Cardinals need O’Brien Schofield to step up

The Cardinals selected O’Brien Schofield in the fourth round of the 2010 draft believing they were getting a top-notch pass rusher at a discounted rate.

Roughly 19 months since tearing his ACL, the hope is the linebacker will turn into the dominant pass rusher the Cardinals need.

“The two guys that had been starting there, Clark Haggans and Joey Porter, they’re guys that hopefully you don’t have to play every down,” Cardinals play-by-play broadcaster Dave Pasch said. “Not only that, but hopefully at some point one of them is not starting, and O’Brien Schofield is starting and O’Brien Schofield is contributing as a big time pass rusher.

“They need one.”

Yes, they do.

Pasch said the last time the Cardinals had a true pass rush threat was Bertrand Berry, who picked up 14.5 sacks in 2004 and 40 over six seasons with Arizona, and could really use someone who can get after the quarterback.

Especially, as he said, if the Cardinals hope to follow in the mold the Pittsburgh Steelers have set, with the dominant nose tackle and two outside linebackers playing the key roles.

“Dan Williams is big, O’Brien Schofield is big, and whoever that other outside linebacker is…they need production from that position,” he said.

Chances are you wont’ find anyone who disagrees with Pasch, given that the key to a great defense is a pass rush.

Will Schofield provide one? Time will tell.

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