Tyrann Mathieu not yet ready to play like the Honey Badger of old

TEMPE, Ariz. – Staying patient. It’s not easy for anybody.

Even the Honey Badger.

Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu is doing his best to stay patient.

He’s waiting, as is everyone else, to really let loose, to be that ball-hawking playmaker that turned him into a star, first in college and now in the NFL.

Mathieu has played OK in the season’s first two games, yet he knows, like everyone, there is another level to reach and — let’s be honest — expected from one of the best players at his position.

Mathieu, though, is nine months removed from tearing the ACL in his right knee. Both he and the Cardinals are being cautious. It’s why thus far Mathieu is playing deep safety as opposed to near the line of scrimmage.

“Quickness. Speed,” head coach Bruce Arians answered when asked what he needs to see from Mathieu in order to put him back in his more familiar role. Arians then added, “Him coming to me and saying he wants to, that hasn’t happened.”

No, it hasn’t, Mathieu admitted to reporters after practice Wednesday.

“For me, it’s all about competing. Coach tells you to run through a brick wall, you try to run through it, not knowing some consequences of running through a brick wall,” he said.

“Every day it eats at me because I’m not able to do what I want to do, but at the end of the day, my coaches, they keep me encouraged, they keep me positive and I think that’s what’s really been helping me stay patient.”

Until that day, Mathieu will continue to play center field, the last line of the Cardinals defense rather than where most of the action originates.

“It’s a new challenge for me. Obviously, I like playing in the box. My instincts tend to take over. But when you’re playing in the middle of the field, you got to kind of control your instincts because they could throw the ball over your head and it would be a touchdown,” he said.

“Like I told my Coach (Nick Rapone), it’s just one of those things. I want to challenge myself personally to get it done even though it may not be the role I’ll play as the season goes. It’s something I definitely want to conquer.”

Mathieu ranks sixth on the team in tackles with nine, including one for a loss, playing 83 percent (124-of-150) of the defensive snaps.

What’s missing from his stat line, however, are pressures and hits on the quarterback. That will come in time.

The question, of course, is how much time? When will Mathieu know when to knock on Arians’ office door and tell him he’s ready, ready to be the Honey Badger once again?

“The Patriots week I felt really sore. This past Sunday I felt better than I felt the Patriots week,” Mathieu said. “So, I think as time continues to go on and my knee continues to heal, the little soreness, tightness, tendonitis, once those things go away, I’ll know that I’m ready to get back to what I normally do.”

No, staying patient isn’t easy. Mathieu, though, is keeping a long-term perspective.

“It’s a long season,” he said. “Obviously, we got hopes of getting back to the playoffs and I definitely want to be present.”

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