Bickley
in a locker room.
“I think it’s really cool,” Dansby said of his triumphant return. “But I didn’t leave here on bad terms at all. That’s one thing my dad instilled in me a long time ago. You can’t burn bridges because you don’t know when you’re going to need someone. That’s what I try to do. And I haven’t burned a bridge yet.”
To be sure, Dansby didn’t think he’d need the Cardinals in 2013, not after posting 134 tackles last season with the Dolphins. But when he was unexpectedly released after three seasons in Miami, the reunion made perfect sense.
Dansby, 32, needed a job. The Cardinals needed a veteran linebacker as insurance for Daryl Washington, who was suspended for the first four games of the season.
No one in Arizona could’ve known that Dansby 2.0 was actually an improvement over the original model, an athlete with acquired wisdom and crazy ambition.
“My goal at the beginning of the season was to be the Defensive Player of the Year,” Dansby said. “I’ve been searching for this level my whole career, and I’ve finally found it.”
According to Dansby, the missing piece was an eating regimen he adopted two years ago, incorporating a program developed by nutritionist Sari Mellman, where his diet is tailored around the results of blood tests.
“It’s deep, man,” Dansby said. “It runs deep. (Colts star) Dwight Freeney’s been dominant for a long time, and he’s been on this diet for years. This is my second year, and I can honestly say it has put me over the top.
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You can’t burn bridges because you don’t know when you’re going to need someone.” Cardinals linebacker, on his return to the team
“That’s why I set the goal of being the Defensive Player of the Year. It’s what I’ve been training for all off-season. And the feeling I have with this diet is unreal. I feel like I did when I was coming out of college.”
Dansby’s quickness, his everydown stamina and his willingness to put his nose in every scrum have given the Cardinals another impact player on defense. He’s provided great veteran leadership. He’s kept rookie linebacker Kevin Minter on the sidelines. He’s a teammate that doesn’t take shortcuts and doesn’t cause problems. Larry Fitzgerald said Dansby is “flying the flag for all of us,” a “high-character guy who deserves to go to the Pro Bowl.”
All of which is making this homecoming very enjoyable for everyone, and when it all went down, former Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson couldn’t believe his ears.
During another era, Wilson and Dansby were practically inseparable. But Wilson’s ending in Arizona was hardly idyllic. He signed with the Patriots but was placed on injured reserve before the season began.
“He gave me hell about it when I told him,” Dansby said, laughing. “He said he might have done some things differently to stick around, if he had known.
“But me leaving Miami happened suddenly. I wasn’t expecting it. It came out of left field because of conversations I had with the front office and the general manager. I had a very productive season last year and didn’t have an inkling they were going to release me. And I got the phone call after the fact. That’s why you see me playing with this passion.”
It would be nice if this homecoming was permanent. Along with a handful of others, Dansby is a link to one of the fondest times in Valley history, when a plucky 9-7 football team made it all the way to the Super Bowl.
But like many of his teammates, Dansby signed a one-year contract. He said he’s “not sure” if he and the Cardinals can reach a multiyear deal in the off-season, only stating that he “has to make this year count.”
Still, he believes his path led him back to Arizona for a reason. He believes he can still win Defensive Player of the Year, even with all those dropped interceptions. He’s now wearing gloves given to him by Fitzgerald two weeks ago, helping his damaged hands hang on to the football.
He finally scored a touchdown on an interception return last week, and to longtime Cardinals fans, his “Dirty Bird” wing flap in the end zone felt like a long, lost friend.
“The memories we have from the ’08 season and the ’09 (Super Bowl) run, can’t nothing take that out of my mind,” Dansby said. “It’s instilled in me. I was a minute and 30 seconds away from being a Super Bowl champion. And I want that taste back in my mouth.
“It’s hard to relive these memories, but that’s what we’re trying to do. We’ve had a few moments already that remind us of that season. And that’s what I tell Dockett every time we win a ballgame. This is what I’m talking about. This is why I came back, for these moments.”
It’s proof that you can go home again, even in the NFL.