IS THE ‘BADGER’ BACK?
Cardinals S Mathieu weighs reclaiming his old nickname while keeping his focus on the field
He’s not even a full week into his first NFL training camp, but Tyrann Mathieu is feeling so confident with each step he takes as a member of the Cardinals that he’s come to the threshold of making a major decision. He’s thinking about unretiring his nickname. That may not come as a news flash, but when the Cardinals drafted him in the third round this past April despite his having to sit out the entire previous season at Louisiana State because of repeated marijuana use, Mathieu wanted to distance himself from the whole “Honey Badger” phenomenon.
Considering he would be starting anew and under strict watch, he thought it best to put the past — and the identifiable nickname — behind him.
Now, he’s not so sure. His autograph is one of the bigger catches at camp. Every day at University of Phoenix Stadium, fans are screaming his name with unbridled support. They’re cheering “Honey Badger!” over and over. So is the nickname retired or not? “I don’t know. I tried to,” Mathieu said. “But it seems like it’s still on myshoulder. I’m just going to go with the flow and we’ll see what happens.”
The smile he flashed after making that comment spoke volumes. But Mathieu has had plenty of reasons to smile lately. Not only did the Cardinals give the playmaking defensive back a shot at
redemption and a chance to realize a lifelong dream, but the 21year-old is finding salvation and maturation at nearly every turn.
“Man, everything is going so good,” he said. “It’s been extremely positive for me. Guys in the locker room all support me. They all know my situation. They’re all holding me accountable. I think that’s something I needed coming into the NFL.”
Third-year cornerback Patrick Peterson, Mathieu’s teammate at LSU and his best friend and mentor, still holds the most influence. Peterson’s family took Mathieu into its Florida home last year to help keep him on the straight and narrow, and Peterson reports Mathieu has been doing all the right things.
“I couldn’t be happier about him right now,” Peterson said.
General Manager Steve Keim acknowledged he wasn’t completely sure how dedicated Mathieu would be toward his training and his transition to the pros.
“He’s a gym rat,” Keim said. “He was one of the first rookies in the weight room every morning, and he’s obviously got a chip on his shoulder. We’ll see whether he toes the line off the field, but so far, everything we’ve seen brings me a great deal of confidence he’s going to do the right thing.”
On the field, Mathieu has looked solid and smooth. Though he played cornerback in college, finishing his two-year career with a school-record11forced fumbles as well as six fumble recoveries and four interceptions, he seems to be absorbing all the nuances of free safety.
But given his ball-hawking ability, the Cardinals could probably put the “Honey Badger” anywhere in the secondary and he would be a danger to opposing offenses. Just let him freelance and move around in a rover position, and see what happens.
“Yeah, I would like to think that,” he says. “But I’m really just trying to get the safety thing down right now. I’ve already got the nickel package down. I played that my whole college career, so that’s pretty easy for me.”
Peterson, however, has noticed at least one flaw.
“You have to be a little bit more vocal — that’s something he’s slowly getting,” Peterson said. “He’s not a loud guy. But to play in this league, the safeties have to be the guys that are vocal. You have to make sure you got the corners in the right position, making the correct checks. He’s pretty much the general in the secondary.”
Mathieu agreed after being told of Peterson’s comments and said he’ll work quickly on raising his barking skills.
“Hey,” he said, “I want to be the guy back there that my teammates believe in, so it’s my responsibility to open my voice up and start screaming and yelling.”
Mathieu mayget an opportunity to make fans scream and yell besides from just playing in the secondary. Coach Bruce Arians is contemplating using him on punt returns along with Peterson.
“I wouldn’t mind being back there with Patrick. I doubt he’d let me catch it, though,” Mathieu said, laughing.
Arians is also using Peterson in some gadget plays on offense, letting him run a few deep routes and quick screens out of the backfield. Does Mathieu want some of that action, too?
“I’m not an offensive weapon,” he said. “I’m a defensive guy who looks good with a ball in his hands. I can’t take those hits like that anyway.”
Seriously? A defensive player would turn down the chance to play a little bit of offense?
“I doubt it, because we’ve got Patrick here,” Mathieu said. “Everything goes through Patrick first.”
Peterson loved hearing that from his young protege.
“He said it goes through me, huh?” Peterson said. “That’s good. Unless the coach says otherwise, I’m the one getting all the catches.”