PFF: Cardinals DE Calais Campbell continues ‘underrated’ season
Dec 6, 2016, 10:00 AM
Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell forces Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) to fumble during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals recovered the ball on the play. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Calais Campbell’s work along the Cardinals’ defensive line often goes unnoticed.
He lines up more inside in Arizona’s scheme and doesn’t earn the straight sack figures of defensive end counterparts. He sometimes fends off double-teams. All of that provides opportunities for outside linebackers Markus Golden and Chandler Jones.
Not everyone, however, glosses over Campbell’s lack of flash.
Pro Football Focus, for example, gave Campbell his due after the Cardinals’ 31-23 win against Washington. Campbell graded out as the best defensive player for Arizona and he earned a chunk of extra credit thanks to his bull rush and strip-sack of quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Another week, another chance for Calais Campbell to show why he might be the most underrated player in all of football. He didn’t just make the biggest play of the game when he strip-sacked Kirk Cousins, he set the tone by constantly shrinking the pocket with his ability to push linemen about, or just work around them to make life uncomfortable for Cousins.
The defensive end closed with a sack, four quarterback hurries and a batted pass, one that was a near-interception that dropped through his hands after his lost sight of the ball.
“You know, as soon as I batted it I looked up but I looked up in the wrong direction,” Campbell said on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM’s Off the Edge show Monday. “I couldn’t find it so I was looking around to see if it hit the ground already.
“That’s supposed to be easy money, that’s a game-changer.”
For the season, Campbell has been disrupting plays on a consistent basis.
He has four games of multiple quarterback hits and is averaging nearly two hurries per game, according to PFF. He has four sacks, one interception and five passes defended to go with 39 tackles.
