolutely loved to play football. So when a few NCAA Division II schools had interest in his ability, he figured a smallcollege scholarship would be a great way to partially pay for his education and allow him to stay on the field a few more years.
“And I just wanted to see how good could I get at it?” he said. “Let’s see how far we can take this.”
Turns out he got pretty good. Seven years after he took a scholarship to little-known West Virginia State, he hopes to make his ‘Monday Night Football’ debut when his Arizona Cardinals travel to face the Dallas Cowboys.
He is coming off a breakout performance after he had two sacks in the team’s 30-10 win over the New York Jets on Sunday. The third-year player was needed after 2019 All-pro linebacker Chandler Jones suffered a biceps injury in the first half. Gardeck’s role will likely increase since Jones is out for the remainder of the year.
Gardeck said he’s enjoying the moment now that he’s having his 15 minutes of relative fame, but won’t change his blue-collar approach just because he had a few highlight-reel plays. He is battling a foot injury but expects to be available against the Cowboys.
“I always tell the young guys, ‘Don’t ride the roller coaster of getting too high or too low,’ ” he said. “I feel like that’s a gamebreaker for the NFL, being able to stay consistent and level-headed. So the preparation won’t change. I’ve been preparing this whole time. As far as the role goes, when my name’s called, I’ll go in and do the best I can.”