Patrick Peterson appears to love the Cardinals’ expected hire of Steve Wilks
Jan 22, 2018, 10:58 AM | Updated: 11:52 am
Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson (21) points to the stands after intercepting a pass agains the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Let’s guess that cornerback Patrick Peterson is not tweeting about his time at a hair salon.
About a half-hour after reports surfaced that the Arizona Cardinals were closing in on a deal to make Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks their next head coach, Peterson tweeted the following:
I LOVE IT.
— Patrick Peterson /P2 (@P2) January 22, 2018
One could make the assumption that it’s an endorsement for Wilks, the 48-year-old who has a background coaching defensive backs.
Former Panthers cornerback Josh Norman, now of the Washington Redskins, assured Peterson he’d be enjoying playing under Wilks’ 4-3 defense that, per ESPN, in 2017 blitzed at the second-highest rate of 44 percent.
@P2 dude you think your game on a High level now? Your abt to go #Supersonic!SegaGenesis!🤯😩
— *Joshua R. Norman (@J_No24) January 22, 2018
Cardinals offensive tackle D.J. Humphries also expressed support for Wilks, who like him is a native of Charlotte.
he from west charlotte I love it ❗️
— D.J. Humphries (@74_hump) January 22, 2018
Known to coach an aggressive style of defense, Wilks’ Panthers were third in the NFL during 2017 with 50 sacks.
That style might fit just right for Peterson to thrive in one-on-one battles as teammates put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Though it was his first season as defensive coordinator, Wilks has coached defensive backs in the NFL since 2006. He was defensive backs coach for the Chicago Bears (2006-08) and San Diego Chargers (2009-11) before he joined Carolina under the same job title in 2012.
