For Patrick Peterson, it’s time to look forward
Aug 18, 2015, 3:08 PM | Updated: 3:10 pm
Let’s all just forget about the 2014 version of Patrick Peterson.
That’s definitely what Peterson himself wants to do.
It was October of 2014, the week of the game against the Oakland Raiders, when the four-time Pro-Bowl cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals started “not feeling it.” He was dehydrated, throwing up at practices. He said his teammates were concerned and encouraged him to talk to the medical staff.
He would later be diagnosed with Type II diabetes, which the 25 year-old said is now under control. He said he felt it affected him, some games more than others, but he still would never talk about its impact.
“I’m the type of guy who always wants to own up to my play,” Peterson told Bickley and Marotta on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “I don’t want to make any excuses, I don’t want to say the reason I’m not in a position to make a play is because a — I’m too heavy, b — I have diabetes and c — I’m not feeling normal to go out there and be explosive. I held it in because I though that wasn’t important. To me, that would look like ‘he’s a coward he’s making excuses.’”
While he faced critics in many forms, he feels he was disappointed with himself more than anybody.
“The expectations for myself are high as well,” he said. “One day, I want to put on that gold jacket on. I want to help my team win a championship. For us to do that, Patrick Peterson has to be at his best. Period. I’m on the No. 1 receiver every game and when the No. 1 receiver doesn’t have big games, nine times out of ten we’re going to win that ballgame.”
Peterson has vowed to leave all of the disappointment of last season in his memories and go into this season with gratitude for being healthy. He told the media he believes that if he stays healthy, this could be a defensive-MVP-type season for him.
“I believe no one has worked harder than me this offseason. I think my will has become much bigger this offseason, I am so much more focused and so much more honed in on what I have to do. It’s going to be a fun journey.”
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