ARIZONA CARDINALS

Dealing Cards: Tyrann Mathieu working way back, adjusting to different role

Sep 14, 2016, 6:14 PM | Updated: Sep 15, 2016, 11:20 am

New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount (29) pushes across the goal line for a touchdow...

New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount (29) pushes across the goal line for a touchdown as Arizona Cardinals free safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) defends during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

TEMPE, Ariz. — As expected, Tyrann Mathieu was on the field last Sunday when the Cardinals opened their season against the New England Patriots.

The defensive back played all 71 defensive snaps, and finished with seven total tackles, as well as one stop for a loss.

Asked if was able to move around the way he wanted to, Mathieu responded by citing how many plays he was a part of.

“That was the goal,” he said.

While Mathieu did not necessarily play poorly, he also was not his usual “Honey Badger” self. When last we saw him, he was making a case to be the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year, terrorizing offenses with a skillset not seen in many players.

The 24-year-old admitted on Wednesday that he is still growing and trying to get better, and on Sunday did not feel like he was “really in position to make any impact plays.”

“We felt like they kept most of our playmakers out of the game,” he said, before praising the Patriots’ scheme.

Another reason Mathieu may not have felt like he had a chance to make the kind of plays he is used to is because of how he was deployed in Arizona’s defense. While he spent most of his time playing near the line of scrimmage last season — which allowed him to help in the run game and blitz the quarterback as well as drop into coverage — against the Patriots he was more of a free safety, a last line of defense.

“I don’t necessarily like it, but like I said, I’m still trying to get back in rhythm,” he said. “It’s a new challenge for me; I just try to embrace it and accept it.”

The change in role may be due to many factors, one of which is a need at free safety after Rashad Johnson departed as a free agent. The real driving force behind it, however, might just be the team making sure Mathieu is 100 percent recovered from his ACL injury before using him the way it did last year.

“I think it’s more about just me getting healthy, me getting back comfortable playing in the box, playing nickel,” Mathieu said. “I think in the next couple weeks, hopefully I’m where I need to be and hopefully I can make that transition.”

Some injury news

The Cardinals entered the regular season about as healthy as they could have reasonably hoped, but they didn’t leave Week 1 that way.

Against the Patriots, the Cardinals lost defensive lineman Frostee Rucker, guard Evan Mathis and receiver J.J. Nelson. In the portion of practice open to the media Wednesday, none were spotted on the field in pads, though Nelson was seen on the side getting some work in.

Linebacker Kareem Martin, who hurt his knee in the preseason finale, is “getting close,” according to head coach Bruce Arians. As for Mathis, the coach said they’ll have to see how he is doing Thursday.

“Just day-to-day,” he said.

Ready to work again

Arians on Wednesday praised the effort his players put forth in practice, saying he was pleased with how the guys bounced back from Sunday’s loss. He added that the session was spirited, and there seemed to be no disagreement with his assessment in the locker room.

“Good,” safety Tony Jefferson said of how Wednesday went. “Guys were ready to roll.”

“It was just very business-like,” QB Carson Palmer said. “It was one of the louder practices, as far as pads smashing. We started off in a run drill and we got great looks from our show team today. It was a very physical practice, which is good. It’s a very focused group right now and very determined to take care of business this weekend.”

The mood seems to be more of defiance than anything, as there remains a strong belief that the product the Cardinals put on the field against the Patriots is not indicative of what kind of team they are and will ultimately be.

“Obviously any time you lose, you approach the next week different,” Mathieu said. “So everybody was serious today. But we don’t play football on Wednesdays; we play football on Sundays, so we just have to have that same mindset, that same attitude come Sunday.”

Peters played, and that is big

Defensive lineman Corey Peters was credited with just two assisted tackles and one QB hit against the Patriots. He was on the field for 35 snaps, or 49 percent of the defensive plays.

“It was a day that I was praying for and just waiting for that opportunity to get back on the field and just kind of get my feet wet and kind of get back to what I love to do,” he said. “Too bad we didn’t come out with the outcome that we would like, but we’ll get back at it and get ready for Tampa Bay this week.”

Peters, you may recall, missed all of last season after suffering an Achilles injury during training camp. While his absence did not necessarily prove to be costly, his presence is a nice boost to a defense that already boasted plenty of talent along the line.

The former Atlanta Falcon, 28, amassed 11 sacks in five seasons, though injuries have plagued him at times.

As for how he played Sunday, Peters said there are always some plays you would like to get back but overall he thought he was solid.

Bundy is back

Receiver Marquis Bundy was among the final cuts the Cardinals made leading up to the regular season, but Tuesday he was back with the team after being signed to the practice squad.

For him, the phone call to return could not have come soon enough.

“I felt a little discouraged,” he said of being released. “I went home and sat on the couch for a little and thought about what I was going to do, what job I was going to get, or how I was going to keep going on forward from there.”

An undrafted rookie out of New Mexico, the 6-foot-4 Bundy gives the Cardinals a bigger receiver to match up with in practice as they prepare for Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson, who are each listed at 6-foot-5.

“Yeah, when we want a taller receiver,” Arians said of the reason for adding Bundy. “Chris (Hubert) did a heck of a job for us and we needed taller guys.”

Whatever the reasoning, Bundy is just happy to be with the team again.

“I really had no plans at all, actually,” he conceded. “Thank God that they called me back so fast, because I was running out of options and things to do.”

A native of Anthem, Bundy said the Cardinals are his favorite team so getting the chance to be on this roster during the season is something he cherishes and wants to make the most of.

“I just want to take advantage of it and do the best I could,” he said.

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Dealing Cards: Tyrann Mathieu working way back, adjusting to different role